ROFILE PICTURES’ THRILLER ‘DARKLAND: THE RETURN’ SOLD TO FRANCE AND SELECTED FOR REIMS POLAR – FESTIVAL DU FILM POLICIER
We are pleased to announce that the Profile Pictures-produced thriller DARKLAND: THE RETURN, directed by Fenar Ahmad has been sold to France and is selected for Reims Polar – Festival International Du Film Policier (4-9 April 2023).
Copenhagen, 22 May 2023 – We are delighted to announce that Fenar Ahmad’s upcoming action thriller DARKLAND: THE RETURN, the anticipated successor to the director’s previous Fantastic Fest-selected feature DARKLAND (2017) which sold wide internationally and became a major box office hit in Danish cinemas has sold to new territories. Kinovista has acquired the film in France in a deal negotiated between Nicolai Korsgaard, Sales Director at TrustNordisk and Charles-Evrad Tchekhoff, Managing Director of Kinovista. The film (French title: DARKLAND UNDERCOVER) will have its world premiere at Reims Polar – Festival Du Film Policier on 8 April 2023.
Managing Director of Kinovista, Charles-Evrard TCHEKHOFF, comments on the acquisition:
‘We are very proud to bring this thrilling new installment of Darkland to the French audience. The stellar talent of Dar Salim and the visual mastery of Fenar Ahmad’s are a winning combination.’
The action thriller has already been sold by TrustNordisk to a wide range of territories, including Germany, Austria Switzerland, and Luxembourg (Leonine Distribution).
Fenar Ahmad and Profile Pictures
Fenar Ahmad debuted as a director with his feature FLOW (2014) and subsequently directed the major box office success DARKLAND (2017) starring Dar Salim, and the viking fantasy epic VALHALLA (2019).
DARKLAND: THE RETURN is Ahmad’s fourth film and the third collaboration with buzzing production company Profile Pictures.
The Danish production company Profile Pictures has been on a strong streak with titles such as HOLY SPIDER by Ali Abbasi, that was Denmark's contender for the 2023 Academy Awards, SPEAK NO EVIL by Christian Tafdrup, which bowed to rave reviews at Sundance Film Festival 2022, and the first Danish HBO Max Original Series KAMIKAZE, which premiered in 64 territories on the streaming service.
Featuring internationally praised actor Dar Salim
DARKLAND: THE RETURN once again stars Dar Salim in the lead. Over the past few years, Salim’s name has become a hot topic, appearing in several international titles, including the HBO smash hit series GAME OF THRONES (2011), the Netflix feature BLACK CRAB (2022) and the upcoming Guy Ritchie film THE COVENANT (2023), in which he plays opposite Jake Gyllenhaal, among others.
IN DARKLAND: THE RETURN, Dar Salim will play the lead character Zaid, a truth-seeking anti-hero, who after seven years in prison is forced to return to the criminal underworld in his attempt to see his estranged 7-year-old son.
The film will also star Danish actress Stine Fischer Christensen (AFTER THE WEDDING, 2006), playing Zaid’s girlfriend, and actress Birgitte Hjort-Sørensen (BORGEN, 2010-22; IN ORDER OF DISAPPEARANCE, 2014; GAME OF THRONES, 2011).
DARKLAND: THE RETURN is directed by Fenar Ahmad and written by Fenar Ahmad & Behrouz Bigdeli. The film is produced by Jacob Jarek and Marta Mleczek for Profile Pictures with support from the Danish Film Institute by commissioning editor Lotte Svendsen, in collaboration with DR – Danish Broadcasting Corporation & Nordisk Film Distribution. International sales is handled by TrustNordisk.
The feature has a budget of EUR 2.8M and will release wide locally on 13 April 2023.
To learn more about the film, please visit our website