Copenhagen, 23 April 2025 - TrustNordisk is proud to announce that Berlinale Panorama Audience Award 3rd Prize winnerHOME SWEET HOME from acclaimed Danish director Frelle Petersen, will celebrate its North American premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) in the Official Competition this May.
Following its warmly received world premiere and at the Berlin International Film Festival where it received the Panorama Audience Award 3rd Prize the earlier this year, the film continues its international journey to the Pacific Northwest.
Produced by European powerhouse Zentropa Entertainments and sold internationally by TrustNordisk, HOME SWEET HOME showcases Petersen’s signature naturalistic storytelling and heartfelt human insight. The director is also known for his award-winning features UNCLE (Grand Prize Tokyo Int. Film Festival) and FOREVER (Official Selection San Sebastián Int. Film Festvial), both of which earned critical acclaim for their honest portrayal of everyday life in rural Denmark.
HOME SWEET HOME follows the story of 32-year-old Sofie, a divorced mother determined to start anew. She takes a job as a home care aide for the elderly in a rural Southern Jutland community in Denmark, where she lives with her 10-year-old daughter, Clara.
The screenplay is grounded in meticulous research with director Frelle Petersen spending time alongside home care aides and elderly citizens in their homes. This firsthand experience gave him invaluable insights of the demanding routines and the emotional complexities of providing caregiving to elderly.
Synopsis
As Sofie, a single mother, is starting in a new job as home care worker she needs to balance the demanding job among the local communities’ citizens, and the everyday life with her daughter, Clara.
HOME SWEET HOME is a warm and authentic story about what happens when you are not able to show compassion towards the people you care about the most.
A Southern Jutland Ensemble
The lead role of Sofie is played by Jette Søndergaard, who also starred in Petersen’s previous films, UNCLE (2019) winner of Tokyo’s Grand Prix and FOREVER (2022), which premiered in competition in San Sebastian. The cast also includes many new faces, most of whom were cast in and around the little Danish town Tønder, where the filming took place. Like the previous two features, the film is again deeply rooted in the lives of ordinary people living in Southern Jutland, Denmark.
Seattle International Film Festival runs from May 15–25, 2025.
HOME SWEET HOME is written and directed by Frelle Petersen and produced by Jonas Bagger for Zentropa Entertainments3 with support from the Danish Film Institute by commissioning editor Kalle Bjerkø, Den Vestdanske Filmpulje and Tønder Kommune in cooperation with TV 2 Denmark. Developed with the support from Creative Europe MEDIA of the European Union. Domestic distribution by Nordisk Film Distribution. International sales handled by TrustNordisk.