16-04-2024

FNE at Cannes 2024: Polish Coproduction The Girl with the Needle Selected for Cannes’s Competition

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    The Girl with the Needle by Magnus von Horn The Girl with the Needle by Magnus von Horn credit: Lava Films

    WARSAW: The Girl with the Needle, which was shot mostly in Poland by Swedish director Magnus von Horn, will compete for the Palm d’Or in the 77th Cannes Film Festival’s Competition.

    Karoline (Vic Carmen Sonne), a young factory worker, is struggling to survive in post WW1 Copenhagen. When she finds herself unemployed, abandoned and pregnant, she meets Dagmar (Trine Dyrholm), a charismatic woman running an underground adoption agency, helping mothers to find foster homes for their unwanted children. A strong connection is formed between the two women, but Karoline’s world shatters when she stumbles upon the shocking truth behind her work. Von Horn wrote the script together with Danish scriptwriter Line Langebek.

    The film is loosely based on the true story of Danish serial killer Dagmar Overbye, who helped impoverished women kill their unwanted children.

    Various Polish film professionals were involved in the project, including cinematographer Michał Dymek, editor Agnieszka Glińska, production designer Jagna Dobesz and costume designer Małgorzata Fudala.

    Nordisk Film Productions Creative Alliance (Denmark) is producing in coproduction with Poland’s Lava Films sp z.o.o. and Sweden’s Nordisk Film Production AB, as well as with Film i Väst, EC1 Łódź and the Lower Silesia Film Centre. The project was supported by the Danish Film Institute, the Polish Film Institute, the Swedish Film Institute, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, Creative Europe Media and Eurimages.

    The Match Factory is handling the sales.

    Magnus von Horn studied at the Lodz Film School and is currently living in Poland.