Mads Mengel’s The Guest selected for Karlovy Vary’s Crystal Globe Competition
Mads Mengel’s sharply observed feature debut The Guest (Gæsten) is selected for this year’s 60thedition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The film is to receive its world premiere as part of the Crystal Globe Competition. Simon Bennebjerg, Josephine Park and Danish leading lady Trine Dyrholm share the major roles in this drama about a family trying to hold it together when everything starts to fall apart.
The Guest also represents the first Danish film to be selected for the festival’s main competition since 2015, when Daniel Dencik’s Gold Coast premiered.
SYNOPSIS
At a luxury seaside resort, Karl and Emilie are preparing for their first-born’s naming ceremony, when Karl’s estranged mother suddenly turns up. Karl wants her gone, but his sister insists there won’t be any issues. Over one tense weekend, old patterns and buried wounds surface in front of in-laws and guests, until the celebration fractures into a confrontation.
MADS MENGEL ABOUT HIS FIRST FEATURE
"With The Guest, I want to explore forgiveness, not as duty but as transformation. The moment we see our parents as imperfect, something shifts. The moment we forgive them, something matures. And when we forgive ourselves, something opens."
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Born in 1990, Mads Mengel graduated from the National Film School of Denmark in 2019. His acclaimed graduation film, For Juliane, was Danish Academy Award-nominated. He later directed the DR series My Different Ways (2020), and Supplex (Viaplay/SkyShowtime, 2024), nominated for Best Fiction Series at the Danish TV Awards. The Guest is his feature debut and he co-wrote the screenplay with Christian Bengtson.
ABOUT THE MAIN CAST
- Trine Dyrholm (Vibeke, mother) is one of today’s most acclaimed and awarded actresses in the Nordic region, with a career spanning high-profile international productions and groundbreaking Scandinavian cinema and television. Her credits include The Celebration, The Commune, Queen of Hearts, In A Better World, The Girl With the Needle, Poison and series such as The Legacy and Rematch.
- Simon Bennebjerg (Karl), a 2016 graduate of the Danish National School of Performing Arts and former Danish Royal Theatre ensemble member, won the 2017 Reumert Talent Award. His credits include The Pact, Promised Land, The Legacy, When the Dust Settles, Lover and Borgen: Power & Glory.
- Josephine Park (Rikke, sister) is a widely respected Danish actress trained in Aarhus who has become a key figure in Scandinavian film and TV. Credits include Lev stærkt, Dicte, The Nurse, Oxen and Doggystyle.
PRESS & INDUSTRY SCREENING*
- 5 July, 08:30 – Congress Hall
*for KVIFF accreditation holders only
KVIFF PUBLIC SCREENINGS**
- 5 July, 17:00 – Grand Hall – World Premiere (Introduction)
- 6 July 6, 10:00 – Pupp (Introduction + Q&A)
- 7 July, 16:00 – Lazne III
- 8 July, 13:00 – Congress Hall
** Always check the official festival channels for any last‑minute programme changes
GENERAL INFO
THE GUEST is produced by Victor Cunha of Copenhagen-based Monolit Film. The film is supported by the New Danish Screen at the Danish Film Institute (DFI) and DR. Nordic distribution is handled by Scanbox Entertainment. International sales are handled by LevelK.
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Christian De Schutter
