Eksperimentet
Encyclopedia
Eksperimentet is a 2010 Danish drama film
written and directed by Louise Friedberg, and starring Ellen Hillingsø
. The film premiered on 28 August 2010 in the Katuaq Culture Centre
in Nuuk
, the capital of Greenland
. The release date of the film in Denmark
was 9 September 2010.
in Greenland. In 1951 the Danish colonial authorities forcibly removed 22 Greenlandic Inuit
children (9 girls and 13 boys) from their parents, relocating them to Denmark for adoption and education. The selected children, aged between 6 and 8, came from disadvantaged families; the government planned for their adoption to integrate into the 'modern' Danish society. with the children transformed into 'small Danes'.
The surviving children lost their native language and culture, and suffered from the psychological trauma
of being separated from their families most of their lives. Some of the children were returned to Greenland after a year, where they were placed into an orphanage
in Nuuk, rather than being returned to their families. Others stayed in Denmark for the remainder of their lives. More than half died before reaching adulthood.
In 2009, on behalf of the Government of Greenland , the prime minister Kuupik Kleist
demanded an official apology from Denmark for the failed social experiment. Lars Løkke Rasmussen
, the prime minister of Denmark, refused, while admitting that the event was "unfortunate". His refusal leaves the issue of apology and compensation contentious between Greenland and Denmark.
The film's lead actress
, Ellen Hillingsø, urged Rasmussen to apologize to the victims. In September 2010, Mimi Jakobsen, the general secretary of Save the Children , the organization involved in the repatriations of 1951, issued a formal apology on behalf of the organization.
by Tine Bryld, one of the survivors. A summary of the interview with Bryld was also released in 2006 as a 28-minute video under the same title. It was shown as part of Rethinking Nordic Colonialism, a Postcolonial Exhibition Project in the summer of 2006.
Between 13 and 21 July 2009, Friedberg shot scenes for the film in Kangeq
, a former settlement on the coast of Labrador Sea
in southwestern Greenland, located approximately 18 km (11.2 mi) west-south-west of Nuuk, at the mouth of Nuup Kangerlua
, the longest fjord
in southwestern Greenland. The old houses of Kangeq were used as a backdrop, as the settlement was to represent Nuuk in 1952. The city center had many communal apartment blocks
developed in the 1960s, which changed its character.
The film was produced by Nimbus Film
. It was one of six films in 2009 receiving government grants because of their importance for the culture of Greenland.
, the minister for social affairs. It was an emotional event, both because of the topic and because the issue of the official apology still unresolved. Several of the survivors are still alive. Eksperimentet is the first film dealing with the dark episodes from Greenland's history as a former colony. Others are likely to follow, stimulating more discussion and debate in the country, as well as in Denmark. The film was praised for its emotional appeal and acting. Critics thought the release dates in the summer may have limited the size of initial audiences.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
written and directed by Louise Friedberg, and starring Ellen Hillingsø
Ellen Hillingsø
Ellen Hillingsø is a Danish actress who has done her primary work in films. She is also a voice actress, narrating audio books.-Career:...
. The film premiered on 28 August 2010 in the Katuaq Culture Centre
Katuaq Culture Centre
Katuaq is a cultural centre in Nuuk, Greenland. It is used for concerts, exhibitions, conferences, and as a cinema. Designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen, it was inaugurated on February 15, 1997.-Building:...
in Nuuk
Nuuk
Nuuk, is the capital of Greenland, the northernmost capital in North America and the largest city in Greenland. Located in the Nuup Kangerlua fjord, the city lies on the eastern shore of the Labrador Sea and on the west coast of Sermersooq. Nuuk is the largest cultural and economic center in...
, the capital of Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
. The release date of the film in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
was 9 September 2010.
Background
The film deals with a 1950s social experiment and the problem of cultural genocideCultural genocide
Cultural genocide is a term that lawyer Raphael Lemkin proposed in 1933 as a component to genocide. The term was considered in the 1948 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples juxtaposed next to the term ethnocide, but it was removed in the final document, replaced with...
in Greenland. In 1951 the Danish colonial authorities forcibly removed 22 Greenlandic Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
children (9 girls and 13 boys) from their parents, relocating them to Denmark for adoption and education. The selected children, aged between 6 and 8, came from disadvantaged families; the government planned for their adoption to integrate into the 'modern' Danish society. with the children transformed into 'small Danes'.
The surviving children lost their native language and culture, and suffered from the psychological trauma
Psychological trauma
Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event...
of being separated from their families most of their lives. Some of the children were returned to Greenland after a year, where they were placed into an orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
in Nuuk, rather than being returned to their families. Others stayed in Denmark for the remainder of their lives. More than half died before reaching adulthood.
In 2009, on behalf of the Government of Greenland , the prime minister Kuupik Kleist
Kuupik Kleist
Jakob Edvard Kuupik Kleist is a Socialist and Left-wing Greenlandic politician. He became the fifth Prime Minister of Greenland in 2009, the first from the Inuit Ataqatigiit political party....
demanded an official apology from Denmark for the failed social experiment. Lars Løkke Rasmussen
Lars Løkke Rasmussen
Lars Løkke Rasmussen is a Danish politician who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from April 2009 to October 2011. He is the leader of the centre-right liberal party, Venstre....
, the prime minister of Denmark, refused, while admitting that the event was "unfortunate". His refusal leaves the issue of apology and compensation contentious between Greenland and Denmark.
The film's lead actress
Leading actor
A leading actor, leading actress, star, or simply lead, plays the role of the protagonist in a film or play. The word lead may also refer to the largest role in the piece and leading actor may refer to a person who typically plays such parts or an actor with a respected body of work...
, Ellen Hillingsø, urged Rasmussen to apologize to the victims. In September 2010, Mimi Jakobsen, the general secretary of Save the Children , the organization involved in the repatriations of 1951, issued a formal apology on behalf of the organization.
Production
Director Louise Friedberg was inspired by reading I den bedste mening (2006) (With the Best Intentions), a memoirMemoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
by Tine Bryld, one of the survivors. A summary of the interview with Bryld was also released in 2006 as a 28-minute video under the same title. It was shown as part of Rethinking Nordic Colonialism, a Postcolonial Exhibition Project in the summer of 2006.
Between 13 and 21 July 2009, Friedberg shot scenes for the film in Kangeq
Kangeq
Kangeq is a former settlement in the Sermersooq municipality in southwestern Greenland. It was a traditional fishing village, abandoned in the 1980s. The name of the settlement means "promontory" in the Greenlandic language.- History :...
, a former settlement on the coast of Labrador Sea
Labrador Sea
The Labrador Sea is an arm of the North Atlantic Ocean between the Labrador Peninsula and Greenland. The sea is flanked by continental shelves to the southwest, northwest, and northeast. It connects to the north with Baffin Bay through the Davis Strait...
in southwestern Greenland, located approximately 18 km (11.2 mi) west-south-west of Nuuk, at the mouth of Nuup Kangerlua
Nuup Kangerlua
Nuup Kangerlua is a long, fjord in the Sermersooq municipality in southwestern Greenland. It is the longest fjord on the Labrador Sea coast of Greenland, and one of the longest in the inhabited part of the country....
, the longest fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
in southwestern Greenland. The old houses of Kangeq were used as a backdrop, as the settlement was to represent Nuuk in 1952. The city center had many communal apartment blocks
Blok P
Blok P is the largest residential building in all of Greenland, and the largest building in Nuuk. It contains around 320 apartments and it is said that approximately 1% of the total population of Greenland live in this building.-History:...
developed in the 1960s, which changed its character.
The film was produced by Nimbus Film
Nimbus Film
Nimbus Film is Denmark's third largest film production company.Nimbus Film has to date produced more than 30 feature films and many shorts and documentaries....
. It was one of six films in 2009 receiving government grants because of their importance for the culture of Greenland.
Cast
The cast has both Danish and Greenlandic members:| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Ellen Hillingsø Ellen Hillingsø Ellen Hillingsø is a Danish actress who has done her primary work in films. She is also a voice actress, narrating audio books.-Career:... |
Nurse Gert |
| Nukaaka Coster-Waldau Nukaaka Coster-Waldau Nukaaka Coster-Waldau is a Greenlandic singer, actress, and a former Miss Greenland. She is married to Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.... |
Margrethe |
| Morten Grunwald | Omann |
| Laura Skaarup Jensen | Karen |
| Kurt Ravn | Svendsen |
| Laura Bro | Høgh |
| Mads Ville | Dr. Brandt |
| Finn Nielsen | Møller |
| Domilia Marianne Singertat | Marie |
| Paniaraq R. Søltoft | Ingrid |
| Najaaraq Margit Davidsen | Dorthe |
| Kristian Falck-Petersen | Daniel |
Premiere
The premiere of the film in Greenland was attended by the prime minister and Maliina AbelsenMaliina Abelsen
Maliina Abelsen is a Greenlandic politician and MP for the party Inuit Ataqatigiit , holding the position of the Minister for Social Affairs in the Government of Greenland , in office since June 2009...
, the minister for social affairs. It was an emotional event, both because of the topic and because the issue of the official apology still unresolved. Several of the survivors are still alive. Eksperimentet is the first film dealing with the dark episodes from Greenland's history as a former colony. Others are likely to follow, stimulating more discussion and debate in the country, as well as in Denmark. The film was praised for its emotional appeal and acting. Critics thought the release dates in the summer may have limited the size of initial audiences.