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The Promised Land (Bastarden)

The Promised Land (Bastarden)

The Promised Land (Bastarden)

Dir. Nikolaj Arcel
127 min
R

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Official Selection for Denmark - Best International Feature Film, 96th Academy Awards

About the Film

In 18th century Denmark, Captain Ludvig Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen) – a proud, ambitious, but impoverished war hero -- sets out to tame a vast, uninhabitable land on which seemingly nothing can grow. He seeks to start farming crops, build a colony in the name of the King, and gain a noble title for himself. This beautiful but forbidding area also happens to be under the rule of the merciless Frederik De Schinkel, a preening nobleman who realizes the threat Kahlen represents to his power. Struggling against the elements and local brigands, Kahlen is joined by a couple who have fled the clutches of the rapacious De Schinkel. As this group of misfits begins to build a small community in this inhospitable place, De Schinkel swears vengeance, and the confrontation between him and Kahlen promises to be as violent and intense as these two men.

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Film Details

Programs: New Releases, Oscar Watch
Release Year: 2023
Runtime: 127 min
Country/Region: Denmark, Germany, Sweden
Rating: R
Language: Danish
Print Source: Magnolia Pictures
Tags: Drama, Historical Drama, Oscar Submission

Cast/Crew

Director: Nikolaj Arcel
Producer: Louise Vesth
Cinematographer: Rasmus Videbæk
Screenwriter: Nikolaj Arcel, Anders Thomas Jensen, based on the novel by Ida Jessen
Editor: Olivier Bugge Coutté
Principal Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Amanda Collin, Gustav Lindh, Melina Hagberg