The high-profile Danish producer has been running Denmark’s leading documentary production outfit Danish Documentary since 2007, together with co-owners and award-winning directors Phie Ambo, Pernille Rose Grønkjær, Eva Mulvad and Mikala Krogh.

Dyekjær will attend this year’s IDFA in Amsterdam with no less than four films and a co-production:  

  • Jørgen Leth’s stylised personal film I Walk, selected in the main Feature Film competition strand,
  • Feras Fayyad’s Toronto audience winning film The Cave, about a group of dedicated female doctors in war-torn Syria, screening in Best of Fests, 
  • Pernille Rose Grønkjær’s Hunting for Hedonia, exploring the possible impact of the burgeoning technology of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) on human identity, screening at Best of Fests, 
  • Eva Mulvad’s Love Child, about a couple of Iranian refugees and asylum seekers, selected at the Masters,
  • Co-production The Kingmaker by Lauren Greenfield, a portrait of the controversial former First Lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos, screening at Best of Fests.

Both Hunting for Hedonia and Love Child were backed by Nordisk Film &TVFond. 

Dyekjær spoke to us ahead of IDFA (November 20-December 1st). 

You have an impressive line-up of four films and one co-production at IDFA. This is quite a coup...
Sigrid Jonsson Dyekjær: It’s a pure coincidence that five of my films are ready at the same time. Hunting for Hedonia took three years to make, The Cave six years, Love Child took seven years, I Walk 10 years and The Kingmaker six years. It’s hard to know exactly when a documentary will be finished. But in any case, all films are very different and unique. 

Danish Documentary was set up in 2007. What changes have you made to your editorial strategy and business model?
SJD: We haven’t really changed anything but tried to adapt to a market that has shifted towards digital. Our focus is on high quality films that are here to stay, that somehow reflect our society. Our company - run only by women - is totally director-driven, therefore we want to stay true to their vision. We fight to protect directors’ rights and final cut. 

Over the years, what we’ve learnt is that every film is a new beginning, with its own round of financiers. We can’t presume that because we did a great financing deal for instance with Netflix, that they will instantly buy our next film. Today, public broadcasters pay less and although some people say there is more money in filmmaking thanks to digital players, the reality is bleaker. Netflix has lowered its fees for documentaries and still increasingly wants all the rights. These are turbulent times.

You said in an earlier interview with us, that you try to secure the financing within a year so that directors would feel safer. I guess this is not possible anymore….
SJD: Now financing is secured later and later. Financing forums don’t work anymore. You have a feeling that you’re being dragged in circus arenas for years before broadcasters commit and once they do, they don’t even give you the full amount. 

These days, we are working on a fantastic six part series, Scandinavian Star about the 1990 ferry disaster between Oslo and Frederikshavn [produced with Nordisk Film and support from the Fund]. People ask why it is so expensive [€4 million]. They don’t see that we have six investigative journalists digging into the story, four editors working for one year and of course, top talents on board [director Mikala Krogh, screenwriter Nikolaj Scherfig, cinematographer Manuel Alberto Claro among others]. We do it because we know these stories are important to be told. With more money, we can simply increase the quality. 

Do you feel there should be a shake up in public support?
SJD: Yes. Why do some executives from broadcasters and institutions travel all over the world to financing forums? The ones that are losing are filmmakers and producers who lack money to make the films. Also, cutting back on flights and CO2 emissions would be a truly eco-friendly measure. 

Ideally what would help you run your business in a smoother way? 
SJD: With our auteur and character-driven films, we tend to work several years on a project, even before it’s called a film, to get to know our characters really well. What we need is for broadcasters to acknowledge this, and support us in that preparation process. 

You have your own team of directors, but how do you board third party projects? What are your criteria?
SJD: It seems like we’re taking on board films that no one else dares to produce! I often fall for a story, a director with a specific point of view. We do this on few occasions and we’ll do this less and less. We need to refocus on our own productions. 


How did you come on board Feras Fayyad’s The Cave and how did you raise the financing for his film?
SJD: Feras came to us and said he wanted a production company run by strong women. I’m grateful that he approached us. What I find so strong in The Cave is the story of women in a patriarchal society fighting for their rights in the middle of a war zone. To hear from the women directly is new. This connects me deeply with them. It’s a personal and courageous portrait of women in the middle of a war, that we’ve never seen before.

We are very proud to have produced it and helped Feras created a beautifully crafted film. We wanted to create the best film possible that would have an impact on the audience and stand out cinematically. We edited 500 hours of material for one year with two editors.  National Geographic was an important financier. It was a risk for them as it’s in Arabic language, while they usually handle English-language films. We thank them for being so courageous. 

Do you have an impact campaign attached to the release of the film?
SJD: Yes. We’re working with Think Film. The campaign puts the focus on women in war zones and gives access to the Al Amal Fund that people can support. 

How was your collaboration with Jørgen Leth? Had you worked with him in the past?
SJD: No this was my first time. His son Asger Leth approached us with the project and since I’m a big fan of Jørgen’s work, I was extremely happy. I liked his vision, including the decision to use an iPhone to tell his personal story. He suffered a trauma after the earthquake in Haiti and has difficulty walking. In the film, he uses the idea of walking as a metaphor to find a new meaning for life.

We put him together with a team of people that he knew, in particular editors Jacob Thuesen and Tómas Gislason who had worked with him earlier. 

Who will distribute the film in Denmark and who is your sales agent? 
SJD: We haven’t decided on both yet. Since we have big names attached, we’re confident we’ll have a big theatrical release. Major festivals as well are asking for the film. Regarding the sales, we also take our time to find the best agent.

You’ve been a producer for the last 20 years. What else would you like to achieve? Where would you like Danish Documentary to be in five years?
SJD: I don’t have mid-term plans. I go from one film to the next, learning more each time. I love watching films. This is my hobby. I ‘m not afraid to produce until I die. It’s a true passion. We will continue to focus on films with stories that haven’t been told before, by auteurs with a vision, and make them appealing to all audiences, including the younger generation. They have experienced the financial crisis, refugee crisis, the #MeToo movement. They are fully- prepared for real challenging content.