In 1961, United Nations secretary-general Dag Hammarskjöld’s plane mysteriously crashed, killing Hammarskjöld and most of the crew. Because Hammarskjöld was then a major advocate for Congo’s independence — against the wishes of European mining companies and other powerful entities — it’s since been understood that the “crash” was in fact an assassination. 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. Accompanied by Swedish aid worker and investigator Goran Bjorkdahl, as well as a host of co-conspirators, Brügger tirelessly pursues a winding trail of clues, turning up more mysteries than revelations. But after scores of false starts, dead ends, and elusive interviews, he and Bjorkdahl 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. And when Brügger uncovers a critical secret that could send shockwaves around the world, it becomes clear that absurdity and irony may be the best ingredients to confront the truly sinister.
Brügger’s 2018 film The Saint Bernard Syndicate also screens this fall at Scandinavia House on October 4.
Special thanks to Magnolia Pictures. Cold Case Hammarskjold opens theatrically on August 16 at the IFC Center and select cities across the U.S.
“A conspiracy-fueled murder mystery with some hilarious meta-commentary on the genre, Cold Case Hammarskjold is either a stunning piece of investigative reporting that builds to a revelatory climax or a wily trickster’s dark critique of the audience’s desperate need for answers.”—The Hollywood Reporter
“A jaw-dropping expose of the horrors of colonialism”—The Film Stage
About the Director
Mads Brügger is a Danish journalist, television host, author, and filmmaker. He has written several books, worked for magazines and newspapers, produced award-winning radio programs, and hosted the critically acclaimed late-night television show The 11th Hour, as well as the daily news program Deadline.
Brügger also created the satirical docuseries Danes for Bush and the feature documentaries The Red Chapel and The Ambassador. His recent film The Saint Bernard Syndicate (Denmark, 2018) was winner of Best Actor & Best Screenplay, Tribeca Film Festival, and President’s Award for Best Comedy, The Fort Lauderdale IFF. The Saint Bernard Syndicate will screen at Scandinavia House this fall on Friday, October 4.
August 14, 2019
August 14, 2019
In 1961, United Nations secretary-general Dag Hammarskjöld’s plane mysteriously crashed, killing Hammarskjöld and most of the crew. Because Hammarskjöld was then a major advocate for Congo’s independence — against the wishes of European mining companies and other powerful entities — it’s since been understood that the “crash” was in fact an assassination. 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. Accompanied by Swedish aid worker and investigator Goran Bjorkdahl, as well as a host of co-conspirators, Brügger tirelessly pursues a winding trail of clues, turning up more mysteries than revelations. But after scores of false starts, dead ends, and elusive interviews, he and Bjorkdahl 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. And when Brügger uncovers a critical secret that could send shockwaves around the world, it becomes clear that absurdity and irony may be the best ingredients to confront the truly sinister.
“A conspiracy-fueled murder mystery with some hilarious meta-commentary on the genre, Cold Case Hammarskjold is either a stunning piece of investigative reporting that builds to a revelatory climax or a wily trickster’s dark critique of the audience’s desperate need for answers.”—The Hollywood Reporter
“A jaw-dropping expose of the horrors of colonialism”—The Film Stage
Special thanks to Magnolia Pictures. Cold Case Hammarskjold opens theatrically on August 16 at the IFC Center and select cities across the U.S.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Mads Brügger is a Danish journalist, television host, author, and filmmaker. He has written several books, worked for magazines and newspapers, produced award-winning radio programs, and hosted the critically acclaimed late-night television show The 11th Hour, as well as the daily news program Deadline.
Brügger also created the satirical docuseries Danes for Bush and the feature documentaries The Red Chapel and The Ambassador. His recent film The Saint Bernard Syndicate (Denmark, 2018) was winner of Best Actor & Best Screenplay, Tribeca Film Festival, and President’s Award for Best Comedy, The Fort Lauderdale IFF. The Saint Bernard Syndicate will screen at Scandinavia House this fall on Friday, October 4.