NEWS

The production of Fenar Ahmad's adventure film 'Valhalla' was well on its way to Hungary before Copenhagen Film Fund made it economically viable to stay in Denmark. Now Midgard, Asgard and the Jotun World are built on Danish soil.

Throughout August the biggest studios in the Nordic region, Filmstationen, have been transformed into a landscape of gloomy caves, awe-inspiring fortresses and divine viking halls. Here the Danish director Fenar Ahmad and the company Profile Pictures have been shooting their live action re-interpretation of the Danish comic books classic 'Valhalla'.

The film's story line follows the tale of the classic comics of the Nordic gods, but in a new and modern interpretation. The two viking children Røskva and Tjalfe are taken by Thor, God of Thunder, and the clever Loke to Asgard, the kingdom of gods. Here they are met by a world in dissolution, which it turns out only the two human children together with Thor and Loke can save.

Difficult to gain access to funding in Denmark
Despite the fact that the actors, director and film crew behind 'Valhalla' are mainly Danish, the film was originally intended to shoot in Norway, Iceland and Hungary, as the production could not find sufficient funding in Denmark.

An investment from Copenhagen Film Fund of DKK 4 million made it possible for the production to place four weeks of shooting and post-production in the Danish capital area, in preference to Hungary.

"We are happy to keep the production of 'Valhalla' in Denmark. We are seeing more and more examples of Danish films moving abroad as they cannot find adequate funding at home. There is a sharp competition between countries to attract films and television productions, so if Denmark does not offer incentives and make it attractive for the productions to produce here, we will lose both economically and culturally," says Thomas Gammeltoft, CEO of Copenhagen Film Fund.

Copenhagen Film Fund attracts international film and television productions to the capital area, in order to create growth and employment in the region. Despite 'Valhallas' Danish appeal, the film is 40 percent internationally funded.

"It's important to us both creatively and practically that we can work with a Danish film crew, suppliers and collaborators as well as develop our collaborative relations on a big a film as 'Valhalla'. The agile production infrastructure, the talented film crew and fantastic locations all exist in Denmark and it is important that we as a film industry also have the opportunity to keep major film productions in the country, so the necessary skills are maintained and developed. Of course, a film about Nordic mythology must be filmed in the north and not Hungary," says the film’s producer Jacob Jarek, who founded Profile Pictures together with Ditte Milsted and Thor Sigurjonsson in 2011.

The cast contains a great combination of new and well-known actors. Thor is played by Roland Møller, Dulfi Al-Jabouri plays the role of Loke, and the music producer Reza is playing Quark. The two main characters Røskva and Tjalfe are played by Cecilia Loffredo and Saxo Moltke-Leth.

In addition to Copenhagen Film Fund, the Danish Film Institute and DR are also involved in financing 'Valhalla' in Denmark. The film is co-financed by the entire Nordic region.

About Copenhagen Film Fund
Copenhagen Film Fund attracts foreign film and television productions to Greater Copenhagen with the purpose of creating growth, employment and profiling of the region. Over the last four years, the Fund has invested approximately DKK 65 million in film and television including THE KING’S CHOICE, THE DANISH GIRL, THE BRIDGE III & IV, WALLANDER with Kenneth Branagh, THE TEAM and the Norwegian disaster film THE WAVE. Latest the Fund has made sure that both Lars von Trier and Lone Scherfig have been able to move significant shootings for their latest films THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT and Scherfig's yet unnamed project back to Denmark.