International Land From Frederik Aspok and Anna Neuer Reinvent Danish Colonial Satire ‘Empire’ — EFM
Exclusive: REinvent International Sales increased empireAn absurdist period drama by Danish filmmaker Frederik Aspok about Denmark’s colonial history.
Conceived and written by Anna Nei, who plays the lead role in the film, empire Set in the Danish West Indies in 1848, it’s a story about power and human interdependence that challenges Denmark’s historical amnesia with a mix of serious drama and absurd comedy.
The film’s full synopsis reads: St. Croix, Danish West Indies, 1848. Anna Heggard (Nee) and Petrin (Sara Fanta Traore) are close friends. Both are women of color, but their living conditions are very different – Anna is free and Petrine owns the slave. Anna shares her life with the Danish Governor General Peter von Scholten in his country house, where she manages the house, her fortune, and her beloved and faithful housekeeper, Petrin. Things are going well until rumors of a mutiny start spreading. Which side is Anna and Petrin actually on – and is it the same?
The film had its world premiere at the Nordic Competition in Gothenburg earlier this month and will be screened at REinvent’s promo reel screening at the upcoming European Film Market on February 16. REinvent will handle international sales
The film was produced by Pernil Scheidsgaard, Nina Liedersdorff and Meta Louise Folder Sørensen for Meta Films, co-produced by Brain Academy with support from the Danish Film Institute, Nordic Film & TV Fund, DR & SF Studios in association with SVT & Seven. Islands movie.
The film will premiere locally on April 20.
“empire challenges the highly romanticized look at Denmark’s own colonial past and does so with a confrontational aesthetic,” says Aspöck.
“The history of the world has been written by and about white men, for that reason empire Deliberately places female Afro-Caribbean characters – enslaved as well as free – at the center of its story. Through thorough research, authors Anna Nei and I sought to understand the nuances of former Danish colonies and how dehumanization affects those living in terror-based societies. In their efforts to survive, the oppressed risk further oppression, and here we wanted to examine human complexity and power dynamics.”
Nye added: “People of color have been written out of Danish history books like women. Visibility is important and we deliberately wanted to create fully fleshed-out characters of color – characters full of agency and resilience. As an Afro-Danish writer I really long for that time.” When people of color are not just a footnote in Danish history books. At least we deserve our own chapter.”
Aspöck is best known for his debut feature, out of bounds which premiered at Cannes in 2011. He has since taken the film to Moscow, Karlovy Vary, Rotterdam and Gothenburg.
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