FLEE
by Jonas Poher Rasmussen
SYNOPSIS
Amin Nawabi (a pseudonym), a 36-year-old high-achieving academic, grapples with a painful secret he has kept hidden for 20 years, one that threatens to derail the life he has built for himself and his soon to be husband. Recounted mostly through animation to director Jonas Poher Rasmussen — his close friend and high-school classmate, he tells for the first time the story of his extraordinary journey as a child refugee from Afghanistan. Through heartfelt interviews between Jonas and Amin, FLEE tells an unforgettable story of self-discovery. Showing how only by confronting the past is it possible to carve out a future, and the universal truth that only when you stop fleeing from who you are can you find the true meaning of home.
DETAILS
90 mins
2021
Denmark, France, Sweden, Norway
Danish, English, Dari, Russian, Swedish
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TRAILER
CREDITS
Directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen
Produced by Final Cut for Real & Sun Creature
Producers: Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sørensen, Charlotte De La Gournerie
Art Director: Jess Nicholls
Animation Director: Kenneth Ladekjær
Based on the artistic development by Guillaume Dousse
Original Screenplay by Jonas Poher Rasmussen & Amin
Editor: Janus Billeskov Jansen
In co-production with Vivement Lundi, MostFilm, Mer Film
In co-production with ARTE France, Pictanovo with the support of Région Hauts-de-France, VPRO
Executive Producer: Riz Ahmed
Executive Producer: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Executive Producers: Danny Gabai, Natalie Farrey & Jannat Gargi, VICE Studios
Executive Producer: Hayley Pappas & Matt Ippolito, RYOT Films
Executive Producer: Philippa Kowarsky, Cinephil
Supervising Sound Editor: Edward Björner
Sound Mix: Tormod Ringnes
Composer: Uno Helmersson
With support from Danish Film Institute, Swedish Film Institute, Norwegian Film Institute, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, Copenhagen Film Fund, West Danish Film Fund, The Creative Europe Programme of the European Union, Centre National de la Cinématographie et de l'image animée, Région Bretagne in partnership with CNC, Procirep – société des producteurs, Angoa, DR, Fritt Ord, SVT, I Wonder Pictures, Movistar+
BIOGRAPHY
DIRECTOR - JONAS POHER RASMUSSEN
Jonas Poher Rasmussen is a Danish/French film director born in 1981. He debuted in 2006 with the
acclaimed TV documentary Something About Halfdan, followed by a series of radio documentaries from
around the world. He graduated from the Danish film school Super16 in 2010. His feature film debut Searching for Bill, a mix of documentary and fiction, won him the Nordic Dox award at CPH:DOX, and the international competition prize at Docaviv. In November 2015 he premiered his documentary What He Did, which won the prestigious Fipresci (Int. Federation of Film Critics) at Thessaloniki Film Fest. 2016. His latest film FLEE, an animated documentary about a close friend, was officially selected for Cannes 2020, won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, the best doc prize at Gothenburg and the Cristal award at Annecy among others.
PRODUCER - MONICA HELLSTROM
Monica Hellström is a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and was selected for Producer on the Move, Cannes 2020 and was awarded the prestigious ‘Ib award’ by the Danish Board of Film Directors in 2022. She started her company Ström Pictures in May 2022 and has before that been a producer at Final Cut for Real since 2010 and previously worked at Upfront Films and The Danish Film Institute's Film Workshop. She graduated from EAVE Producer Workshop in 2010, holds an MA in film from the University of Copenhagen (DK) and a BA in film from the University of Bedfordshire (UK).
PRODUCER - SIGNE BYRGE SORENSEN
Signe Byrge Sørensen is a three-time Oscar® nominee for producing The Act of Killing (2012), The Look of Silence (2014) and Flee (2021). She was nominated for the Producers Guild Award in 2016 for The Look of Silence and 2021 for Flee, and won or was nominated for Cinema Eye Awards for the production of all these films. She has been a producer since 1998 and founded Final Cut for Real ApS in 2009. Other recent titles include President (2021) by Camilla Nielsson, Our Memory Belongs to Us (2021) by Rami Farah, and Songs of Repression by Marianne Hougen-Moraga and Estephan Wagner (2020).She holds an MA in International Development Studies and Communication Studies from Roskilde University, Denmark and attended EURODOC in 2003, EAVE in 2010 and ACE in 2018. In 2014, Sørensen received the Roos Award, given for an extraordinary contribution to Danish documentary film.
PRODUCER - CHARLOTTE DE LA GOURNERIE
Charlotte De La Gournerie (co-producer & Animation Producer) is Executive Producer and CEO of Sun Creature Denmark & France. She is devoted to bringing meaningful and inspiring entertainment and content to a global audience with the potential to fuel important conversations and bring about positive change. As a Producer, Charlotte is especially drawn to original projects with high ambitions, both in terms of story and visual expression. As a founding member of Sun Creature, Charlotte insists on staying true to the creator’s intention and vision, and is committed to helping creative talents reach their full potential. She allows artists to explore freely in a strong conviction that this is how to best serve the art and cultivate a creative environment. As Co-Founder, Charlotte has high ambitions for Sun Creature and remains strong in her desire to help shape the studio and carve out its unique portfolio.
SELECT FESTIVALS & AWARDS
SUNDANCE 2021 - WORLD CINEMA GRAND JURY AWARD: DOCUMENTARY〡GÖTENBORG 2021 - BEST NORDIC DOCUMENTARY〡VISIONS DU RÉEL 2021 - AUDIENCE AWARD〡BIOGRAFILM 2021 - BEST DOCUMENTARY, AUDIENCE AWARD〡ANNECY FILM FESTIVAL 2021 - BEST SCORE BY UNO HELMERSSON, THE GAN FOUNDATION & THE CRISTAL PRIZE〡AGAINST GRAVITY 2021 - GRAND PRIX MILLENNIUM AWARD, BEST FILM ON PSYCHOLOGY & THE LOWER SILESIA GRAND PRIX〡JERUSALEM FF 2021〡TELLURIDE 2021〡TIFF 2021〡NORDISK PANORAMA 2021 - AUDIENCE AWARD〡SEVILLE EUROPEAN FF 2021 - OCAÑA PRIZE FOR FREEDOM〡VIBORG ANIMATION FESTIVAL 2021 - BEST FEATURE FILM〡NORDIC COUNCIL FILM PRIZE 2021〡GOTHAM AWARDS 2021 - BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE〡BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS, 2021 - BEST INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM〡
EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS 2021 - UNIVERSITY FILM AWARD, ANIMATED FEATURE FILM AND BEST DOCUMENTARY〡AMERICAN ACADEMY AWARDS (OSCARS) - NOMINATIONS: BEST ANIMATED FEATURE, BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE, BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
PRESS
"A movie that reminds you not only the importance of family, identity, and home, but the very power of film itself."
- Alfonso Cuaron
"Films are rarely as politically relevant, emotionally brave, or creatively innovative as FLEE."
- Riz Ahmed
"The storytelling is incredible. A beautiful, fantastic movie."
- Ari Folman
"Watching FLEE makes you achingly aware that human beings are fragile, delicate animals... The most moving piece of cinema I saw this year."
- Bong Joon Ho
"FLEE expands the definition of documentary."
-The Hollywood Reporter
"A thrilling survival story."
- IndieWire
"A stellar feat of cinema."
- The Playlist