18/06/2014 - Danish director Kenneth Kainz’s fully-animated feature picked up by Universal Pictures; the first buyers sign for Danish director Bille August’s Silent Heart

Danish director Kenneth Kainz’s fully-animated Otto Is A Rhino [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (2013), from Danish author Ole Lund Kirkegaard’s children’s book classic, is the first Danish kidpic to be picked up by a US major: Universal Pictures will start its worldwide release of the Crone Film production on 26 June in Germany, followed by territories where it has not yet been sold (thus excluding North and Latin America, Benelux).

Scripted by Rune Schjøtt and co-directed by Erik Schmidt, the 3D animated feature won Best Children’s Film at last year’s Chicago International Children’s Film Festival. Produced by Nina Crone and Erik Wilstrup, it obtained more than 200,000 admissions domestically for SF Film.

Kirkegaard’s 1972 story is about a boy, Topper, who misses his father and is bored stiff during the summer holidays, until he finds a magic pencil – when he draws a rhino on the wall, it comes to life. Named Otto, the rhino is well fed with brown bread and raspberry soda before it devours all the furniture.

Danish Oscar-winning director Bille August’s new film Silent Heart, which is currently in post-production, has also been well received by buyers, reported Danish international sales agency Levelk, which first signed Wild Bunch (for Benelux), Atom (Taiwan), Cirko (Hungary) and Madman (Australia).

Christian Torpe’s screenplay follows a final family gathering with their ailing matriarch (Ghita Nørby), who will take her own life when the weekend is over. The cast includes Morten Grunwald, Vigga Bro, Paprika Steen, Jens Albinus, Oskar Sælan, Danica Curcic and Pilou Asbæk.

The family drama is produced by Jesper Morthorst, for SF Film Production, and set for winter release in the Scandinavian countries through SF Film.