Line Langebek's new co-written feature film, The Girl With the Needle, has been selected for official competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Line is a lecturer on the BA (Hons) Screenwriting and Producing course at Regent's.
The drama film is currently in post-production and expected to be released in May 2024. Directed by Magnus von Horn from a screenplay written together with Line Langebek, its plot is loosely based on the true story of serial killer Dagmar Overbye (portrayed by actor Trine Dyrholm).
Described as a ‘fairy tale about a horrible truth’ this stylish black and white thriller is set in post-World War I Denmark. It focuses on Karoline (Victoria Carmen Sonne), a young, pregnant factory worker who takes on the job of a wet nurse in order to escape poverty. Her new employer runs a hidden adoption agency helping poor mothers find foster homes for their unwanted children. Karoline’s world is shattered as she gets a grip on the nightmarish fate she unknowingly embraces.
Phil Hughes, Course Leader BA (Hons) Screenwriting and Producing and BA (Hons) Film and Screen, said: "Cannes is probably the most important film festival in the world and, to have Line’s film as one of the 20 films selected, alongside films by directors Francis Ford Coppola, Paul Schrader and Yorgos Lanthimos, amongst a host of other world famous fimmakers, places Line in the top tier of screenwriters across the globe."
The Girl With the Needle has been nominated for the Palme d'Or, the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. The annual festival – now in it's 77th year – previews new films of all genres from all around the world. It will be held from May 14 to 25, 2024.