Marie Schmidt Olesen

If I Die Today

For seven years, documentarian Camilla Arlien follows a young man, Jannik, and his struggle to overcome his violent past and inner demons.

Somewhere by the Sea

At a social gathering, a man gets up and gives a speech about a small people by the sea to the north. A place with sand dunes, a raging sea and real wind. It is a place where people stay, but where the sand is constantly shifting, so that an entire lighthouse has to be lifted and moved 70 metres inland to stop it from falling into the sea. A place where the biggest hero is a bricklayer. It’s warm up there, things are kept within budget and you don’t need to sign a contract to have a deal. The man giving the speech is local legend Niels Hausgaard, a singer and storyteller, whose distinct dialect resonates with genuine sincerity. The name of the place is Vendsyssel, and even if you cannot name the zip code, ‘Somewhere by the Sea’ will still take you to a place rarely seen on the big screen.

Thanks for Your Service

When director Carina Randlov’s father retired, it happened without trumpet fanfare. In fact, he was financially screwed and got no goodbyes or thank yous on the way out. Retirement is a huge change in one’s life, identity and self-perception – and these are exactly the three things Randløv sets out to explore. From a warm, anthropological angle, she talks to a large cast of ordinary people about their experience of the transition to a retired life. And if there’s one thing everyone agrees on, it’s that recognition outweighs cold hard cash. And when recognition costs no one anything, why should it really be so hard to pass on?

Bedroom Radio

Documentary on pirate/VLF radio in the UK.