15/04/2010

Internationally renowned Danish filmmaker Bille August (Pelle the Conquerer, Goodbye Bafana) has been hired by producer Regner Grasten to direct Tanne (working title), on the early years of author Karen Blixen, from her birth in 1885 to her departure for Africa in 1918.

“Tanne” was the nickname given to Blixen by her family. The feature will be adapted for the screen by Peter Asmussen, co-writer of Breaking the Waves with Lars von Trier. Grasten, producer of many successful Danish family films, had tried for several years to obtain the rights from the Rungstedlund Foundation (which looks after Blixen’s interests) to film the early life of the author of Babette’s Feast, and finally got their authorization last February.

For Grasten, the project has the potential to become one of the biggest Danish feature films for years to come. His company Regner Grasten Films is currently looking for Nordic and European co-production partners for the €7.4-€8.7m budget project set to start filming in a year.

The film adaptations of Blixen’s best-selling novel Out of Africa and essay Babette’s Feast – directed by Sydney Pollack and Gabriel Axel, respectively – both won Academy Awards.