Helge AlbersCEO of MOIN Film Fund: "Great international cinema alongside innovative and unconventional newcomer projects: This year we are represented in Venice with a wide range of MOIN-funded productions. I'm really looking forward to Nikolaj Arcel's competition film 'King's Land' with the fantastic Mads Mikkelsen in the leading role. My fingers are also crossed for the films 'Yurt' and 'Malqueridas', both of which were co-produced from Hamburg. It's also worth taking a look at the VR/XR section of the festival: two exciting newcomer projects are waiting to be discovered here with the MOIN-XR Pitch Battle winner 'Queer Utopia' and the Hamburg production 'Below Deck'."

MORE ABOUT THE PROJECTS

King's Land (Int. title: "Bastards / The Promised Land") Danish Director Nikolaj Arcel's historical drama "King's Land" will be screened in the Venice International Competition. The film is based on the novel "The Captain and Ann Barbara" by Ida Jessen and stars Mads Mikkelsen. The historical drama was produced by Zentropa, with German co-producers Fabian Gasmia and Katja Lebedjewa. Part of the post production took place in Hamburg, and the film music was also recorded in the Hanseatic city. "King's Land" is set in 17th century Denmark: Danish King Frederik V decides that the wild moors of Jutland should be tamed, cultivated and colonised. However, no one dared to obey the king's decree, as numerous dangers lurked in the heath. Except for the lone soldier Ludvig Kahlen, who strives for wealth and honour.

Yurt The Turkish-German-French co-production "Yurt" by Director and Script Writer Nehir Tuna will be screened in the "Orizzonti" competition section. The film's German Executive Producer is Dorothe Beinemeier and her Hamburg-based company Red Balloon Film. The drama is about 14-year-old Ahmet, who unexpectedly has to leave the comfort of his middle-class lifestyle behind at the behest of his father. He is sent to a religious boarding school where he has to navigate between family expectations, religious obligations and the rest of his childhood.

Malqueridas Tana Gilbert's Documentary "Malqueridas" looks at mothers serving long sentences in a prison in Chile. Their children grow up far away from them, but remain in their hearts. In prison, the mothers support each other. The film constructs their stories based on pictures they took with forbidden mobile phones in prison. Malqueridas celebrates its premiere in the festival's "International Critics' Week" and was co-produced by Dirk Manthey from Hamburg.

Queer Utopia The VR installation "Queer Utopia" by Portuguese-Brazilian VR artist Lui Avallos will be presented in the "Biennale College Cinema VR" section. In it, he tells the story of the 70-year-old homosexual man Gabriel, who is slowly losing his memory. In the VR experience, Gabriel takes the participants on a journey into his queer past.

Happy Holidays Not yet finished, but already in Venice: the international co-production "Happy Holidays" by filmmaker Scandar Copti will be presented in the three-day workshop format "Final Cut". The drama is set in the Jewish-Arab cosmos and revolves around the themes of truth, family and ideology. The German Executive Producer is Red Balloon Film from Hamburg.

Below Deck Martina Mahlknecht and Martin Prinoth (TÒ SU Film) from Hamburg have created the XR experience "Below Deck". The project will be presented at the "Venice Gap Financing Market" and follows the Filipino crew of a cruise ship in an immersive way. They take us into their memories on board, re-enact scenes they have experienced and slip into the role of guests.