Danish director Amalie Næsby Fick’s feature film “Dobbeltfejl” had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday evening, with a warm reception from the audience.
DR reports that the film was presented in the Canadian city and met with close attention in the auditorium. Næsby Fick told Ritzau that she sensed a silence in the hall and that the audience was engaged from the start.
“Dobbeltfejl” stars Sidse Babett Knudsen, Sofie Gråbøl and Asta August. It is based on Anne Mette Kirk’s novel of the same name and deals with an alleged sexual assault on a teenage boy by two schoolmates.
According to the Danish Film Institute, the story is set in a suburban community and follows the mothers of the three boys involved. Næsby Fick said she finds it compelling to show an imperfect side of parenthood that is rarely portrayed.
The film is selected for the festival’s Discovery program, which presents new filmmakers, the Danish Film Institute stated ahead of the festival. Politiken reported that the director was relieved by the response in Toronto.
Three Danish films in Toronto
DR notes that two other Danish films directed by women are on the Toronto program. One is May el-Toukhy’s “Kvinde ukendt”, which was also in competition at the Venice Film Festival, where it could win the main prize, the Golden Lion, on Saturday evening.
The other is Sine Plambech’s documentary “Rescue”, which had its world premiere in Toronto on Saturday evening. The film follows a family from Yemen fleeing to Europe. The festival’s own description calls the story so dramatic that viewers must remind themselves it is a documentary.
Both “Dobbeltfejl” and “Kvinde ukendt” are in the running to become Denmark’s official entry for the 2027 Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. The third candidate is “Hjem”, directed by the Danish actor and director Marijana Jankovic. All three shortlisted films were made by Danish female directors.
Film journalist Mathilde Johanne Kristiansen of Soundvenue told DR’s P1 Morgen that “Kvinde ukendt” had extremely good chances in Venice. She described el-Toukhy’s film as a highly impressive piece of filmmaking.
Kristiansen also cautioned against assuming that Danish female directors will have momentum indefinitely. She said the current attention reflects that women have made the stories that resonate and that Denmark wants to show the rest of the world.
“Dobbeltfejl” opens in Danish cinemas on September 24, according to DR. “Kvinde ukendt” is scheduled for release on February 4, 2027.
