06/04/2023 - The picture, which is toplined by Dar Salim, was recently sold to several key European territories, including France, Germany and Austria

Dar Salim in Darkland: The Return (© Peter Riis/Profile Pictures)

Fenar Ahmad's new thriller Darkland: The Return will hit Danish theatres on 13 April, after its 8 April world premiere out of competition at the Reims Polar – Festival International Du Film Policier (4-9 April – see the news). The picture is the much-anticipated sequel to the director’s previous Fantastic Fest-selected feature Darkland [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (2017), which sold well internationally and became a major box-office hit in Danish cinemas.

Ahmad debuted as a director with his feature Flow [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (2014), which was followed by the aforementioned Darkland and the Viking fantasy-epic Valhalla [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (2019).

In his fourth feature, Dar Salim will portray Zaid, a truth-seeking anti-hero who, after seven years in prison, is forced to return to the criminal underworld in his attempt to see his estranged seven-year-old son. The script was penned by the director himself and Behrouz Bigdeli.

Salim has previously appeared in high-profile international productions such as the HBO series Game of Thrones (2011) and the Netflix feature Black Crab (2022). He will also star in Guy Ritchie's upcoming film The Covenant (2023), opposite Jake Gyllenhaal, among others. The main cast of Darkland: The Return is rounded off by Stine Fischer Christensen (After the Wedding [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sisse Graum Jørgensen
interview: Susanne Bier
film profile]), playing Zaid’s girlfriend, and Birgitte Hjort-Sørensen (the series Borgen and Game of Thrones).

The movie is budgeted at €2.8 million, and TrustNordisk is in charge of its international rights. It has already been sold to several European territories, including Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg, via Leonine Distribution. Moreover, Kinovista has recently acquired the film for France in a deal negotiated between Nicolai Korsgaard, sales director at TrustNordisk, and Charles-Evrad Tchekhoff, managing director at Kinovista. Commenting on the acquisition, Tchekhoff said: “We are very proud to be bringing this thrilling new instalment of Darkland to the French audience. The stellar talent of Dar Salim and the visual mastery of Fenar Ahmad are a winning combination.”

Darkland: The Return was produced by Jacob Jarek and Marta Mleczek for Copenhagen-based firm Profile Pictures, with the support of the Danish Film Institute and commissioning editor Lotte Svendsen, and in collaboration with pubcaster DR and Nordisk Film Distribution.