In The Danish Poet the narrator ponders these question as we embark on a holiday to Norway with Kaspar, a poet whose creative well has run dry. As the story of Kaspars quest for inspiration unfolds, it appears that a spell of bad weather, angry dogs, cows that slip form barn planks, careless postmen, hungry goats and other seemingly unrelated factors might play important roles in the big scheme of things after all.
Short film
The Danish Poet
(Den danske dikteren)
Is it possible to trace the chain of events that led to our own birth? Is our existence just coincidence? Do little things matter?
Production and distribution
- Production Year:
- 2006
- Production country:
- Norway
- Co production country:
- Canada
- Release date (international):
- 2006-02-15
- Production company:
- Mikrofilm AS
- Co production company:
- National Film Board Canada
- Producer:
- Lise Fearnley
- Co producer:
- Marcy Page
- Sales agent:
- Norwegian Film Institute
National Film Board Canada
Director
-
Torill Kove
Torill Kove (b. May 25, 1958) was born and raised in Norway but now lives with her family in Montreal, Canada. In 2000 her first short film My Grandmother Ironed the King´s Shirts was nominated for an Oscar (Academy Award). Torill's breakthrough as a director came when she won the Oscar for her next short film The Danish Poet in 2007. Torill Kove has directed the feature film Hocus pocus, Alfie Atkins (2013). In addition to directing and animating, Torill has also written and illustrated several children's books.
Awards
- 2006:
- Aspen Shortsfest
The Animated Eye Award for Best Animation
The Ellen Award for Most Original Film
Audience Award - 2006:
- SFF Worldwide Short Film Festival, Toronto, Canada
Core Digital Pictures Award For Best Animated Short - 2006:
- AniMadrid
Special Mention - 2006:
- Columbus International Film & Video Festival
Chris Statuette - category Arts - 2006:
- New York City Short Film Festival
Best Animation Short
Audience Choice Award - Category Adult Programme
Audience Choice Award - Category Kids Programme - 2007:
- Canadian National Film Award "Genie" for Best Animated Short
- 2007:
- Academy Awards - Best Animated Short
- 2007:
- Tehran International Animation Festival
The Special Prize of the Festival Director - 2007:
- BUFF International Children and Young People's Film Festival
Special Mention - 2007:
- Shanghai Television Festival
Foreign Animation Golden Award - 2007:
- Cinanima - International Animated Film Festival Espinho
Prize RTP2: Onda Curta - 2008:
- Tricky Women International Animation Film Festival
Special Mention - 2008:
- Lucca Animation Festival
Audience Award - 2008:
- Big Sur International Short Film Screening Series
Audience Award
Jury Award
Festivals
- 2006:
- Berlin International Film Festival
- 2006:
- Aspen Shortsfest
- 2006:
- International Short Film Festival Hamburg - Mo & Friese
- 2006:
- Annecy International Animation Film Festival
- 2006:
- SFF Worldwide Short Film Festival, Toronto, Canada
- 2006:
- The Norwegian Short Film Festival
- 2006:
- Los Angeles Film Festival
- 2006:
- Giffoni Film Festival
- 2006:
- Cartoon Club, Rimini
- 2006:
- Sao Paulo International Short Film Festival
- 2006:
- Palm Springs International ShortFest
- 2006:
- LA Shorts Fest
- 2006:
- Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival
- 2006:
- Calgary International Film Festival
- 2006:
- Nordisk Panorama - 5 Cities Festival, Aarhus
- 2006:
- AniMadrid
- 2006:
- St. John's International Women's Film Festival
- 2006:
- Chicago International Children's Film Festival
- 2006:
- International Animation Film Festival Tindirindis
- 2006:
- Animatricks Animation Festival
- 2006:
- DOK Leipzig - International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film
- 2006:
- Columbus International Film & Video Festival
- 2006:
- Denver Film Festival
- 2006:
- St. Louis International Film Festival
- 2006:
- New York City Short Film Festival
- 2006:
- Brest European Short Film Festival
- 2006:
- Cinanima - International Animated Film Festival Espinho
- 2006:
- Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Young People
- 2007:
- Flickerfest International Short Film Festival
- 2007:
- Würzburg International Film Weekend
- 2007:
- Les Rendez-vous du Cinéma Québécois
- 2007:
- Tehran International Animation Festival
- 2007:
- BUFF International Children and Young People's Film Festival
- 2007:
- Freeze Frame International Film Festival
- 2007:
- Filmfest Dresden - International Short Film Festival
- 2007:
- Minimalen Short Film Festival
- 2007:
- Kristiansand International Children and Youth Film Festival
- 2007:
- ViewFinders: Atlantic Film Festival for Youth
- 2007:
- Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film
- 2007:
- Istanbul International Children's Film Festival
- 2007:
- International Short Film Festival Oberhausen
- 2007:
- Festroia International Film Festival
- 2007:
- SFF Worldwide Short Film Festival, Toronto, Canada
- 2007:
- Arcipelago - International Festival of Short Film and New Images
- 2007:
- Plein la Bobine - Sancy Film Festival for Young People
- 2007:
- Shanghai Television Festival
- 2007:
- Budapest Short Film Festival
- 2007:
- Festival Internacional de Cine para Niños (...y no tan Niños)
- 2007:
- Dresden Open Air
- 2007:
- Anonimul International Independent Film Festival, Sfantu Gheorghe
- 2007:
- Best of International Short Films Festival La Ciotat
- 2007:
- Shhh! Copenhagen International Film Festival for Children and Young People
- 2007:
- Tinklai International Short Film Festival
- 2007:
- Internationalen Trickfilm-Wochenende Wiesbaden
- 2007:
- Wissembourg Animation Film Festival
- 2007:
- Dresden Festival for Animated Films
- 2007:
- Cinanima - International Animated Film Festival Espinho
- 2007:
- Fredrikstad Animation Festival
- 2007:
- Laterna Nordica, Frederikshavn
- 2007:
- Alcine - Alcalá de Henares Film Festival
- 2007:
- Cinessonne - Festival du Film Européen en Essonne
- 2007:
- ICFFCY - International Children's Film Festival of Cyprus
- 2007:
- Euroshorts, Warsaw
- 2007:
- Animated Dreams
- 2007:
- Anilogue - Budapest International Animation Festival
- 2007:
- Animateka International Animation Film Festival
- 2007:
- Leuven International Short Film Festival
- 2008:
- Projektor Animation Film Festival
- 2008:
- Tricky Women International Animation Film Festival
- 2008:
- Gutun Zuria Film & Litterature festival, Bilbao, Spain
- 2008:
- Minneapolis - St. Paul International Film Festival
- 2008:
- Lucca Animation Festival
- 2008:
- Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film
- 2008:
- Animafest Zagreb - World Festival of Animated Film
- 2008:
- International Animated Film Festival ANIMATOR
- 2008:
- Big Sur International Short Film Screening Series
- 2009:
- Kecskemét Animation Film Festival
- 2010:
- Animac - International Animation Film Festival of Catalonia
- 2010:
- European Film Forum Scanorama
- 2012:
- Monstra - Lisboa Animation Film Festival
- 2013:
- Tehran International Animation Festival
- 2013:
- Fredrikstad Animation Festival
- 2014:
- Montreal Festival du Nouveau Cinéma
- 2014:
- Cinanima - International Animated Film Festival Espinho
- 2014:
- Interfilm - International Short Film Festival Berlin
- 2016:
- Animafest Zagreb - World Festival of Animated Film
- 2016:
- Cinanima - International Animated Film Festival Espinho
- 2020:
- Ottawa International Animation Film Festival
Crew
- Director:
- Torill Kove
- Screenplay:
- Torill Kove
- Editor:
- Phyllis Lewis
- Sound Design:
- Håkon Lammetun
- Animator:
- Astrid A. Aakra
Annely Põldsaar
Bjarte Agdestein
Magnhild Winsnes
Torill Kove - Narrator:
- Liv Ullmann
Technical information
- Genre:
- Animation
- Format:
- 35mm
- Screen ratio:
- 1:1,66
- Colour:
- Colour
- Sound format:
- Dolby SRD
- Length in min's:
- 15'
- Language:
- English