“Shorta,” the timely action-packed Danish thriller that had its world premiere in Venice Critics’ Week this weekend, has now been sold by Charades in a number of territories.
Directed by up-and-coming Danish filmmakers Frederik Louis Hviid and Anders Ølholm, “Shorta” unfolds in the aftermath of the killing of 19-year-old Talib Ben Hassi while in custody. The film follows two police officers, Jens and Mike, who are on routine patrol in a multicultural neighborhood when news of Talib’s death breaks, igniting a violent riot. Suddenly, the two officers find themselves trapped and must fight to find a way out.
The gripping feature debut has been acquired for France (Program Store), Germany, Austria and Switzerland (Koch Media), Spain (Caramel), Italy (Blue Swan), Latin America (Synapse), South Korea (NK Contents), Czech Republic and Slovakia (Film Europe), and India (Big Tree Entertainement). The police actioner will be released by Scanbox across Scandinavia in October.
Ølholm, a well-seasoned screenwriter, previously wrote the scripts for the superhero trilogy “Antboy,” and Hviid’s short film “Halfman” won a prize at Cannes Lions in 2017. “Shorta” stars Jacob Lohmann (“The Translators”) and Simon Sears (“Winter Brothers”), as well as the young debuting talent Tarek Zayat. The movie is bolstered by a strong music score.
The filmmaking duo previously told the Danish press that the genesis of the film stemmed from their discussions about the “current climate of political polarization” and said they wanted the film “to explore the nuances.”
“Shorta” was produced by Morten Kaufmann and Signe Leick Jensen for Toolbox Film with support from the Danish Film Institute, Creative Europe and DR.