Cold Case Hammarskjöld

Synopsis

In 1961, United Nations secretary-general Dag Hammarskjöld’s plane mysteriously crashed, killing Hammarskjöld and most of the crew. With the case still unsolved 50-plus years later, Danish journalist, filmmaker, and provocateur Mads Brügger (The Red Chapel, The Ambassador) leads us down an investigative rabbit hole to unearth the truth. Scores of false starts, dead ends, and elusive interviews later, Brügger and his sidekick, Swedish Göran Björkdahl, begin to sniff out something more monumental than anything they’d initially imagined.

In his signature agitprop style, Brügger becomes both filmmaker and subject, challenging the very nature of truth by “performing” the role of truth seeker. As Brügger uncovers a critical secret that could send shockwaves around the world, we realize that sometimes absurdity and irony are the emboldening ingredients needed to confront what’s truly sinister.

Credits

Director:
Mads Brügger

Producer:
Producer: Peter Engel. Co-Producers: Bjarte Mørner Tveit, Torstein Grude, Andreas Rocksén, Bram Crols

Editor:
Nicolás Nørgaard Staffolani

Original Music:
John Erik Kaada

Written by:
Mads Brügger

DOP:
Tore Vollan

Cast

Mads Brügger
Göran Björkdahl

Production details

Original title
Cold Case Hammarskjöld

Year
2019

Length
128

Language
English, French, Bemba, Swedish, Danish

Subtitles
English

Format
DCP

Production company
Wingman Media, Piraya Film, Laika Film & Television, in coproduction with Associate Directors

Production country
Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Belgium

Sales/Distribution
International Sales: DR Sales. Norwegian Distribution: Kudos Family.

Website
https://facebook.com/ColdCaseHammarskjold

Awards & Festivals

Awards

Directing Award, World Cinema Documentary, Sundance Film Festival 2019

Directing Award, International Competition, One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, Prague, 2019

Golden Butterfly Award, Camera Justitia competition, Movies that Matter Festival, The Hague, 2019

It’s All True Trophy; Best Feature or Medium-Length Documentary, International Competition, It’s All True International Documentary Film Festival, Brazil, 2019

Honorary Mention, Nordic/Docs Award, Nordic/Docs, Fredrikstad 2019

Special Mention, Bydgoszcz ART.DOC Award, Millennium Docs Against Gravity Festival 2019;

World Documentary Audience Award, Cinetopia Film Festival 2019

Best Documentary Award; Greenwich International Film Festival 2019

Best Documentary Feature Award, Lighthouse International Film Festival 2019

ARRI/OSRAM Award – Special Mention, Munich Film Festival 2019

Festivals
2019

World Cinema Documentary Competition, Sundance Film Festival (World Premiere)

Nordic Documentary Competition, Göteborg Film Festival

Official selection, True/False Film Fest, Columbia, Missouri

International Competition, Human International Documentary Festival, Oslo

Thessaloniki Documentary Festival