Film i Väst’s co-productions The Ugly Stepsister by Emilie Blichfeldt and The Things with Feathers by Dylan Southern have been selected for the Sundande Film Festival. Co-produced by the Göteborg based companies Zentropa Sweden respectively Filmgate Films.
The Ugly Stepsister
It’s Not Easy Being the Ugly Stepsister. A sinister twist on the classic Cinderella story, The Ugly Stepsister follows Elvira as she prepares to earn the Prince’s affection at any cost. In a kingdom where beauty is a brutal business, Elvira will compete with her beautiful and enchanting stepsister to become the belle of the ball.
The Ugly Stepsister is a surprising twist on the Cinderella tale, with the stepsister taking center stage. The film draws inspiration from the Brothers Grimm’s classic version, in which the stepsister cuts off her toes to fit into the shoe.
The Ugly Stepsister has been selected as the opening film in the Midnight program at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in 2025. It is the first Norwegian film ever to receive this honor. The Midnight program is renowned for launching some of theyear’s most entertaining, uncompromising, and critically acclaimed films.
Director and screenwriter Emilie Blichfeldt masterfully balances beauty and horror with humor in this unique and enchanting feature debut. Making her feature film debut, Lea Myren shines in the lead role as Elvira. She is joined by Thea Sofie Næss as Cinderella, Ane Dahl Torp as the formidable stepmother, and Flo Fagerli as younger sister Alma.
The film is produced by Maria Ekerhovd in Norway for Mer Film (The Innocents, War Sailor, Joachim Trier’s upcoming feature Sentimental Value). It is co-produced by Lizette Jonjic for Zentropa Sweden (Another Round), Mariusz Włodarski for Poland’s Lava Films (The Girl with The Needle, Sweat), Theis Nørgaard for Denmark’s Motor (The Dead Don’tHurt), Zefyr and Film i Väst. With support from the Norwegian Film Institute,the Polish Cash Rebate and the Polish Film Institute, the Swedish Film Institute, the Danish Film Institute, Eurimages, DR, Vestnorsk Filmsenter, Nordisk Film & Tv Fond.
The Thing with Feathers
Screen writer and director Dylan Southern’s The Thing with Feathers is based on the novel Grief Is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch.
Struggling to process the sudden and unexpected death of his wife, a young father’s hold on reality crumbles as a seemingly malign presence begins to stalk him from the shadowy recesses of the apartment he shares with his two young sons. What begins as a terrifying haunting, evolves into a battle of wills between a grieving family and their uninvited, unpredictable houseguest and tormentor; a man-like crow, seemingly brought to life from the pages of Dad’s work as an illustrator.
The weeks and months the dad and the boys spend under siege by crow ultimately guide them towards a reconciliation with their grief and an acceptance of the new shape their family must take. The Thing with Feathers is a beautiful story of a father’s love for his sons. The journey is blackly comic, disturbing, offbeat and sad, but ultimately leads to a profoundly hopeful conclusion.
Produced by Film4, Andrea Cornwell, Adam Ackland, Leah Clarke, co-produced by Filmgate Films, Sean Wheelan, and Film i Väst.
