DEAR WENDY

Year: 2005
USA: Wellspring
UK: Metrodome Distribution
Cast: Jamie Bell, Bill Pullman, Michael Angarano, Danso Gordon, Novella Nelson, Chris Owen, Alison Pill, Mark Webber, Maria Charles, Trevor Cooper, Matthew Geczy, Teddy Kempner, Thomas Bo Larsen
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Countries: Denmark / France / Germany / UK
UK: 101 mins
UK Certificate: 15 contains strong language and violence
USA Release Date: 23 September 2005 (Limited Release)
UK Release Date: 5 August 2005

Synopsis

When he happens upon a small handgun one day, he finds himself strangely drawn to it, despite his fervent pacifist views. Together with his newfound partner he soon convinces the other young outcasts in the town to join him in a secret club he calls The Dandies. A club based on the principals of pacifism and guns. Despite their firm belief in the most important Dandy rule of all 'never draw your weapons' - they soon find themselves in a predicament where they realise that rules are made to be broken. DEAR WENDY is a story about the young loner Dick who lives in the poor mining town of Estherslope.

With DEAR WENDY, Thomas Vinterberg sets his sights firmly on a universe in which a group of peace-loving young people in a poor mining town in the American south-east unexpectedly develop a passion for guns.

LARS VON TRIER has written the screenplay and once again the two Dogme 95 brothers have embarked on a unique collaboration.

The film features a powerful international cast, with the young talent Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot) in the leading role as sharp-shooting pacifist Dick and Bill Pullman (LOST HIGHWAY, INDEPENDENCE DAY) playing the local sheriff, Krugsby, who tries to maintain law and order.

The internationally-renowned cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle (IT'S ALL ABOUT LOVE, DOGVILLE) is behind the camera and the set design is created by Jette Lehmann (IT'S ALL ABOUT LOVE, WILBUR WANTS TO KILL HIMSELF), based on the production design of Karl Juliusson (BREAKING THE WAVES, DANCER IN THE DARK). The cult band The Zombies play a leading role on the film's dynamic soundtrack.

Dear Wendy was shot on location in Filmbyen, just outside Copenhagen, where the buildings on the old military base were transformed into a snapshot of American society. In addition to Filmbyen, the film was shot in a deserted mining area in Nordrhein-Westfalen, in Germany.

The film has a budget of 51.6 million DKK (6.95 million Euros) and is produced by Lucky Punch I/S - a Nimbus/Zentropa production - in co-production with Pain Unlimited Filmproduktion GmbH, Slot Machine Sarl, Liberator2 Sarl, Dear Wendy Ltd/Sigma III Films Ltd. and with the support of The Danish Film Institute, Filmstiftung NRW, Eurimages, Nordic Film- & TV Fund and The I2I Preparatory Action of the European Community.