04/04/2008

Filmfabriken, nicknamed the Danish Miramax by its founding producers Regner Grasten and Peter Aalbek Jensen, launched its first production, Eye for Eye [+see also:
trailer
film profile] on 75 Danish screens yesterday, with a P&A spend usually reserved for Hollywood blockbusters.

Eye for Eye is the autobiographical second feature by Kaywan Mohsen, son of an Afghan father and Iranian mother but raised in Denmark. Promoted with the tagline "A shocking film about a Denmark you don't want to know about", the film is the underground portrayal of a young refugee who nobody wants to deal with. He finds friends who offer him a new life, made up of crime, sex, drugs and violence. When a teenage girl is raped, he convinces his gang to avenge her.

Just like for his feature debut Made in Denmark, Mohsen wrote, directed, produced, edited, and scored Eye for Eye, in which he also stars. And all for under €14,000.

Created on Mohsen’s laptop, the film was then pushed to 35mm. Grasten and Aalbek Jensen’s joint venture Filmfabrikken provided the extra funding for the film, which cost a total €214,000. The film was produced by Royal 1 in association with Filmfabrikken, and with support from Vest Danske Filmpulje and the Danish Film Institute.

To comply with Filmfabrikken’s credo, which is to turn a small film into a big event movie through heavy marketing and promotion “à la Miramax”, Eye for Eye was launched yesterday with a P&A spend of €254,000. “As this is a low budget film, you can take a lot of chances on marketing and use a big release,” explained Grasten.

“The risk is fair. “ Eye for Eye is sold internationally by Trust Film Sales.

Next on Filmfabrikken’s production slate is You & Me, a feature-length version of Christian E. Christiansen’s short film At Night, nominated for an Oscar this year. Described by Grasten as a “kleenex movie”, You & Me will be produced by Zentropa’s Louise Vesth for €1.2m.