The Danish drama Land of Mine (pictured) by acclaimed director Martin Zandvliet is set to open the inaugural Platform competition programme at the 40th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) unspooling September 10-20, 2015.

Described by Zandvliet as a film about hate, revenge and forgiveness, Land of Mine (Under sandet) tackles the sensitive chapter in Danish history of German PoW forced to clear mines on the West coast of Denmark at the end of WW2. The film produced by Nordisk Film Production with support from Nordisk Film & TV Fond will have its world premiere on September 10 at the 1,400 seat historical Elgin cinema in Toronto.

Zandvliet will run against 11 international directors for the $25,000 Toronto Platform Prize to be announced on September 20.
Piers Handling, Festival CEO said the new Platform programme was created as a new way to sharpen TIFF focus on artistically ambitious cinema in the festival’s 40th year.

Land of Mine
will be released domestically by Nordisk Film on December 3, 2015. K5 International handles world sales.

Several other Nordic films have been selected for TIFF. 

The festival’s Documentary programme will showcase the world premieres of the Icelandic/Danish film Horizon by Bergur Bernburg and Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, and the Finnish/German Return of the Atom by Mika Taanila and Jussi Eerola. 

Horizon is a documentary about the late Icelandic landscape painter Georg Gudni Hauksson. Fridriksson, is co-directing with Bernburg. 

Return of the Atom (Atomin paluu) portrays the strange and stressful life in the small Finnish ‘nuclear town’ of Eurajoki during an era of nuclear renaissance. Visual artist Taanila makes his feature debut, with cinematographer Eerola. Finland’s Kinotar and Germany’s Blinker Filmproduktion are co-producing and Deckert handles world sales.

Two Nordic titles will have their North American premiere: the Danish comedy hit Men & Chicken selected for the Vanguard programme and the Norwegian/French/Danish drama Louder than Bombs, screening at the Special Presentations. 

TIFF is yet to announce other films for its 40th anniversary programme. 

Check www.tiff.net