The Promised Land

Synopsis

"Bastarden" is set in the mid-18th century when the Danish king Frederik V ordered that the wild heaths of Jutland be cultivated and settled to spread civilization and generate new taxes for the court. But no one dared to follow the king’s command. The heaths were synonymous with certain death – a godforsaken place of merciless nature ravaged by wolves and outlaws. But in the late summer of 1755, a lone soldier, Ludvig Kahlen, rode onto the heaths, determined to pursue a lifelong dream: the heaths would either make him rich and famous – or destroy him.

Production Facts

Nikolaj Arcel previously directed "A Royal Affair" (2012) starring Mads Mikkelsen and Alicia Vikander, which was Oscar-nominated and awarded a Silver Bear in Berlin. He has written scripts for a wide range of films, including "Riders of Justice" (together with Anders Thomas Jensen), "Journal 64", "A Conspiracy of Faith", "The Absent One", and "The Keeper of Lost Causes".

"Bastarden" is based on a bestselling novel by Ida Jessen ("Kaptajnen og Ann Barbara") and the script is written by Nikolaj Arcel and Anders Thomas Jensen ("In a Better World", "Riders of Justice", "Daniel").

Mads Mikkelsen and Amanda Collin play the leading roles. The cast also includes Simon Bennebjerg, Gustav Lindh, Kristine Kujath Thorp, Jacob Lohmann, Søren Malling, among others.

Producer Louise Vesth has a long list of international successes behind her, including "The Kingdom – Exodus", "The House That Jack Built", "Melancholia", and "Nymphomaniac". All of these were co-produced with Film i Väst.

Produced by Louise Vesth, Zentropa Entertainments ApS, in co-production with Film i Väst, Zentropa Sweden, Lizette Jonjic, and Zentropa Berlin GmbH, in collaboration with TV2 Denmark, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, SVT, Koch Films, with support from the Danish Film Institute, Eurimages, Den Vestdanske Filmpulje, Deutscher Filmförderfonds, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, MOIN Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Czech Film Fund, and the Swedish Film Institute. Developed under the Creative Europe Media Programme – Media of the European Union. Distribution by Nordisk Film. International sales by TrustNordisk. Parts of the post-production were done by Zentropa in Trollhättan.