FRI—October 4—7 PM
$12 ($7 ASF Members)
100 min. In English, Danish, and Chinese with English subtitles.

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In this new odd-couple comedy about the pitfalls of striking out into the economic frontier, subversive satirist Madd Brugger charts the course two hapless Danes’ scheme to sell Saint Bernards to China’s middle class. When overachieving bumbler Frederik hatches a plan to breed the animals in the lucrative Chinese pet industry, he finds an unexpected business mate in former classmate Rasmus, who has some secrets of his own. Accompanied by a 225-pound St. Bernard named Dollar, the two entrepreneurs head to Chongqing, hub of the Chinese Great Belt project, where their plans don’t go quite as expected. 

As Frederik and Rasmus navigate cross-cultural encounters, animal business politics, and a calamitous sales launch, an unlikely friendship forms across their journey to make a profit from the “pandas of the West.” Directed by Mads Brügger (Denmark, 2018); winner of Best Actor & Best Screenplay, Tribeca Film Festival, and President’s Award for Best Comedy, The Fort Lauderdale IFF.

 

 

“A wily left turn into narrative filmmaking for celebrated doc maker Mads Brügger, St. Bernard Syndicate deftly extends the dry satirical streak of his non-fiction work into a more heightened vein of farce; rarefied cult status awaits.”—Variety

“A low-key, warm-hearted-but-razor-sharp study of ambition, friendship, and humanity’s inherent differences”—Film Threat

Image Courtesy LevelK

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.

About the Series

Ambitious schemes, romantic blunders, and last-chance adventures — the Nordic quest for happiness often takes many unexpected directions. Experience the humor of self-discovery in these recent comedies from the North!

St. Bernard Syndicate /Sankt Bernard Syndikatet
FRI—OCT 4

Heavy Trip/ Hevi Reissu
FRI—OCT 11 

Pity the Lovers /Vesalings Elskendur
FRI—OCT 18

The Cake General /Tartgeneralen
FRI—OCT 25

Opportunity Knocks /Norske byggeklosser
FRI—NOV 1

October 4, 2019

October 4, 2019