05/07/2016 - Ole Lund Kirkegaard’s children’s book from 1970 will be revived by Karsten Kiilerich and M&M Productions

Danish director Karsten Kiilerich and M&M Productions have started production on Hodja from Pjort, an animated feature reviving the fantasy figure from Danish author Ole Lund Kirkegaard’s children’s book from 1970.

A Danish bestseller, Hodja [+see also:
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film profile] from Pjort was first filmed in 1985 by Brita Wielopolska, going on to win two Robert Prizes from the Danish Film Academy, and in 2014, Frede Gulbrandsen staged a musical version of the story at Copenhagen’s Folketeatret. In both cases, the songs for the score were written by Danish singer Sebastian.

Currently co-directing The Little Vampire with Germany’s Richard Claus, an animated feature based on German author Angela Sommer-Bodenburg’s novels, Kiilerich’s feature debut was The Ugly Duckling and Me! (2007). He has written or directed several films and television series, most recently Albert [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (2015), another feature from a Lund Kirkegaard book. Kiilerich is one of the co-founders of Copenhagen’s A.Film Production.

Hodja, his new main character, is a dreamer who wants to experience the world, clashing with his father's more realistic approach to life – he insists the boy stay at home and take over his tailor shop. But Hodja gets his chance when he is offered a flying carpet by rug merchant El Faza, as long as he brings the old man's little granddaughter, Diamond, back to Pjort from the Sultan’s big city.

Kiilerich has written the script, and Sebastian again the score, for the new film, which will be staged by Danish producers Kim Magnusson, Tivi Magnusson and Anders Mastrup for M&M Productions and A.Film, with support from the Danish Film Institute and Danish pubcaster DR TV. Mis. Label will handle local distribution and has scheduled the premiere for the winter holidays of 2018.