16/01/2006

Danish filmmaker Annette K.Olesen is a Berlin favourite. Her third feature film One To One has been selected at the festival’s Panorama section, making it her third selection at the festival: both her previous films In Your Hands [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (2004) and Minor Mishaps [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (2002) ran in the official competition, with the latter winning the Blue Angel Award for Best European Film.

One to One takes place on a council estate on the outskirts of Copenhagen where ghetto violence is part of everyday life 19-year-old Per is badly beaten up and taken to hospital in a coma. Per’s younger sister Mie seeks solace from her boyfriend Shadi of Palestinian descent, but he finds it difficult to comfort her because he himself suspects his elder brother to be behind the assault.
"When the world we know is changing, it makes us feel insecure", explains the director. "And when we feel insecure we fear we will loose what we’ve got. When we fear that, we try to exert control. At best fear is an instinct that enables us to survive. At worst, it is a cancer that spreads and mutates into angst. This is a film about fear. I wanted to tell this story eye to eye. 1 to 1".

The film is based on a script by Kim Fupz Aakeson who wrote Olesen’s first two films as well as last year’s Danish competition title Accused by Jacob Thuesen. In the lead roles are newcomer Mohamed Ali Bakier, Joy K. Petersen, Anette Støvelbæk and Helle Hertz (Pure of Heart).

One To One is produced by Ib Tardini and executive produced by Zentropa’s Peter Aalbæk Jensen. It is a Danish/UK co-production between Zentropa and Den der Sover Ltd/Sigma Films III, also co-produced by TV2 Denmark, Zoma Films and Invicta Capital in the UK, with financial support from the Danish Film Institute. International sales are handled by Trust Film Sales and the Danish release through Nordisk Film is scheduled for January 27.