Anders Thomas Jensen

Directing

Anders Thomas Jensen

Born

1972-04-06 (54)

Place of birth

Frederiksværk, Danmark

Known for

Directing

Credits

45 titles

Anders Thomas Jensen (born 6 April 1972 in Frederiksværk) is a Danish screenwriter and film director. Jensen won the Oscar for his 1998 film Election Night. He also received Oscar nominations in the live-action short category for his films Ernst & The Light (1996) and Wolfgang (1997). From the end of the 1990s and into the new millennium he wrote the screenplays for most of the Danish movie blockbusters of the period, including Mifune's Last Song (co-written with Søren Kragh-Jacobsen), In China They Eat Dogs, Open Hearts, Stealing Rembrandt, and Brothers. In 2000 Anders Thomas Jensen for the first time directed a feature film: the action-comedy Flickering Lights, and since then directed The …

Known for

The Dark Tower poster
5.8

A boy haunted by visions of a parallel world aids its disillusioned guardian in preventing the destruction of the nexus of universes known as the Dark Tower.

The Dark Tower

2017

The Last Viking poster
7.2

After serving fourteen years for robbery, Anker is released from prison and reunites with his mentally ill brother Manfred, who alone knows where the stolen money is hidden but has forgotten its location, sending them on a journey to recover the loot and confront who they are.

The Last Viking

2025

The Duchess poster
7.0

A chronicle of the life of 18th century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was reviled for her extravagant political and personal life.

The Duchess

2008

Brothers poster
7.3

When his helicopter goes down during his fourth tour of duty in Afghanistan, Marine Sam Cahill is presumed dead. Back home, brother Tommy steps in to look over Sam’s wife, Grace, and two children. Sam’s surprise homecoming triggers domestic mayhem.

Brothers

2009

The Promised Land poster
7.7

Denmark, 1755. Captain Ludvig Kahlen sets out to conquer a Danish heath reputed to be uncultivable, with an impossible goal: to establish a colony in the name of the king, in exchange for a royal title. A single-minded ambition that the ruthless lord of the region will relentlessly seek to put down. Kahlen's fate hangs in the balance: will his endevours bring him wealth and honour, or cost him his life...?

The Promised Land

2023

The Salvation poster
6.5

In 1870s America, a peaceful American settler kills his family's murderer which unleashes the fury of a notorious gang leader. His cowardly fellow townspeople then betray him, forcing him to hunt down the outlaws alone.

The Salvation

2014

Film credits

Series credits

Behind the camera

The Dark Tower poster
5.8

A boy haunted by visions of a parallel world aids its disillusioned guardian in preventing the destruction of the nexus of universes known as the Dark Tower.

The Dark Tower

2017

The Last Viking poster
7.2

After serving fourteen years for robbery, Anker is released from prison and reunites with his mentally ill brother Manfred, who alone knows where the stolen money is hidden but has forgotten its location, sending them on a journey to recover the loot and confront who they are.

The Last Viking

2025

The Last Viking poster
7.2

After serving fourteen years for robbery, Anker is released from prison and reunites with his mentally ill brother Manfred, who alone knows where the stolen money is hidden but has forgotten its location, sending them on a journey to recover the loot and confront who they are.

The Last Viking

2025

The Duchess poster
7.0

A chronicle of the life of 18th century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was reviled for her extravagant political and personal life.

The Duchess

2008

Brothers poster
7.3

When his helicopter goes down during his fourth tour of duty in Afghanistan, Marine Sam Cahill is presumed dead. Back home, brother Tommy steps in to look over Sam’s wife, Grace, and two children. Sam’s surprise homecoming triggers domestic mayhem.

Brothers

2009

The Promised Land poster
7.7

Denmark, 1755. Captain Ludvig Kahlen sets out to conquer a Danish heath reputed to be uncultivable, with an impossible goal: to establish a colony in the name of the king, in exchange for a royal title. A single-minded ambition that the ruthless lord of the region will relentlessly seek to put down. Kahlen's fate hangs in the balance: will his endevours bring him wealth and honour, or cost him his life...?

The Promised Land

2023

The Salvation poster
6.5

In 1870s America, a peaceful American settler kills his family's murderer which unleashes the fury of a notorious gang leader. His cowardly fellow townspeople then betray him, forcing him to hunt down the outlaws alone.

The Salvation

2014

Riders of Justice poster
7.3

Markus returns home to care for his daughter when his wife dies in a tragic train accident. However, when a survivor of the wreck surfaces and claims foul play, Markus suspects his wife was murdered and embarks on a mission to find those responsible.

Riders of Justice

2020

Riders of Justice poster
7.3

Markus returns home to care for his daughter when his wife dies in a tragic train accident. However, when a survivor of the wreck surfaces and claims foul play, Markus suspects his wife was murdered and embarks on a mission to find those responsible.

Riders of Justice

2020

Adam's Apples poster
7.5

A neo-nazi sentenced to community service at a church clashes with the blindly devotional priest.

Adam's Apples

2005

Adam's Apples poster
7.5

A neo-nazi sentenced to community service at a church clashes with the blindly devotional priest.

Adam's Apples

2005

In China They Eat Dogs poster
7.3

Arvid is an ordinary bank clerk who lives a rather unassuming life with his dear girlfriend. But his life is turned completely upside down when he bravely manages to avert a robbery against the bank where he works.

In China They Eat Dogs

1999

Men & Chicken poster
6.5

Men & Chicken is a black comedy about two outcast brothers who, by getting to know their unknown family, discover a horrible truth about themselves and their relatives.

Men & Chicken

2015

Men & Chicken poster
6.5

Men & Chicken is a black comedy about two outcast brothers who, by getting to know their unknown family, discover a horrible truth about themselves and their relatives.

Men & Chicken

2015

Love Is All You Need poster
6.0

Ida, a Danish hairdresser who has lost her hair to cancer, returns home from the hospital one day to find her husband is cheating on her. She decides to travel to Italy on her own for her daughter's wedding, but discovers on arriving that the wedding gathering will present its own challenges.

Love Is All You Need

2012

Held for Ransom poster
7.0

HELD FOR RANSOM tells the true story of Danish photojournalist Daniel Rye who was held hostage for 398 days in Syria by the terror organization ISIS along with several other foreign nationals including the American journalist, James Foley. The film follows Daniel’s struggle to survive in captivity, his friendship with James, and the nightmare of the Rye family back home in Denmark as they try to do everything in their power to save their son. At the center of this crisis, we find hostage negotiator, Arthur, who plays a pivotal role in securing Daniel’s release.

Held for Ransom

2019

The Shamer's Daughter poster
5.8

The Shamer's daughter, Dina, has unwillingly inherited her mother's supernatural ability. She can look straight into the soul of other people. When the sole heir to the throne is wrongfully accused of the horrible murders of his family, it is up to Dina to uncover the truth, but soon she finds herself whirled into a dangerous power struggle with her own life at risk.

The Shamer's Daughter

2015

Open Hearts poster
7.1

Cecilie and Joachim are about to get married when a freak car accident leaves Joachim disabled, throwing their lives into a spin. The driver of the other car, Marie, and her family don’t get off lightly, either. Her husband Niels works in the hospital where he meets Cecilie and falls madly in love with her.

Open Hearts

2002

In a Better World poster
7.1

The lives of two Danish families cross each other, and an extraordinary but risky friendship comes into bud. But loneliness, frailty and sorrow lie in wait.

In a Better World

2010

A Second Chance poster
6.6

Detectives and best friends Andreas and Simon lead vastly different lives; Andreas has settled down with his beautiful wife and son; while Simon, recently divorced, spends most of his waking hours getting drunk at the local strip club. But all that changes when the two of them are called out to a domestic dispute between a junkie couple, caught in a vicious cycle of violence and drugs. It all looks very routine – until Andreas finds the couple's infant son, crying in a closet. The usually collected policeman finds himself confronted with his own powerlessness and is shaken to his core. As Andreas slowly loses his grip on justice, it suddenly becomes up to the unruly Simon to restore the balance between right and wrong.

A Second Chance

2015

After the Wedding poster
7.2

A manager of an orphanage in India is sent to Copenhagen, Denmark, where he discovers a life-altering family secret.

After the Wedding

2006

The Green Butchers poster
7.1

Svend and Bjarne work for a butcher in a small Danish town. Fed up with their boss' arrogance, they decide to start their own butcher shop. After dismal beginnings, an unfortunate accident happens which coincides with a large order of meat. One hasty decision leads to another and soon the business thrives. In the meantime, Bjarne has to deal with his twin brother who has been in coma for years following a gruesome car accident.

The Green Butchers

2003

The Green Butchers poster
7.1

Svend and Bjarne work for a butcher in a small Danish town. Fed up with their boss' arrogance, they decide to start their own butcher shop. After dismal beginnings, an unfortunate accident happens which coincides with a large order of meat. One hasty decision leads to another and soon the business thrives. In the meantime, Bjarne has to deal with his twin brother who has been in coma for years following a gruesome car accident.

The Green Butchers

2003

Red Road poster
6.5

Jackie is a CCTV operator. One day, a man shows his face on her monitor, a man she hoped never to see again. Now she has no choice and is compelled to confront him.

Red Road

2006

Flickering Lights poster
7.2

Four small gangsters from Copenhagen trick a gangster boss: they take over 4,000,000 kroner which they were supposed to bring him. Trying to escape to Barcelona they are forced to stop in the countryside, in an old, wrecked house, hiding there for several weeks. Slowly, one after another, they realize, that they would like to stay there, start a new life.

Flickering Lights

2000

Flickering Lights poster
7.2

Four small gangsters from Copenhagen trick a gangster boss: they take over 4,000,000 kroner which they were supposed to bring him. Trying to escape to Barcelona they are forced to stop in the countryside, in an old, wrecked house, hiding there for several weeks. Slowly, one after another, they realize, that they would like to stay there, start a new life.

Flickering Lights

2000

Mifune poster
7.0

Kresten, newly wed, is on the threshold of a great career success in his father-in-law’s company. But when the death of his own father takes him back to his poverty-stricken childhood home, far out in the country, his career plans fall apart. For one thing he has to deal with his loveable, backward brother, who is now all alone; for another, he meets a stunning woman who comes to the farm as a housekeeper, in disguise of her real profession as a call-girl.

Mifune

1999

Clash of Egos poster
5.7

Tony has recently been released from a sentence for violent behaviour. He promises to improve his ways and is finally granted a few hours alone with his two children. They celebrate the reunion by going to the movies to see a new film by the famous, critically acclaimed Danish director Claus Volter. But the film is not the masterpiece it is said to be on the poster; the children are crying and Tony cannot get the money back he spent on tickets and candy. Tony does not give up; he seeks out Claus Volter in order to get an explanation and a refund. It is however easier said than done to get money out of a world-renowned filmmaker.

Clash of Egos

2006

Boys On Film: Bad Romance poster
6.4

Experience an alternative take on attraction with Boys On Film. Bad Romance explores the darker side with a collection of edgy and sexy short films, including: Alain Hain's "Curious Thing" starring Danny Bernardy and Matthew Wilkas; Christoph Scheermann's "Cake and Sand" starring Bartholomew Sammut and Jan Andreesen; Michael Rozanov's "Watch Over Me" starring Guy Kapulnik and Davidi Hoffman; Joachim Back's "The New Tenants" starring David Rakoff and Jamie Harrold; Kim Jho Gwang-soo's "Just Friends?" starring Lee Je-hoon and Yeon Woo-jin; Étienne Desrosiers's "Mirrors" starring Xavier Dolan, Stéphane Demers, and Julie Beauchemin; Christopher Banks's "Communication" starring Rudi Vodanovich and Alexander Campbell; Tomer Velkoff's "The Traitor" co-starring Shmulik Goldstein; Christopher Radcliff and Lauren Wolkstein's "The Strange Ones" starring David Call, Tobias Campbell, and Merritt Wever; and Tamer Ruggli's "Cappuccino" starring Benjamin Décosterd and Manuela Biedermann.

Boys On Film: Bad Romance

2011

Murk poster
6.2

The psychological thriller "Murk" tells the story of Jacob, who is investigating into the circumstances surrounding his sister's death on her wedding night.

Murk

2005

Old Men in New Cars: In China They Eat Dogs II poster
6.8

The last wish of the dying "Monk" is for his foster child, Harald, to find his real son, Ludvig. But the latter is currently in a Swedish prison cell...

Old Men in New Cars: In China They Eat Dogs II

2002

Sweet Dreams poster
6.4

Skagerrak is the story of being hit by happiness when you least expect it. In their late twenties and tired of partying their way around the world, Danish Marie and Irish Sophie come ashore in Northern Scotland. After another drunken night they are soon parted from all their accumulated cash. Out of money and out of luck ambitious Sophie pressures Marie into accepting a lucrative job as surrogate mother. Months on, Marie finds herself alone, life having taken a dramatic turn. Heavily pregnant, and wanting to terminate her pregnancy, she's on the run from the future parents, searching for Sophie's old flame, Ken. In a case of mistaken identity, Marie ends up in hiding with three strange men in a seedy Glasgow garage. But then happiness strikes again.

Sweet Dreams

2003

No artwork available
5.5

Hugo is 18 years old, works in a garage in a provincial town, plays pool with his mates and dates teenage Betina. Hugo wants something else, but he doesn't know what - and it's hard for him to pull himself together. Until he meets student nurse Ester, who is in her 20s.

Restless Heart

1998

Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself poster
6.5

The strange comedy film of two close brothers; one, Wilbur, who wants to kill himself, and the other, Harbour, who tries to prevent this. When their father dies leaving them his bookstore they meet a woman who makes their lives a bit better yet with a bit more trouble as well.

Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself

2002

Brothers poster
6.8

A Danish officer, Michael, is sent away to the International Security Assistance Force operation in Afghanistan for three months. His first mission there is to find a young radar technician who had been separated from his squad some days earlier. While on the search, his helicopter is shot down and he is taken as a prisoner of war, but is reported dead to the family.

Brothers

2004

The King Is Alive poster
5.5

Stranded in the heat of a barren African desert, eleven bus-passengers shelter in the remnants of an abandoned town. As rescue grows more remote by the day and anxiety deepens, an idea emerges: why not stage a play. However the choice of King Lear only manages to plunge this disparate group of travelers into turmoil as they struggle to overcome both nature's wrath and their own morality.

The King Is Alive

2000

Count Axel poster
6.3

Count Axel is a comedy that takes place somewhere in the Nordic countries in 1783. It's a classic comedy about mixed identities, with strong elements of contemporary humour and satire.

Count Axel

2001

Beyond poster
6.1

During the final days of WWII, chaos ruled. The German submarine U-461 went down along with its entire crew just off the coast of Denmark. U-461 however, was no ordinary submarine. 50 years after the war ended, two brothers go scuba diving for fun and discover that their every move is being watched and that some things should just be left alone.

Beyond

2000

Wolfgang poster
5.9

A composer with a straining birth name is caught between his mother fixation and his need to father his own ambitions. Oscar nominated short film from 1997

Wolfgang

1997

Wolfgang poster
5.9

A composer with a straining birth name is caught between his mother fixation and his need to father his own ambitions. Oscar nominated short film from 1997

Wolfgang

1997