CPH Post 11 December 2020 - 14 January 2021

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DANISH NEWS IN ENGLISH CPHPOST.DK VOL 23 ISSUE 17 11 Dec 2020 - 14 Jan 2021

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SCIENCE

Striking oil ... off No more North Sea drilling licences from 2050 onwards

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NATIONAL Second lockdown in place as youth testing escalates

6 BUSINESS

Budget boosts biodiversity Government fulfilling green spending election pledge

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ME TOO? NEJ TAK!

CHRISTMAS

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Home to play a bigger role this Xmas than ever before

16-19 HISTORY

Snow stopping Santa

14 years for brothers

Hard to settle in

No world-beaters here

The mouse that implored

DENMARK has a 7.5 percent chance of having its first White Christmas since 2010. To be fair, it has only had eight in the last century.

But it has a 100 percent chance of Father Christmas visiting, according to Søren Brostrøm, the head of Sundhedsstyrelsen, who has given him “an exemption from quarantine rules”. Being based in Greenland is also handy, Brostrøm added, as there are “neither entry restrictions nor isolation requirements”.

MADS AND Magnus Møller, two Bornholm men in their 20s, were last week found guilty of murdering Phillip Johansen, a friend who they claimed raped their mother, and sentenced to 14 years in prison. The judge also ruled they are liable to pay compensation to the victim's family. The murder took place on the island in late June.

BLM marched in protest in Rønne on the same day as the verdict, as Johansen’s mother was Tanzanian.

COPENHAGEN is one of the hardest places for expats to settle in, according to InterNations’ survey of 66 cities. Some 59 percent of expats struggle to make new friends (compared to 33 globally), 72 percent are unhappy with the cost of living (36) and 16 percent are 'very much unhappy’ (8). However, they did concede it is easy to live here without speaking the local language.

Overall it ranked 46th out of 66 cities in the Expat City Ranking.

DENMARK has landed its easiest ever World Cup qualifying group, drawing Austria, Scotland, Israel, Faroe Islands and Moldova. In perspective, none of their opponents have qualified for the tournament this century, with Scotland the last to take part in 1998. Denmark, benefitting from being a top seed for the first time, will look forward to its first competitive matches against the Faroes, a self-governing archipelago that is part of its kingdom, since 1991.

Dogme 95's impact still felt quarter of a century later

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LOCAL

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

11 December 2020 - 14 January 2021

Public consulted about new island

ONLINE THIS WEEK COPENHAGEN'S current lord mayor Lars Weiss went into self-isolation last week after attending a meeting attended by somebody who later tested positive for COVID-19.

Christiania market after all CHRISTIANIA will be putting on its annual Christmas market in The Grey Hall this year, despite previously announcing that it would be cancelled. The organisers have found a way to hold the market in line with coronavirus restrictions. The market will be open daily until December 22.

Bridge traffic decrease BETWEEN November 16 and 22, some 56,404 people travelled on the Øresund train – a 74 percent decrease on last year’s figures. Similarly, vehicular traffic declined by around 44 percent to 68,778 crossings.

Anyone with concerns has until late January to inform Copenhagen Municipality LUKE ROBERTS

A

PUBLIC consultation regarding the environmental impact of Lynetteholm – the 282-hectare island set to be built between Refshaleøen and Nordhavn, which will house approximately 35,000 residents whilst easing congestion and protecting the capital from storm surges – has begun.

Until 25 January 2021, Copenhageners will have the opportunity to give their thoughts on the environmental impact.

Any adjustments will then feature in the final proposal when it is eventually submitted to Parliament.

Building work could begin as early as 2021 and continue until 2070 according to the plans.

Wheelchair access boost

Award for building

HELEN JONES

A ZINC-CLAD, Jenga-shaped, 56 metre-high building on Hjørringgade called Charlottetårnet was last week awarded a diploma for excellent architecture by Hovedstadens Forskønnelse.

STUDY undertaken by the Copenhagen Municipality has found that 58 percent of Copenhageners believe only packaging that has been washed until

Editorial offices: International House, Gyldenløvesgade 11, 1600 Copenhagen Denmark

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A 32-YEAR-OLD man responsible for attacking Christiansborg with firebombs in February of this year has been allowed to keep his Danish passport. The perpetrator, who is also Palestinian and Romanian, has avoided prison on the grounds that he has been declared insane and instead is being held in a psychiatric ward indefinitely.

THE TRIAL involving the fatal hit-and-run accident that killed policeman Magnus Buhl Hansen on Langebro Bridge in Copenhagen in July 2019 has been postponed.

The 27-year-old British defendant is stuck in the UK and might have COVID-19. Since his release from Danish custody, he has amassed further traffic violations.

This artist’s impression of 2070 looks a tad pessimistic

To Amager, not Nordhavn THE PLANS have changed over the last year. As well as adding 50 percent to the island’s size, City Hall politicians have opted to create a nature belt made up of forests, plains, sand and pebbles.

And they have also altered plans regarding the transportation of the necessary earth, which has already started to the extent 350 trucks a day are

currently delivering it to Nordhavn, due to fears that residents in Margretheholm were being subjected to too much disruption.

Now, those trucks will need to travel through Refshaleøen to Prøvestenen in northern Amager, from where it will be brought over by boat. It has been estimated the earth could take 30 years to deliver.

Raids serve first conviction

Recycle your dirty receptacles, public urged Copenhagen Municipality launching new campaign to inform residents that plastic, metal and glass needn’t be spotless in the bin

Borgen attack was random

Trial of Brit postponed

PIXABAY

COPENHAGEN Municipality is making life easier for wheelchair users in Lergravsparken, Nørrebro and the city centre, and also at Valby Station. The work will include the addition of ramps and guidelines, as well as the fixing of uneven pavements.

FACEBOOK/ TREDJE NATURE

Mayor self-isolates

ONLINE THIS WEEK

almost clean can be sorted as plastic.

But the reality is that packaging can be a lot dirtier than people think.

No need to wash it “PLASTIC, metal and glass that has contained food just needs to be emptied. You don’t need to wash it, or even peel the labels off,” said Copenhagen Municipality department head Merete Kristoffersen.

The municipality is launching

Even when layered with green puke

a campaign to inform residents of all the rules around sorting their waste.

EXTENSIVE September raids carried out by Copenhagen Police have resulted in a 34-year-old woman being found guilty of trying to take 96 kilos of skunk cannabis into Sweden and sentenced to 25 months in prison.

Nine of the other 16 people arrested in September remain in custody.

Tivoli park squabble KONSERVATIVE is against Tivoli’s plans to build an urban park at the beginning of Vesterbrogade outside its main entrance. Instead it suggests the plans, which would mean redirecting 64 buses a day down a much narrower road used by up to 15,000 cyclists a day, should be rotated 90 degrees to incorporate Axeltorv.

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INTERNATIONAL

11 December 2020 - 14 January 2021

ONLINE THIS WEEK

THE DANISH government has chosen not to act against the export of illegal pesticides to countries outside the EU. The pesticides, which are banned in Denmark, contain dangerous chemicals that attack the nervous system, such as malathion and dimethoate. The government will instead follow the EU’s lead.

Aid to Ethiopia DENMARK has earmarked 60 million kroner in aid to help ease the crisis in Ethiopia amid projections that 200,000 people could flee into Sudan. Some 40 million kroner will be devoted to the embattled Tigray area and 20 million kroner to efforts in eastern Sudan, where Denmark will also dispatch personnel and equipment to build camps for aid workers.

A total of 298 fines handed out to embassies in 2019 were unpaid, with Russia, the UAE and Ukraine leading the way

Municipality, the embassies in the city have racked up an outstanding bill of 150,000 kroner in unpaid parking fees, which the centre does not expect will ever be paid.

LUKE ROBERTS

IPLOMATIC immunity can get you off the hook for a long list of things, and among them – it turns out – are parking fines.

According to a report from the Center for Parking in Copenhagen

Five frontrunners THE REPORT shows that just five countries – Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Greece, and North Macedonia – accounted for 122 of the total 298 unpaid fines in 2019.

The Russian Embassy came in

first with 38 unpaid parking tickets, followed by Ukraine with 25 and the UAE with 22. The USA, meanwhile, landed 10th on the list with eight unpaid tickets.

Deserted in Uganda

Wealthy or expat-friendly?

IS offspring warning

A 42-YEAR-OLD Danish woman, who deserted a 15-year old girl in Uganda, has been sentenced to a year in prison. The girl’s guardian took her passport and mobile and left her with a family who could neither support nor speak to her. The girl, who was born and raised in Denmark, pressed charges upon her return a month later.

DENMARK is the second most appealing option for those looking to move abroad, according to a Blacktower Financial Group report. Switzerland topped the list, with Iceland, Norway and Australia completing the top five.

However, most of the parameters used by the study were more of an indicator of wealth than the expat experiences in particular.

THE CHILDREN of Danish-born IS fighters risk radicalisation if the Danish government does not act to save them, according to advice from the Kurdish authorities. It is estimated that between 940 and 1,140 Europeans are being held in Syrian prison camps, of which a majority may be children of IS fighters. The Danish government refuses to accept them.

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Denmark in charge THE DANISH military have assumed leadership of the NATO training missions in Iraq, where 150 Danish troops are stationed, under the command of General-Lieutenant Per Pugholm Olsen through to 2022. NATO’s goal in Iraq is to advise the Ministry of Defence and to help stop terrorist groups emerging.

Cocaine convictions FOUR MEN have each been handed 12-year prison sentences by a court in Svendborg for trying to smuggle 100 kg of cocaine into Denmark. One Russian and three Latvian citizens have also been permanently banned from entering Denmark again. The group tried to smuggle in the narcotics from the container ship 'Duncan Island' back in February this year.

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THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

11 December 2020 - 14 January 2021

Game over? Popular in successful Denmark, but women are marginalised

HELEN JONES

W

ITH THE huge popularity of the Netflix series ‘The Queen’s Gambit’, the gifted chess-playing central character Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy) has been inspiring women the world over with a demonstration of how a girl can step into – and dominate – a distinctly male world.

Echoes in eSports THE APPEAL of the story is that chess is a test of the mind.

There’s no biological factor that could give men an advantage, or really justify any gender divide between male and female players.

And this is also true of eSports, a male-dominated arena in which women are increasingly taking large strides.

All-female teams like Dignitas Fe(male) and CLG Red have been stomping male teams across the CS:GO scene, while players like Mystik, Scarlett, HaganeNoTema and Liooon are winning fans and hundreds of thousands in earnings through their sheer hard work, dedication and a refusal to back down.

Liooon recently became the first woman to win a Blizzcon title after she won the 2019 Hearthstone global finals. She’s been made a Grandmaster, underlining her icon status for women in the eSports industry.

Her Hearthstone victory speech was one to be remembered: “I want to say for all the girls out there who have a dream for eSports competitions, for glory, if you want to do it and you believe in yourself – you should just forget your gender and go for it.”

But it would appear her words are wasted on the women of Denmark.

Popular in Denmark DANES who follow home-based teams like Astralis (CS:GO) or Origen (League of Legends) know the stakes are high in the competitive gaming scene.

Last year, market reports valued the eSports industry at over 1 billion dollars and rising and, with an estimated global audience of 425 million fans, eSports events are selling out stadiums.

The 2019 League of Legends World Championships broke records last year, as matches played across venues in Berlin, Madrid and Paris reached 44 million concurrent viewers, with players competing for a prize pool of 2.2 million dollars.

It’s a professional sport with all the trimmings: world-class gaming set-ups, sponsorship deals, player merchandise, gaming coaches, team houses and dedicated fans tuning in from all over the globe.

And Denmark is well placed to capitalise. A DR study found that 70 percent of girls aged 13-19 play computer games (compared to 96 percent of boys), so why aren’t there more emerging female gamers in Denmark?

Stuck in the Dark Ages IT’S BECOME routine for women to face sexism, derogatory comments and harassment when entering the gaming scene, contends Mikkel Kyed of the Danish organisation DGI Esport. “Almost all women have encountered these experiences,” he told CPH POST. During the company’s research into women’s experiences in gaming, DGI Esport has found it’s not uncommon for women to be targeted due to their gender.

“They’ll hear ‘You’re not as good as me because you’re a girl, so go back to the kitchen and make a sandwich’,” lamented Kyed. “It’s a big problem within gaming.”

And despite the aforementioned female gamers enjoying

PIKIST

Women face a fight to break into Danish gaming, but thanks to DGI Esport’s initiative ‘Piger i Esport’, they have a handy ally in their corner

A male opponent told her to “go back to the kitchen and make [him] a sandwich”

breakthroughs, it is a worldwide problem.

In an interview with the BBC, Steph ‘Missharvey’ Harvey estimates the female share of competitive eSports players is as low as 5 percent.

“It’s still a ‘boys club’, so as a woman you’re automatically judged for being different. The way I get harassed is about what they would do to my body, and about why I don’t deserve to be there because I use my sexuality – it’s all extremely graphic,” she said.

Fighting back STRANGELY, the world of eSports has come to echo what we’ve seen throughout sports history. Whether we look at chess or the resistance to introduce a women’s Olympic marathon (they had to wait until 1984), the input of women has been routinely overlooked or discouraged. The world of eSports also has the potential to shake the pillars of that status quo.

“In eSports there isn’t any particular physical advantage for

boys, but what we do have is a cultural difference – so what we need to work towards is cultural change,” contended Kyed.

And that’s exactly what DGI Esport is looking to do with its project ‘Piger i Esport’, which is enlisting organisations from across Denmark for a push to bring more girls into the world of gaming: from locally hosted LAN parties to female gaming leagues.

“We have women as trainers and on the boards of the organisation, so we’re on the right path,” enthused Kyed.

“What we want now are more women and girls to come and get experience in gaming – and have them help us out in shaping the future of the sport – so we can inspire the cultural change that needs to happen.”

na are known to take home the championship trophies – relative to its population, Denmark has the highest number of active eSports players in the world, and the women’s team Copenhagen Flames have been making recent inroads.

Denmark is uniquely positioned to make professional eSports an accessible reality for a new generation of girls – so if Beth Harmon can bring women to the chess board, why not eSports as well? The controller’s there. It’s your move.

Denmark still well placed IT’S NO small goal. But with women stepping up their game across the world, it feels like a change that’s already on the way – and Denmark is surprisingly well placed to be at the forefront.

While South Korea and Chi-

The International Chess Federation has reported a 273 percent increase in eBay searches for chess boards

NETFLIX SHOW'S INFLUENCE User numbers on sites like lichess.org and chess.com have increased seven-fold since the show was released at the end of October

Just 2 percent of the Danish Chess Union’s membership is female

SCIENCE

11 December 2020 - 14 January 2021

ONLINE THIS WEEK

BJARKE Ingels Group has played a major role in designing Oceanix City, "the world’s first sustainable floating city for 10,000 residents". Co-designed

by Oceanix and endorsed by UN-Habitat, it is formed by clusters of floating platforms that come together like a Lego set.

Powered by renewable energy and 100 percent self-sustainable, they’re designed to endure hurricanes.

Game-changer islands AN ENERGY Ministry report claims two proposed energy islands off the coast of Bornholm have the potential to supply green energy to all ships and airplanes needing fuel in Denmark – and also trucks. It is part of Denmark’s plans to become an international trailblazer in Power-to-X technology – in which electricity production via electrolysis is converted into gases, fuels or chemicals.

Whipping defence A TEAM at DTU is working hard on technology to prevent ‘whipping’ – the flexing of a ship's hull girder as a result of wave impacts which can lead to ships (long ones are most vulnerable) splitting in two.

DTU has developed a unique analysis framework capable of simulating the vibrations that occur on a ship when affected by waves, which it hopes will improve safety.

Denmark won’t suffer too much, agree climate and tax ministries

SSI’s illegal storage FOR MORE than six years up until 2018, the Statens Serum Institut illegally passed on samples of blood and other tissues to Danish researchers without seeking permission from the Danish Data Protection Agency, reports DR. Approximately 10 million samples are stored by the SSI at the Danish National Biobank. Virtually everyone has a sample there!

CHRISTIAN WENANDE

S

INCE THE early 1970s, oil and gas production has pumped billions of kroner into the Danish economy.

But in 30 years' time, it’ll all be over, as the government has a majority in Parliament to stop production in the Danish part of the North Sea by 2050.

Additionally, the Finance Ministry estimates 13 billion kroner in profits will be lost over the next 30 years, but such action is “not free”, according to the climate minister, Dan Jørgensen.

Besides, the Tax Ministry has already told Information that “the North Sea is no longer particularly important for our economic sustainability and longer-term positions”.

ONLINE THIS WEEK PIXABAY

BIG’s floating city

No more North Sea fuels from 2050

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Helping Greta to fly!

We won’t miss the view, or even the money

Becoming a posterboy The Climate Act requires Denmark to be climate-neutral

by 2050 and to reduce its carbon footprint by 70 percent by 2030.

The phasing out of oil and gas is one of the cheaper ways of achieving this.

The move will also be a boost to its green image and plans to be a posterboy on the matter.

In fact, it is the world's biggest fossil fuel producer to set an end date to its production.

Denmark has accordingly cancelled the current eighth licensing round for North Sea rights – which Total withdrew from in October – as well as any future tenders.

The government expects the deal will particularly impact the Esbjerg area – Denmark’s oil and gas capital.

Let the bed bugs bite

Opposition to green tax

Quantum funding

A UNIVERSITY of Copenhagen report suggests that bed bugs might be good for us. Researchers have found a connection between the presence of micro-organisms in the dust of a child’s bed and that child’s own bacteria, which suggests the presence might reduce the risk of children developing asthma, allergies and autoimmune diseases later in life.

CEMENT-PRODUCTION giant Aalborg Portland, the country’s biggest producer of CO2, has criticised the government’s proposed new green tax on emissions, as it reduces its incentive to invest in cleaner options. It produced over 2 million tonnes of CO2 in 2018 – a level that would see it pay 76 million kroner a year, which is a quarter of its profits.

DENMARK is one of the countries at the forefront of quantum communication research, and now this position has been strengthened by support from the Innovation Fund to the tune of 22.5 million kroner directed at the CryptQ project. Its goal is to develop a secure and cost-effective way to encrypt information passing along existing fibre networks.

THE VILLUM Center for the Science of Sustainable Fuels and Chemical is developing new technologies to enable ‘e-fuels’ to replace their polluting forerunners. "Of course we can get Greta Thunberg to fly!" said Professor Ib Chorkendorff from the DTU. “We are already, in principle, able to propel aircraft, ships and cars without CO2 emissions.”

Sea level worry A DTU SPACE project indicates there may be factors causing Greenland’s ice to melt that are not currently factored into existing models mapping rising sea levels.

Worryingly, this suggests that sea levels may be rising faster than previously anticipated.

Smoother cancer cream?

THE UNIVERSITY of Southern Denmark is developing a cream that can reduce the built-up chemotherapy in skin cells, thus reducing the severe skin pain of its application by cancer patients.

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NATIONAL

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK

INGER Støjberg has been criticised for borrowing an expression from outgoing US President Donald Trump when she urged politicians to “drain the swamp”.

Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, the chair of Venstre, and his predecessor Lars Løkke Rasmussen, distanced themselves from the rhetoric. The justice minister, Nick Hækkerup, told TV2 the comments were “deeply distasteful”.

Coronavirus conman A 57-YEAR-OLD man has been sentenced to three and a half years in jail, along with a fine of 2.85 million kroner, for attempted fraud in relation to the state authority’s coronavirus aid packages. The man attempted to claim 1.6 million kroner in aid from three different coronavirus services via fraudulent contracts.

Divorce study A STUDY of nearly 2,000 recently divorced Danes reveals that women were the instigators in the majority of the separations. The study concludes that divorce affects the physical and mental health of both men and women – particularly if they argue over who should have custody of the children – and that society should do more to aid divorcees.

Family aid record A RECORD 14,987 single-parent families with children applied to Dansk Folkehjælp for Christmas aid this year by the November 30 midnight deadline – a 2.6 percent rise on last year. Last year, of the 14,600 who applied, 11,400 received the aid. The Red Cross also aids the needy at Christmas. Last year, it helped out 12,000 families.

Manor for sale KONGSDAL Gods, a manor house south of Holbæk, is up for sale. Alongside a rich history, the house boasts grounds of over 2,000 square metres, including farms, forests, and land for hunting.

The Nightmare before Christmas

ONLINE THIS WEEK PIXABAY

Daughter of Trump

11 December 2020 - 14 January 2021

Restaurants, bars and culture venues pay the price for escalating COVID-19 infection numbers

I

T IS ONE of Tim Burton’s best films, but this past week ‘The Nightmare before Christmas’ has become a reality for the owners of restaurants, bars and culture venues in the capital region, most of Zealand and large urban areas in other parts of Denmark.

Wednesday 9 December, the government announced on Monday, would be their last opening day until January 3 at the latest.

So that means no julefrokost with your friends, no Christmassy drink with colleagues and no festive film with the family – unless you venture out into the sticks. In fact, one remote restaurant reported over 50 bookings in the 24 hours following the announcement.

THE GOVERNMENT has unveiled a significant reduction in the number of ‘hardcore’ vulnerable neighbourhoods on its controversial ‘Ghetto List’: down from 28 to 15 In 2018, it introduced three different categories, with ‘hardcore’ denoting neighbourhoods with serious problems – invariably relating to unemployment, crime and a limited education.

Eighth biggest punters

The closest we’ll get to Santa this year

but today it is just 8.5 percent (of 85 patients in the second wave).

Lars Østergaard from Aarhus University explained to DR that “patients being admitted with COVID-19 are younger than was the case in the spring”.

Additionally, doctors are able to employ new treatments that were not previously available, such as Remdesivir, Dexamethasone, blood-thinning medication and high-flow oxygen therapy.

THE AVERAGE adult in Denmark spends 2,101 kroner on gambling every year, which ranks the country eighth in Europe, according to H2 Gambling Capital. Danes tend to favour sports betting more than their Nordic neighbours. In related news, MPs want to ban betting companies from signing advertising or sponsorship deals connected to Danish sport.

PARLIAMENT agreed in late November that 10,000 tonnes of rotting mink should be dug up at sites near Karup and Holstebro in Jutland, over concerns the bodies were releasing harmful phosphoros and nitrogen, which could adversely affect the local water supply. For the government, it was yet another failure in a saga riddled with mistakes and illegalities.

Targeting children COPENHAGEN’S mayor Lars

Reasons to be cheerful THE MORTALITY rate is much lower, though, and the average length of stay in hospital has fallen from 11.3 to 5.2 days since the spring.

For example, the mortality rate at Hvidovre Hospital was 26 percent in the spring (of 265 patients between March and May),

Vaccinations coming IN OTHER coronavirus news, Heunicke estimates that Denmark will be able to start offering COVID-19 vaccinations in January, with the elderly, sufferers of chronic illnesses and front line health personnel prioritised.

A Megafon survey has revealed that 59 percent of Danes reuse disposable facemasks, with 23 percent using the same mask for several days And a Danish academic is travelling to Wuhan as part of an international team to establish how the virus started.

Failing on the job

Drowning in parcels

Næse for minister

ONE IN six professionals who spend most of their working day behind the wheel confess to regularly using a handheld mobile whilst driving on the job, according to a Kantar survey for the Rådet for Sikker Trafik and Forsikring & Pension. And even more – 19 percent in cars and 24 percent in vans – regularly break the speed limit during working hours.

ONLINE sales are growing so quickly that parcel delivery centres are struggling to find space for the volume. In fact, two companies, Bring and Shell, have started offering rewards to customers who pick up their packages promptly. PostNord's central office in Herning has this past month reported a 40 percent rise in volume on last year.

THE HEALTH minister, Magnus Heunicke, has been handed a 'næse' – an official reprimand award by Parliament – for his failure to warn Parliament's COVID-19 monitoring group that mutations of coronavirus found in mink could pose a threat to a future vaccine. He became aware on September 22, but was slow to inform the group.

Living on takeaways RESTAURANTS will still be permitted to offer takeaways, confirmed PM Mette Frederiksen as she announced Denmark’s second lockdown.

All students in the 5th grade and above have been sent home, along with public workers in non-critical jobs. The private sector is also encouraged to tell its employees to remain home.

Meanwhile the restrictions already in place nationwide – such as face mask restrictions and the ten-people gathering – have been extended until February 28.

Weiss is confident the city will receive the same government support package offered to the North Jutland municipalities during their lockdown – namely a wage compensation scheme.

The new lockdown is a result of a recent rise in infection rates – especially among young people in Copenhagen – and the government is currently tackling this by testing as many youngsters (ages 15-25) as it can: 200,000 in December if possible.

The health minister, Magnus Heunicke, wants to break "the hidden infection chains" ravaging the youngsters, who have been encouraged to only see up to ten people socially.

Fewer problematic hoods

Mink rethink

Ritzau hacked THE NEWS bureau Ritzau was hit by hackers in late November, forcing the company to shut its servers down. The attack meant that Ritzau could not send out news as normal via its news service and instead had to move to an emergency email system.

Car of the year AN ELECTRIC car has been crowned as the winner of FDM’s Car of the Year competition for the second year in a row. Voters chose the VW ID.3 ahead of last year’s winner: the Tesla Model 3.

SPORT & CULTURE

11 December 2020 - 14 January 2021

Denmark’s Grinch storms into charts

ONLINE THIS WEEK

PACIFIC Media Group is set to buy an unknown Danish club next year, according to Bloomberg. In other news, FCM secured their first point in the Champions League with a draw away at Atalanta last week, but are out of the running to qualify for the Europa League; Southampton defender Jannik Vestergaard currently has the highest number of headed clearances in the English Premier League; and striker Arman Taranis, 19, has joined EPL club Burnley two months after Sønderjyske terminated his contract.

Mø's fuckability DANISH Music Awards host Annika Aakjær recalled how a talent scout a decade ago was overheard predicting a short career for Mø because “she did not have enough fuckability”. Aakjær called upon all such “sexists” to be fired, joking she was hosting because all the male options were too expensive.

Can't control my feet THIS YEAR’S new julekalender show is 'Julefeber', the story of a boy who cannot control his limbs when he hears music, which is partly based at the home of Danish baller, Royal Theatre’s Gamle Scene.

New club for NFL Dane OFFENSIVE lineman Hjalte Froholdt has been picked up by the Houston Texans following his release from the New England Patriots.

ONLINE THIS WEEK SCREENSHOT

Sights on Danish club

They’re a little like Live Aid, but more cross than charitable LUKE ROBERTS

A

S WE EDGE into December, many are eagerly looking ahead to the 24th and 25th: young children, elf and Santa impersonators, bad chocolate manufacturers, and those people who can't wait to see the back of it.

One group of Danish musicians have had enough of the festive cheer, and they've accordingly released a new anti-Christmas anthem: 'This Time of Year (Wake me up when December ends)'.

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Harder on the hunt DENMARK and Chelsea striker Pernille Harder has been nominated for the Women’s Ballon d’Or and Årets Sportsnavn. In related news, her former club Wolfsburg has signed her national team-mate Sofie Svava for a hefty 730,000 kroner.

Rune’s out of steam

Burning hearts at Xmas (and, let’s face it, they won)

Girlcrush (not at all like Jesus) to record the single.

It's a bit like Band Aid in 1984, but the "world of dread and fear" is the "world inside your window".

Nativity meets Band Aid REBECCA Lou, Kamma, GRETA and Brimheim are standalone artists in their own right, but (a little like the wise men) they've come together with the queer feminist pop-punk band

Xmas wishes THE SONG sings of loneliness, social anxiety and familial conflict at Christmas – an antidote for those who struggle to embrace the festivities.

"When I was younger, I wanted to be able to snap my fingers and December be over," Signe Rønsov, 26, who performs under the name Kamma, explained to DR. "The season is already dark and hard to get through for those like me who struggle with depression and anxiety, and most of all it is a period I associate with stress and anxiety that the family will argue."

Golfer’s magical trio

Something for Weeknd

Hoop dreaming

GOLFER Emily Kristine Pedersen, 24, has risen to a world ranking of number 69 after winning the Open de España – her third European tour victory in a row (although one was a team event at the same tournament she won the individual prize) and fourth of the season. At the beginning of the season she was ranked 509. In related news, Joachim B Hansen recently won the Joburg Open in South Africa.

THE WEEKND’S ‘Blinding Lights’ was the most streamed song of the year on Spotify. Gilli and Branco’s ‘Euro Connection’ was the top album. Seven out of the top ten artists were rappers.

All were men. In related news, Roskilde 2021 has confirmed that The Strokes, Faith No More, Deftones and Haim Megan Thee Stallion will be playing, while Jada will be opening the festival on the Orange Stage.

THE DANISH men’s basketball team sit second in their FIBA European Championship qualifying group following unexpected wins against Lithuania and the Czech Republic, the eighth and tenth best sides in the world. With just two rounds to go, the words number 59s are well placed to qualify for the 2022 Euros. The top three in the four-team group go through, providing the Czechs, the 2022 hosts, don’t finish last.

HOLGE Rune lost in the final of the Nordic Masters to a fellow Dane, the defending champ Christian Sigsgaard.

Borat star loves Denmark BULGARIAN actress Maria Bakalova, a rising star since Rudy Giuliani propositioned her in a hotel room in the second Borat film, visited Denmark on holiday just two years ago with the intention of “staking out the offices of Zentropa”. She loves Danish cinema and her idol is the actress Trine Dyrholm.

Mags gets ride KEVIN Magnussen will race in the IMSA SportsCar Championship with Chip Ganassi next year. His father Jan is a former winner of the championship.

Mikkelsen confirmed WARNER Bros has confirmed that Mads Mikkelsen is replacing Johnny Depp in the role of Gellert Grindelwald in the 'Fantastic Creatures' franchise.

In total, three more films are planned.

LEARN FIRST AID WITH THE RED CROSS We offer courses weekdays and weekends, run by experienced instructors with a mix of both theoretical and practical skills.

We offer several types of courses: Traffic-related first aid, first aid for parents, first aid for watersports, first aid with defibrillators, and 12-hour first aid courses.

rodekors.dk/foerstehjaelp

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BUSINESS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK

Biodiversity a big budget beneficiary

ONLINE THIS WEEK PIXABAY

Property investment dip

11 December 2020 - 14 January 2021

PROPERTY investors are increasingly avoiding Denmark, according to Newsec figues. In 2017 they spent 90 billion kroner, but that figure has halved since then, giving Denmark a 17 percent share of the Nordic market, down from 26 percent three years ago. Meanwhile, Sweden’s share has increased from 33 to 48 percent, and Norway’s too.

Housing prices rising FLAT PRICES increased by 4.2 percent during the third quarter, according to Danmarks Statistik, while holiday home prices rose by 3.5 and family homes by 3.3.

Demand is high and supply is low, Brian Friis Helmer from Arbejdernes Landsbank explained to TV2, predicting that prices will continue to rise.

Minister on attack

Record deposits rate

BENNY Engelbrecht, one of six tax ministers during the period in which 12.7 billion kroner was fraudulently obtained from the treasury in share dividends, has blamed the civil service for failing to follow his clear instructions to keep him informed of such cases. If he had known, the current transport minister told the Tax Commission’s investigation, he would have intervened.

BANK ACCOUNT deposits total over 1 trillion kroner for the first time. As of October, the amount stood at 1.02 trillion, according to Danmarks Nationalbank – mainly thanks to three weeks of holiday money being paid out. And the good news continues with another fall in unemployment, this time of 3,600 – the fifth month in a row. The unemployment rate is now 4.7 percent.

Bank obscured entry THE MEDIA has exposed an internal email sent on November 25 last year that claims Danske Bank chair Karsten Dybvad underlined the importance of describing the company’s illegal debt collection activities as “operational risk-related losses” in the annual report – a phrase suggested by Jacob Aarup-Andersen, the then CFO.

Paying back to state MORE THAN 1,300 companies have voluntarily paid roughly 400 million kroner of the coronavirus aid package back to the state. Fashion group Bestseller led the way with 81.2 million kroner.

Transport safety award ESBJERG logistics company NorSea Denmark has been awarded this year’s Safe Traffic Business Award by the Transport Ministry.

End of the slope DENMARK’S largest ski travel group Piste Group – which operates agencies such as Nortlander, Slopetrotter and Danski through its ownership of Skinetworks – has been declared bankrupt. Forbrugerrådet Tænk claims that those affected stand to receive a refund.

New budget from a government looking down from a cliff

Green concerns to play a major part in future government spending

Boost for welfare AMONG the other highlights are 5 billion kroner for various welfare initiatives in a wide scope of areas such as elderly care, min-

imum standards in institutions and youth education.

Almost 3 billion kroner will be set aside to support the recommendations pertaining to climate change. These include: more funds for phasing out oil and gas boilers, grants for green housing improvements, infrastructure for electric cars and ferries, and improving energy efficiency of public buildings.

And 2 billion kroner will help small and medium-sized businesses in struggling areas and assisting individuals to further educate themselves to be more attractive for the job market.

Other beneficiaries include the event and experience economy (750 million kroner), the broadband pool (600), the culture sector (437), cleaning up historic pollution sites (630), the bicycle fund (520) and scaling back cuts to DR (901).

Denmark’s richest

SAS: losing but busy

Ørsted free to use name

ANDERS Holch Povlsen is Denmark's richest citizen with an estimated fortune of 440 billion kroner, according to Bloomberg. It makes the Bestseller owner the 254th richest person in the world. Last year, his wealth increased by 13.8 billion kroner. Coloplast heir Niels Louis-Hansen was just behind, with three members of the Lego family completing the top five.

SAS MADE a loss of 6.8 billion kroner in its fiscal 2019-20 financial year. Passenger numbers fell by 75 percent, and it paid out 700,000 kroner in ticket reimbursements in the last quarter.

However, in Week 48 it ranked fifth worldwide for flight numbers with 268 (occupancy rate: 37 percent), so it is busy. SAS expects passenger numbers to return to normal in 2022.

THE SUPREME Court has ruled in favour of the energy giant Ørsted against three descendants of HC Ørsted, the ‘father’ of electromagnetism, who contended that it had no right to take the physicist’s name when it switched from being DONG Energy in 2017.

The ruling upheld a decision by the Maritime and Commercial Court. HC Ørsted died in 1851.

HELEN JONES

T

HE GOVERNMENT has teamed up with several Red Bloc parties to reach an accord on the 2021 Budget.

A key aspect of the agreement – reached in collaboration with Radikale, Socialistisk Folkeparti, Enhedslisten and Alternativet – seeks to guide Denmark safely through the Coronavirus Crisis.

“The agreement we present today ensures three things: we create more security by protecting Danish jobs, we boost the green transition, and we take care of our welfare,” said the finance minister, Nicolai Wammen.

More wilderness PART OF the 16 billion kroner set aside for initiatives reaching into 2025 includes the 888 million kroner nature and biodiversity element that was unveiled late last week, which will boost biodiversity in Denmark from 2021-24.

The deal includes the formation of an additional 13 national parks (taking the number up to 15) and the creation of more untouched forest, increasing Denmark’s total area of untouched wilderness to around 75,000 hectares.

“The agreement will provide Denmark’s nature with a historic life so that all animals and plants have better and greener conditions in Denmark,” added Wammen.

First profit for Nemlig ONLINE supermarket Nemlig. com has posted a profit of 13 million kroner – its first year in the black since it was founded in 2010. In related news, record high sales has led the home goods retailer Jysk to a pre-tax profit of 3.6 billion kroner for its fiscal 201920 financial year – a new record for a company that now has nearly 3,000 stores worldwide.

Pharma overtakes Germany GLOBAL life science exports from Denmark are now greater than the country's total exports of goods and services to the country’s biggest market Germany. The finding underlines how Denmark is a global leader in the sector.

Online sales explosion SOME 75 percent of people aged 16-89 have shopped online within the past three months – an increase of 5 percentage points on last year.

In related news, 70 percent of 50 stores assessed by Pricerunner deliberately raised their prices six weeks before Black Friday – the mandatory length required by Danish law – so they could claim they were offering discounts.

11 December 2020 - 14 January 2021

BUSINESS OPINION

ED LEY FIT FOR BUSINESS CEOs and Olympic medal-winning athletes come to Ed (edley. net) for help to optimise their physical and mental performance.

Using neuroscience and body work techniques, his methods improve their energy, health, fulfilment and well-being. And as the co-host of the Global Denmark podcast, he has his finger on issues pertinent to expats in Denmark.

Animal instincts SOMETIMES it’s easy to forget we are animals, and that our senses are constantly monitoring changes in our environment.

Detecting a subtle rise in testosterone through smell could be the difference between a good or bad night, but years ago it might have saved a life or two.

It’s all thanks to a collaboration between our senses – the Amygdala in the brain and the nervous system setting something called Hedonic tone, which assesses postures, facial expressions, tones, languages and other environmental factors, mostly to evaluate risk.

Without being too geeky, this

Carlos started a business through denmarkbrazil.com, but while his blog survives, he has left for pastures new and is now the head of strategic partnerships at Ucommerce, where he mainly deals with agencies in the Benelux countries. The roundtables host seeks to inspire many on a vast range of topics, from digital transformation and mental health to the future of work in the 4th industrial revolution.

Learned the hard way I KNEW it’s been a favoured line with politicians in recent times, including former US vice president Dick Cheney, who swore it was his absolute favourite when he used it to criticise the national defence policy of 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry.

But really, the expression has found its true home on social media. Time, and time again, it comes to mind when I see people posting all manner of fakery on platforms like LinkedIn – myself included.

Yes, sometimes we have to take a long, hard look in the mirror at the shade of lipstick we’re wearing.

The learning curve has been a tough one this year, but I have

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The Valley of Life

UK-DK Trade

CARLOS MONTERO GIVE YOURSELF A CHANCE

is essentially our perceived safety level, and it is communicated to us via how we feel.

It's not emotion – it’s not trying to trigger action yet. It’s just on alert. It’s feelings.

Home of negativity THIS IS super useful to know because really it’s the home of negativity. If we are having negative thoughts or speaking negatively, it’s because of an increase in our hedonic tone.

If someone else is talking negatively and we notice it, their threat level rises. It’s not that they’re negative people, it’s because their hedonic tone is higher than ours at that moment.

That's the lesson; There is No Such Thing As Negative People.

This could mean a whole bunch of stuff: a lot could be going on in their lives, or next to nothing, leaving them wonboiled it down to three unforgivable glosses. It really is time to stop putting lipstick on pigs!

It’s all fake DON’T PAY to join an engagement pod - a group of people who agree to like and comment on each others’ LinkedIn posts, with the aim of triggering the algorithm to increase its visibility.

I did it in January, but had to drop it after two months.

The conversations are fake, the engagement is fake, everything is fake.

Fortunately we have help to convey our feelings these days

dering when they are going to see the result of their efforts.

Maybe they haven’t made sense of what’s going on in their lives and the uncertainty has put them on high alert. Or maybe they’re tired, dehydrated, high on caffeine or low on sugar.

Get curious instead REMEMBER: there are no negative people. So before you go cutting negative people out of your life or your company (as many influencers advise), try a few other things.

Get curious, ask more questions

and listen intently. You might help them to lower their tone.

Secondly, check your own tone.

The more attention you give to your sleep, hydration, movement and diet, the more permission you will inadvertently give them and the calmer you will be for them.

Humans are wired to mirror behaviour – that’s where the phrase “Be the change you wish to see in the world” comes from. If you are the leader, then you set the tone.

This is tribal and unavoidable, as fear mirrors and amplifies fear.

Certainty mirrors certainty.

PIKIST

A

PIG WITH lipstick is still a pig … I thought I knew what that meant, but I’ve learned it the hard way this year.

INK BLOG

T

HERE HAVE long been stories from practitioners working in mental health clinics of anxious or depressed people carrying a particularly sweet odour.

9

IN SALES. I deserved it.

Will, my apologies for the automated message back in April I also lost several followers from that single action.

Invest your time REMEMBER to invest time in talking with the people you connect with. It’s only then that you can really call them ‘connections’ and stand by the number you might have.

One of the best people I've ever seen building deep connections is Jakob Thusgaard, the founder and CEO of YourSales.

We even got to play squash together after meeting on LinkedIN about seven years ago - you could say I had a lot of fun bouncing ideas off the wall with him.

A nose is the ultimate concealer

Quit bullshitting SO JUST to recap, you can't

fake results. So quit your bullshitting here.

Slowing down is probably the fastest way to achieve real acceleration.

Invest time in getting to know people. It changes everything Automation can be used but you gotta be extra careful. Trying to beat the algorithm at all costs shouldn't be a goal in itself. You have to put a proper shift in.

‘A Pig with lipstick is still a pig.’ Quit faking!

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Just Say It As It Is

Economics Explained

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Welcome Onboard!

Global Denmark

Startup Community

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Danish Capital in 2019

People aren’t stupid I AUTOMATED messages for my network to attend a webinar I was promoting. Now I know that's a sure way to annoy people.

Will Barron featured me on his podcast using me as an example of WHAT NOT TO DO

10 OPINION It is all about density THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

T

OO MANY people and too many animals in areas that are too small will cause virus pandemics sooner or later again.

On a knife-edge IN NATURE there have always been viruses, but wild animals kept their distance and the viruses faded away, contended the expert Anders Fomsgaard in Politiken last week.

He argued that we learned years ago how to control HIV but not cure it, and pointed out that Ebola could erupt again – only this time not just in remote areas without health systems. If it’s mutated, he warned, it will most probably be resistant to all known vaccines.

This is the gloomy wisdom of a long year that is finally coming to an end.

In dire need of a vac IN THE meantime, science has been racing to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, and it would appear to be on the doorstep.

The next trick is making sure as many as possible get the protection – although a new race could ensue against a mutating form. Invariably some will remain ‘outside the herd’, as is the case with all such jabs.

But if everything goes according to plan, 2021 should bring us some sort of return to normal. “It was not the end of the world,” we’ll collectively gasp.

And in hindsight, we’ll realise that the 2020 mortality rate did not exceed the previous year’s.

Nevertheless, while the seasonal flu death toll barely raises an eyebrow, COVID-19 has scared us into a new reality in which society has been forced to abide by restrictions unknown during peacetime.

PM sorely tested OF COURSE, COVID-19 had

to join a lone queue of problems for the PM, as Minkgate did its best to take over the political agenda last month.

Now all the mink are dead, the matter is far from buried, literally, and the fallout of who was responsible and how much it will cost continues.

It has been a welcome opportunity for many politicians – most of whom don’t really understand the situation – to embarrass a PM who had previously reduced their role to well-behaved kindergarten kids sitting quietly and obeying their mistress.

It will be a while before it settles down, but little more will come of it.

Just like Hiroshima 2020 SHOULD have been the year when fighting climate change united the world, but instead we are left in urgent need of a reset.

Can Joe Biden heal the damage caused by Donald Trump exiting the Paris Agreement?

He, and others, will hopefully have more of the people on their side than before. Many urbanites have witnessed the improvement in air quality during lockdown, which may have saved more people from respiratory death than those caused by COVID-19.

That may be the trigger to measures previously deemed unacceptable by the public: from tackling overpopulation and congestion, to rethinking food processing.

In the future the year 2020 and the pandemic will be remembered by students in line with 1945 and the nuclear bombs that changed the world.

Their explosions changed the way we think and act, so may we use the wisdom wisely: Happy New Year! (ES)

11 December 2020 - 14 January 2021

REVD SMITHA PRASADAM

Living Faith

T

HE LIGHT shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.”

(John 1, 4-5) Light shines at Advent, and when I get to it, I feel like it’s a lot like ‘coming home’. While I won’t be spending a Christmas holiday in the UK, I will nevertheless be with my very own family – a long line of people from the history of salvation and I’ll enjoy visiting them like my own parents and sisters and children.

I know this place and I know them. I know their story and I am comforted by the familiar: revelling in the story of old Zechariah struck dumb and young Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1 & 2). I’ll travel alongside star-gazers and shepherds in anticipation. And through fondness and familiarity, I’ll experience comfort and joy despite an altogether different Christmas festival.

This year has changed me and the world feels different, so I’m also excited by what I can’t quite imagine – how those characters will change the way I feel, and the ideas and reflections that will take flight even if I don’t board a plane. Nevertheless, there’s newness in the old familiar and the enveloping darkness.

Find light in the unknown THE DAYS are ever shorter and framed by starlight in leaden skies. I notice the hyggeligt lights are up earlier this year, perhaps because many of us are feeling the bleakness of that darkness more than ever before.

We are living through so many unknowns: faces masked, stepping back from human in-

Born in India, adopted by Britain, Smitha (chaplain@ st-albans.dk) is the new chaplain of St Alban’s Church.

In the UK, along with being a Church of England priest, she travelled Europe working as an English teacher, trainer and examiner. Smitha continues to work in an advisory and advocacy capacity at a national level on matters of liturgy and social justice

In anticipation of the big day

teraction and touch, confined to our homes as we self-isolate and shield, and not venturing out.

Surprisingly, it is just when we know bleakness, darkness, and isolation that we also begin to know the light or at least to look for it – within and without.

Advent is the time of waiting through the unknown, holding onto the promises of God and discovering in the waiting that the light we long for is already within. God’s incarnation is here and now.

A story for the ages ADVENT is about the arrival of Jesus into a world of poverty, pain and pandemics. For the world 2,000 years ago, as now, Christ's coming generated a mixed response including anxiety, threat and expectation.

And, as people in the global village, we know these feelings with acute sensitivity, even as we wait, in hope, for vaccines to appear.

When it comes, Christmas will feel different: a little pared down, a little more sober perhaps. Yet it will still remain the story of God coming down, and of ordinary people caught up in

a divine drama that is the very hinge of history.

The characters of Christmas are invited to take part, as we are, seeking as we can, choosing as we do; pressured as we are.

They are afraid, exhilarated and, in the end, grateful, awed and content.

Celebrate with us I’M NOT sure exactly how you’ll celebrate Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. Some of it will be determined by circumstances beyond your control.

But this you may choose to do: open the virtual Advent Calendar at st-albans.dk and receive a surprise gift of a carol, poem, story, or scripture. Join in services online even if you can’t be in church in person. Choose to bring before God a person or situation close at hand or far away – and do so in gratitude or petition, struck dumb with wonder or set loose with praise.

And at home or from far off, may we hear the distant echo of the angels’ song: “Glory to God in highest heaven and peace and goodwill to all on earth!”

Happy homecoming and a blessed Christmas and New Year!

OPINION

11 December 2020 - 14 January 2021

JACK GARDNER

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Englishman in Nyhavn

Mackindergarten

Jack escaped Brexit Britain in October 2019 to forge a new life in Copenhagen. In this column, he outlines the challenges expats face when integrating into Danish life. Jack (jacksgard@gmail.com) co-hosts the comedy podcast ‘Butterflies on the Wheel’, which is available on all major podcasting platforms

Green Spotlight

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ET ANOTHER Christmas dawns in Denmark. For us natives, it’s no biggie. I’m actually so acclimatised to this Scandinavian cove we call home, that – and I’m chuckling heartily here – it’s difficult to remember what Christmas is like elsewhere!

11

ADRIAN MACKINDER

SIBYLLE DE VALENCE

A Dane Abroad

IN 2 ISSUES

KIRSTEN LOUISE PEDERSEN

Straight, No Chaser

My first Julekalender BUT CASTING my mind back to my very first Danish Christmas, just under a year ago, I’m reminded of one particularly peculiar tradition: the Julekalender.

The Julekalender is when Danish television ceases all broadcasting (probably) save for one nightly episode of a Christmas-themed series for the first 24 days of December.

I was introduced to a ‘classic’ Julekalender last year: ‘Jesus & Josefine’. It’s impossible to say what year it broadcast, unless you were to Google it. However, a well-researched article is not one I wish to be associated with, much to the continued despair of my editor.

What follows therefore is my recollection of the strangest television show of all time.

Mary. Unlike every other obedient child in the classroom, Josefine doesn’t wish this and makes that abundantly clear. Yet the clearly intoxicated teacher insists upon ruining the entire theatrical experience for everyone.

Josefine then insults her family (also from Denmark), especially her literal priest of a mother. The viewer is left to ponder whether mum should spend less time encouraging Josefine to develop an untempered relationship with God, and more time teaching her despicable child not to be so foul and awful.

Right little madam JOSEFINE is a little Danish girl, anywhere between the ages of 6 and 12 (guessing kids’ ages isn’t my strength). Her birthday is on Christmas and therefore she hates Christmas so much she wants it banned. Which even, for a 6 to 12-year-old child, is self-centred.

When her teacher casts the school nativity, Josefine helpfully identifies herself to us, the audience, as a right madam by interrupting to repeat her desire to kick Christmas down a big hole forever (paraphrasing).

The teacher, in an appalling tactical display, rewards Josephine’s belligerence by casting her as

Tiny little messiah JOSEFINE goes into a shop that sells trinkets, owned by a kind man whose singular flaw is that he is Satan. Satan tells Josefine not to touch a glowing cupboard, and subsequently (perhaps unwisely) leaves her to tend the shop alone.

Josefine, being the unmannered oik she is, immediately touches the cupboard, despite Satan’s specific requests to the contrary.

The worse-than-Satan Josefine is transported to Nazareth where she meets, of all people, Boy Jesus. And (you won’t believe this) he speaks Danish! Just when you thought he couldn’t get more impressive, Jesus is revealed as a polyglot at the

STEPHEN GADD IN 3 ISSUES Kid Jesus, your career’s behind you

tender age of between 6 and 12.

Josefine befriends Jesus, much to the obvious dismay of me, the viewer. Jesus seems a good kid and doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into with this time-traveling brat. She leads him around Nazareth, messing up the entirety of The Bible narrative in the process, and convinces him to visit to modern-day Denmark.

In a brilliant display of idiocy, she leads him into a church, where Boy Jesus sees Man Jesus pinned to a cross. Boy Jesus decides – not unreasonably – “Fuck that for a bag of laughs” (paraphrasing) and time-travels back to avoid the living daylights out of messianic activities.

Temple torn in two JOSEFINE is left in Denmark, which without Boy Jesus becomes overridden by Satan. Look, obviously the fact Satan turns Earth into Hell bringing eternal suffering upon all mankind isn’t great, and Satan must take some responsibility. But remember this is kind of ‘his deal’. Josefine does not have this excuse.

I threw my shoe at the TV in frustration at Josefine and it broke.

That was day 22. If anyone knows how it ends, please email me. Preferably before Christmas.

Straight Up ZACH KHADUDU

Early Rejser ADAM WELLS IN 4 ISSUES

Mishra’s Mishmash MRUTYUANJAI MISHRA

Crazier than Christmas VIVIENNE MCKEE IN 5 ISSUES

The Road Less Taken JESSICA ALEXANDER

An Actor’s Life IAN BURNS

SCHOOLS

11 December 2020 - 14 January 2021

13

How scholarships strengthen the community and broaden students’ horizons

HELEN JONES

I

T’S CHRISTMAS break at Copenhagen International School, but plans for next academic year’s new recruits are already underway – and that means up to 15 scholarships will soon be awarded to the top applicants, with submissions open until January 28.

Perched above the waters of Nordhavn, the school has been a part of the international community since its foundation in 1963. Today, it boasts 900 students with over 60 languages spoken between them, and thanks to its scholarship program it is proud to say they come from all walks of life.

“The goal is to allow students who might not be able to afford the school fees to be able to attend. We’ve been offering scholarships for as long as I’ve been here, and I think it reflects how important we find inclusion, diversity and opening up our community,” explained International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme co-ordinator Mary Donnellan.

“It’s designed for those students who

Art scholarship student Sabrina's self-portrait

are interesting or academically gifted, or could bring something to our community and would really benefit from the International Baccalaureate program and international mind-set.”

CIS

Copenhagen International School will be opening its doors to a fresh batch of applicants in the new year. With well over a month until the submissions deadline, there’s still plenty of time to weigh up the options and land a subsidised place at the high school section of the prestigious International Baccalaureate school

really want it – the evaluation committee will see that you’re putting in your very best.”

Open to all IT MIGHT sound like a demanding process for the students – but the school wants to assure applicants and parents that there’s no reason to overly stress.

“Parents are always asking me: ‘What should my child study?’ And we say: ‘Nothing!’ The exams are set at a level they should be working at right now, so we’re not demanding anything extraordinary,” said Mary.

Last year the school saw 35 applicants in contention for up to 15 scholarships, so there’s a very realistic chance that students will get a place if they’re able to put in a strong application.

There are three main categories for the scholarship: Academic Excellence, The Arts and Sustainability. All three involve an exam and interview stage – but as the students will tell you, you don’t have to fit the categories perfectly, as long as you show your drive and passion.

We talked to some of Copenhagen International School’s impressive scholarship students to discover how they found the process and what advice they’d give to future applicants.

Across the board, they’ve painted a picture of a community that’s thriving.

Jazmin: Be yourself JAZMIN received a sustainability scholarship from the school and plans to go on to study pharmaceuticals at the University of Copenhagen. In her own words, the Hungarian’s first visit to the school was “love at first sight”.

“Before I came to an open day it was out of the question for me to attend the school because it was so far away from where I lived. But when I came here and walked around the grounds, it was love at first sight – and I knew that this was just the place for me. I was sitting in a room that looked out over the sea and I remember looking out of the window and thinking: ‘This is the view I want to see every day’,” she recalled Her advice for applicants looking to obtain a scholarship is simply to be as authentic as possible.

“There are all these specific categories for the scholarship – art, sustainability and academic – and I knew a lot of students that thought they wouldn’t fit any of those categories – so they didn’t apply.

But the categories are much broader than some might think, so I’d encourage applicants to do some research and think about what you bring – because you might just find that the scholarship program is for you,” she advised.

Tarang: Really want it TARANG is a grade 10 Indian student who received a scholarship for Academic Excellence.

One of her heroes is Parisa Tabriz, the ‘Security Princess of Google’, and Tarang hopes that she too can go on to become one of the top white hat hackers in the world and empower women to join the tech industry.

“I was already studying at Copenhagen International School when I decided to go for the scholarship, so for me, getting it felt like a huge personal achievement,” she enthused.

Her advice for future applicants?

“You have to really want it. If you set your mind to it through the examination round and the interview round – if you really,

Anwita: Don’t stress ANWITA applied for the scholarship program in grade 11 after friends and siblings recommended the school. The Brit’s interested in pursuing medicine after graduation, but also took subjects with a sound basis for studying law in response to advice from the school’s guidance counsellor.

“The most challenging aspect of my studies has been the workload. I do quite a few extracurricular activities, so it’s been quite a challenge to keep on top of those, my homework, and revising for tests – but it’s also a challenge that prepares you for the future, and I’ve had amazing friends to help me along the way,” she revealed.

“I would say don’t stress – there’s nothing to be worried about. I know applying for a scholarship seems like a big stressful ordeal, but the application process is pretty simple. Just know your strengths and try to be confident in communicating

Tarang is thriving at CIS

them, so you can show that you’re the one who deserves the scholarship.

New year, new start?

GETTING a scholarship might sound like an intimidating goal, but Tarang, Jazmin and Anwita are proof that it’s worth the struggle. At an international school, they’re in the hands of experts skilled at bringing together talent from all over the world, giving students the chance to pursue their own interests in an environment designed to help them thrive.

The inclusion of Arts and Sustainability alongside Academic Excellence shows the school is interested in more than just qualifications. As Mary put it: “More than anything, we want somebody who is kind and good – a wonderful human being.”

Applications are already open and will run until January 28, with open days to tour the school itself between January 11 and 28.

SCHOLARSHIP: NEED TO KNOW Scholarships for entry into Grade 10 or 11, so for either two or three years Scholars will leave CIS with an International Baccalaureate Diploma after grade 12 Types of scholarships: Academic Excellence, Arts, and Sustainability Up to 85 percent reduction on tuition, depending on household income Deadline for applications is January 28 More info at cis.dk/scholarships

14 COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

11 December 2020 - 14 January 2021

Could this be the missing link in your life?

International women’s club Ladies' International Network København is always on the lookout for new members DAVE SMITH

Y

OU DON’T really hear much about the ‘missing link’ these days.

No, we’re not talking about the quiz show made famous by Anne Robinson, but the hypothetical middleman between anthropoids and humans – although both are essentially fossils.

But in Copenhagen circles, ‘missing link’ can only mean one thing: the grief felt by members of the Ladies' International Network København (LINK), the non-profit women’s organisation founded in the capital in 1973, because so few recent events have been made possible by the Coronavirus Crisis.

Expats, repats, ex-expats LINK, the largest English-speaking organisation open to all international women in the capital region, has over 370 members representing in excess of 55 nationalities.

As well as expats, it is common to find many repat Danes, while others remain members (at a slightly cheaper rate!) when they leave the country.

With over 25 subgroups covering a wide range of interests, there are normally dozens of events: from walking, sports and fitness, to book, wine and lunch clubs, and also business networking gatherings.

Get involved!

ENGAGE with LINK via Facebook to find out more and to interact with members.

The linkdenmark.com website offers monthly tips on living in and loving Copenhagen – this month’s was ‘All things Christmas’, while November’s was ‘Beauty/wellness’.

The annual membership (Feb 1-Jan 31) costs 300 kroner, or six months (Aug 1-Jan 31) is available for 175 kroner.

One of the many LINK fitness groups

Committee members (back row, left-right: Juli Johnson, Nerada Watson, Carmen Scott, Vikki Lang) and the new president Cris Madsen (front row, centre), who is from Brazil and married to a Dane, at one of the Wine Bar evenings

COMMUNITY

11 December 2020 - 14 January 2021

15

Music Confucius Institute to close at the end of this year Chinese concert organiser goes out in style with a tour-de-force DAVE SMITH

C

HINESE Timbres’, a November concert at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, could very well be the last to be staged by the Music Confucius Institute in Denmark.

Travel restrictions placed on Chinese musicians due to the Coronavirus Crisis has made it very hard indeed for the institute, and it has confirmed it intends to close at the end of the year.

“We can unfortunately no longer ensure the high standard and quality that we have always been proud of,” explained a spokesperson.

HC Andersen premieres THE NOVEMBER 26 concert proved to be the perfect farewell, as it provided the institute with the chance to showcase the results of its one-year collaboration with Danish singer-songwriter Randi Laubek.

The theme of the concert was the human voice. “It is with our voices that we express our feelings, engage in dialogue, and communicate with each other and the world,” explained the organisers.

The concert also featured world premieres of four songs

by Chinese composers exploring the theme of HC Andersen and his fairy-tales, while a new ensemble formed by Professor Jesper Sivebæk made their debut.

Auspicious national day celebration at UAE Embassy’s new home

The UAE Embassy blew off the Coronavirus Crisis cobwebs to organise a reception to celebrate its 49th national day on December 2 at its new home on Øster Allé in Østerbro – in strict adherence with the regulations, of course

The VIP guests of Ambassador Fatema Khamis Almazrouei included Peter Riis from the Danish Parliament (bottom left), Saudi ambassador Fahad Alruwaily and Anouar Touimi from the Scandinavian Council for Relations (above centre), and Hans Hermansen, the CEO of CPH POST (bottom right)

16 CHRISTMAS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

11 December 2020 - 14 January 2021

Wishing you a Corona Christmas: festive traditions in trying conditions Remember to observe the restrictions – after all, nobody wants to celebrate the festive period in contrition KAMILLA STOFFREGEN

G

OD JUL og god afstand' is the sign you have probably noticed around town by now. More discreetly above this, the sign reads: 'Corona', the reverberating reminder of 2020.

This year, 'Good Christmas and good distance' points to celebrating a festive season differently from the not so distant past. Nevertheless, let's take a closer look at the traditional Danish Christmas, bearing in mind to practice each tradition at arm's length.

Timeless tradition CHRISTMAS is the festivity of the year with the most traditions connected to it in Denmark. Preparations begin well in advance, actually already from childhood, because naturally, Christmas should be celebrated just as it was when we were kids. In Danish terms, this means dancing and singing around the decorated Christmas tree after devouring duck and risalamande and, long before that, getting together to cut and paste decorations while munching cookies and sipping gløgg.

Tine Bryld, formerly known for her expertise on youth issues in Denmark, confirms in a collection of essays on Christmas written by well-known Danes: "It must for me always be completely identifiable and predictable. Christmas always began early when I was a child with ongoing discussions about who should come on Christmas Eve, and who should be invited before and after. It started in October and ended on January 2 when my father celebrated his birthday..."

Classic Christmas lunch INSPIRED by Tine Bryld, let's begin our Danish Christmas adventure in early November. One of the first signs that it's time to warm up for the Christmas ahead is 'J-dag', the first Friday in November when Carlsberg-Tuborg releases its annual Christmas brew, 'Julebryg'.

This is a beer that is slightly heavier, slightly darker and often slightly stronger than normal. It is a beverage that is consumed at all occasions in the festive season involving alcohol, which prac-

tically means every occasion, although the popular Christmas lunches account for a big part.

Arranged privately, at places of study and workplaces, these lunches can be wet affairs and feasts with a wide array of dishes. Traditionally the dishes consist of different kinds of salmon and herring, warm dishes like fish fillets, pork chops, roasted pork, meatballs, liver paté with bacon, sausage, hamburgers topped with fried eggs, roasted duck, chicken salad and cold cuts, fruit salad and cheeses with fruit.

Finally, a cold dessert made of boiled rice, chopped almonds and whipped cream, 'risalamande', is served with warm cherry sauce.

Family festivities RETURNING to the family scene, Christmas is all about creating the fairytale setting by joining hands, big and small, in cutting out paper pixies and hearts to be strewn together with sprigs of spruce around the home.

As with the lunches, such 'juleklip' gatherings are not complete without something to drink – warm gløgg, a punch based on red wine, raisins, almonds and spices – and munch on: cinnamon/almond cookies, 'brune kager', or deep-fried dumplings with jam and sugar on the side, 'æbleskiver'. Yet another opportunity to keep warm and rosy-cheeked.

Inching into December, a tradition that maintains the suspense for children is the daily little gift brought by a pixie during the night, and tucked into a sock hung on the bed. On Advent Sundays, children may wake to find bigger gifts than usual. It's also on Sundays that the Advent candles are lit, set in a wreath of spruce and cones, marking for Danes the countdown to Christmas Eve. Typically, the children in the home blow out the Advent flames.

Moving on to Christmas Eve, the main day of celebration for the Danes, a series of events is lined up, starting with a light lunch followed by a nap, intended for the children, and then a visit to church.

Going to church is not so much a religious act as it is a way of maintaining a formal atmosphere.

Then at around six in the evening, dinner should be ready. Most Danes eat duck on Christmas Eve, but goose and pork roasts are popular too. The duck

The tree: the true star of the Danish Christmas

11 December 2020 - 14 January 2021

is stuffed with prunes and apples and served with red cabbage and beetroot, accompanied by potatoes of two kinds; plain boiled and boiled, sweetened and browned in a thick sugary sauce.

For dessert it’s risalamande and cherry sauce, of course. The lucky ones, i.e the children, who find whole almonds buried in their portions win prizes – possibly pigs made of marzipan.

Once dinner is eventually done with, the candles are lit on the Christmas tree and they dance around the tree while singing Christmas psalms can begin.

The climax of the evening then follows, and usually one of the children gets the honour of picking up and handing out the Christmas presents. The dealer role entails waiting for each guest to unwrap and appreciate, or at least regard his/her present, in fair Danish tradition.

Post a card, help a child THAT PRETTY much sums up a fairytale Christmas in Denmark. But for a different Danish fairytale, we don’t have to look further than HC Andersen’s tale of the Matchstick Girl, who warmed herself by the flames she struck with the matches she sold. In the flames she saw beautiful visions, of a warm stove, a New Year’s dinner, a lit-up Christmas tree and her kind grandmother. Alas, the girl went out with the last flame, joining her deceased grandmother.

It is Danish custom, to use the special Christmas stamp, 'Julemærket', which is designed every year by a different artist.

This stamp is the oldest of its kind in the world, dating back to 1904. Profits from the sale of the stamps go to helping underprivileged children.

If you can't be near those who are dear, connect with a 'Julemærke'-stamped postcard and help a child in true Danish Christmas spirit.

CHRISTMAS

17

18 CHRISTMAS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

11 December 2020 - 14 January 2021

Festive events schedule up in smoke, but outdoor and online options can still breathe life into your celebrations MANEESH VENKATESH

T

HIS YEAR has been a rough one for all of us, and while you might not be feeling that holiday spirit, we need it more than ever.

Copenhagen at this time of year truly is a magical place and even with the current pandemic, there’s something to do – whether you’re alone or with the family.

Coronavirus permitting ALL THE included information was correct as of Monday morning, but with uncertainty over Christmas opening times, we thought it best to include it all, even though some (or many) of the events will be cancelled due to coronavirus restrictions.

Read on to find out what the city has on offer for you on December 24, 25 and 31 this year. Let’s hope the lockdown has paved the way for some kind of festive feeling, but make sure you check online to ensure you know what the details are.

CHRISTMAS: Glory to God Celebrate Christmas at the Christmas Eve Midnight Mass (23:30) at the St Albans Anglican Church (Churchillparken 11, Cph K).

Or earlier in the day, attend the children’s carol and nativity ser-

Broens skating rink is handily located in range of sampling a Noma burger or Hart pastry

vice (12:00), or the Christmas Day service (Dec 25, 10:30).

Try a Lutheran service (Dec 24, 15:00, 16:30 & 23:30) at Copenhagen Cathedral (Nørregade 8, Cph K). For a contemporary Lutheran service, try Elijah’s Church (Vesterbrogade 49, Cph K) for a Christmas Mass hosted

by Eliaskirken and Folkekirken Vesterbro (Dec 25, 13:00).

Out and about: activities Join a few people by swimming a bit or cycling on Christmas Day – feel free to show up in a cute costume or a Santa hat (Holmen Dirt, 12:00). Øresund, the strait that separates Denmark and Sweden, hasn’t frozen over since the

ST ALBANS CHURCH

1950s, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still go ice skating in Copenhagen this Christmas.

Just over the bridge from Nyhavn, a new Christmas skating rink is making its appearance from November 6, with wintry views out over the harbour itself. Broens skating rink (Mon to Fri, 09:00-20:00; Strandgade 95) offers a turn on the ice for free – as long as you bring your own skates. For everyone else, it’s just 50kr to lace up a pair of skates and start showing off your twirls.

There’s also a range of special events on offer at the rink, whether you’re looking for a disco on ice, a hockey game, or even want to try your hand at curling, check out the Broens Skøjtebane webpage for information on extra events.

Broen also has the food sorted, with nearby street-food stalls offering a wide range of meals to keep you warm – from burgers and crepes a la carte, to hot cocoa piled high with marshmallows.

Just keep in mind that demand for ice skating may be high this year, with the annual rink at Frederiksberg Runddel announcing

that it will remain closed, alongside the annual Christmas rink at Kongens Nytorv. So if you’re an avid winter skater it would be wise to book your tickets ahead of time – while you still can!

Copenhagen’s new state-ofthe-art skating rink in Østerbro is set to open its doors in March.

So there is something to look forward to.

Let the music begin If music is your jam, then try the online Classical Christmas Facebook live concert with Simon and Maria Kjelsson from 13:00. For a safe and fun dance-filled Christmas head over to Rådhuspladesen for an Ecstatic Dance Copenhagen experience hosted by the Copenhagen Conscious Movement and a few others (18:00).

NEW YEAR’S EVE: Getting it right This New Year’s Eve will be a little different from the usual way we are all used to celebrating it.

We’re going to have to be more careful, but that does not mean we can’t have fun. Even through the pandemic, Copenhagen will be lit up and celebrating the new

year in creative and Covid safe ways. So while there probably won’t be lavish parties and large gatherings, make the most of this New Year’s Eve by spending it with your family or close friends.

As the night reaches its peak, make sure you have your champagne and your kransekage (almond cake) at hand – staples for a Danish New Year. Then, find a couch, chair, table (or any elevated surface that you can), grab the hand of the person next to you, count down and leap off into the New Year! If you happen to trip, it will bring bad luck (so make sure you cling on to your most sober friend).

Countdown in the centre Head to Rådhuspladsen (city hall square) where the crowds follow the live countdown being broadcast to the nation. Watch out for rogue fireworks as the place will get a little sparky as the night continues. The Lakes, Islands Brygge, and the Knippelsbro and Langebro bridges are probably safer but still lively alternatives, so remain vigilant.

Some countries have heavy restrictions on the private use of fireworks – but in Denmark you can blast away merrily! And

FACEBOOK/BROENS ICE SKATING

The pinch that stole Christmas – will anything be open at all?

CHRISTMAS

11 December 2020 - 14 January 2021

19 COPENHOT

STIG NYGAARD

people do. Purchasing a pair of safety goggles is a very good idea.

Hop in the harbour WHEN IN Rome, do as the Romans do. And when in Copenhagen – get naked and jump in the sea during midwinter.

Sound crazy? Then you haven’t

Y

heard of the benefits of winter bathing: a longstanding Nordic tradition that’s associated with heightened happiness and invigorating the body.

This winter, Copenhot are inviting newcomers to take the plunge with a 360 introduction to winter bathing. Instructors

will take you on a 1.5 hour journey from hot to cold and across the Baltic Sea. Clad in swimsuits, Copenhot offer a range of experiences: from ice baths to fire-heated saunas with panoramic views of the harbour. There’s even a luxury ‘sailing hot tub’ that cruises the

harbour of northern Copenhagen in a haven of 40° heated salt water – something that could convince anyone to go Scandinavian (Wed-Sun; Refshalevej 325, Cph K; various events).

If saunas aren’t quite your style, you can also get in on the action with Copenhagen’s newest bathing

zone at Kalvebod Bølge. The mobile bathing zones have adjustable bottoms, letting you sink down to a depth of up to 140cm before hopping back out into the cold air.

Access is free all year round, so you could also be forgiven for waiting to take a dip until warmer weather is on its way – July, perhaps?

our international school in the heart of Copenhagen

Since 1990 a solidly established IB World School, Nørre Gymnasium offers pre-IB classes and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB DP) in English for students in the age group 16-19. In the environment of a Danish public high school (a day-school with free tuition), we combine Scandinavian values with the spirit of multiculturalism, striving for academic excellence and diversity. Our international education lines are targeted at a highly motivated student clientele seeking academic challenge on a global level to gain the prestigious IB Diploma granting them access to universities in Denmark and all over the world.

Visit our comprehensive homepage at www.norreg.dk /IB World School – and feel welcome to address us, come by for our Visiting Days and Information Evening*, and experience the vibrant atmosphere of our school!

The application deadline for the new academic year is 1 March 2021; relevant forms can be accessed via our homepage.

Looking forward to including you in our IB Community! *subject to Corona-stipulations

WWW.NORREG.DK • NØRRE GYMNASIUM • MØRKHØJVEJ 78 • 2700 BRØNSHØJ • TEL: +45 4454 4735

20 HISTORY

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

11 December 2020 - 14 January 2021

Dogme 95: the manifesto that put Denmark on the cinematic world map A quarter of a century later, the movement is finished … but the impact is undeniable ARUN SHARMA

I

N MARCH 1995, on the centenary of the world's first film screening, Lars von Trier spoke about the future of cinema at the Odéon Theatre in Paris.

He proclaimed with a deadpan demeanour: "It seems to me that in the last 20 years, no, let's say 10 then, film has been rubbish. So my question is, what can we do about this? And I made some little papers with words on it. It's called Dogme 95!"

He threw a handful of red flyers into the air and read: "Dogme 95 is a collective of film directors founded in Copenhagen in spring 1995.

Dogme 95 has the expressed goal of countering 'certain tendencies' in cinema today. Dogme 95 is a rescue action!"

Cutting the pretence THE TENDENCIES von Tri-

Hard to believe it was 25 years since Lars von Trier (opposite) spawned the likes of ‘The Celebration’ (above) and ‘The Idiots’ (opposite below)

er and movement co-founder Thomas Vinterberg wished to avoid were laid out in their 10-point manifesto and the accompanying “Vows of Chastity”.

THE FILMS: Of the 35 Dogme 95 films registered by 2005, 10 were Danish: Dogme #1 The Celebration, Thomas Vinterberg, 1998 Dogme #2 The Idiots, Lars von Trier, 1998 Dogme #3 Mifune, Søren Kragh-Jacobsen, 1999 Dogme #4 The King Is Alive, Kristian Levring, 2000 Dogme #12 Italian for Beginners, Lone Scherfig, 2000 Dogme #18 Truly Human, Åke Sandgren, 2001 Dogme #21 Kira’s Reason – A Love Story, Ole Christian Madsen, 2001 Dogme #28 Open Hearts, Susanne Bier, 2002 Dogme #32 Old, New, Borrowed and Blue, Natasha Arthy, 2003 Dogme #34 In Your Hands, Annette K Olesen, 2004

The primary tenets of the movement were that filming must be done on location, with no sets and with whatever props were at hand. The camera must be hand-held and the film must be in colour. Additional lighting was forbidden. Sound and music must be diegetic and without alterations in post-production.

These rules were intentionally restrictive in nature – an ascetic return to unpretentiousness.

Dogme 95 was an attempt to purge filmmaking of the lazy habits of the big-budget Hollywood machine and liberate directors by constraining the technical apparatus. It was

about recovering the joy of making films and capturing the important details in scenes using simple means and pure acting.

needed to prove that to make a compelling film, all you need is a cheap camera and a group of like-minded cast and crew.

Camera, cast, crew THERE were also unlisted defining features of a Dogme 95 film.

Not so much unspoken rules as unintended commonalities: the films favoured ensembles, pitch-black humour, and an uncomfortably raw chaotic energy.

And yet ultimately, despite all its confining and constricting regulations, Dogme 95 bred chaos.

Screaming matches, the exploration of taboos, destructive secrets – the authentic human drama

Started with a party VINTERBERG'S ‘The Celebration’ (‘Festen’), a powerful 1998 film about a family reunion that goes skin-crawlingly wrong, was Dogme #1, appearing just ahead of Von Trier’s ‘The Idiots’, in which a group of young, well-educated people opt out of society in order to challenge the established order and social standards. They practise idiocy and later venture out into the streets to practise their newly-acquired skills.

HISTORY

11 December 2020 - 14 January 2021

Look at my small penis!

WHILE the movement, and in particular ‘The Idiots’, angered some in the industry – British film critic Mark Kermode was ejected from a screening of Von Trier’s film for shouting "Il est merde! Il est merde!" from the back of the auditorium – Dogme was for many the most exciting thing to hit the silver

screen since the French New Wave.

Dogme's greatest effect here in Denmark may have been psychological rather than ideological. For years, Denmark had seen itself as an inconsequential backwater, and ambition had dwindled accordingly. Danes who thought big were often cut down by their peers, thanks largely to the Nordic cultural concept of Jante law, which discourages attention-seeking.

The success of Dogme showed that Denmark could be a cultural force. "It's the same thing as a guy with a small penis who wants a huge motorbike," Vinterberg told Variety. "When you're a small country, you have to yell to get heard.”

Pranky provocateur?

VON TRIER and Vinterberg eventually abandoned their project, ironically concerned it

had itself become too generic, but for several years it remained a cornerstone of the European arthouse scene.

Twenty-five years on, there is still debate as to whether the Dogme 95 movement was inspired by the prankishness of a known provocateur or by a genuine desire to create a visionary movement that attempted to distinguish between cinema as art and entertainment.

What is clear is that THE VOWS OF CHASTITY: the influence Von Trier has consequently had “I swear to submit to the following set of rules drawn up and confirmed

by DOGME 95: on cinema is undeni1. Shooting must be done on location. Props and sets must not be able, and regardless of brought in (if a prop is necessary to the story, a location must what flaws it may have be chosen where the prop is to be found). had, Dogme 95 certain2. The sound must never be produced apart from the image, or ly must be credited for vice versa (music must not be used unless it occurs where the influencing Von Trier’s scene is being shot). creative trajectory.

3. The camera must be hand-held. Any movement or immobility He remains an enigattainable in the hand is permitted (the film must not take ma, a true visionary place where the camera is standing; shooting must take place and most certainly an where the film takes place). idiot.

4. The film must be in colour. Special lighting is not acceptable (If there is too little light for exposure, the scene must occur, or a single lamp may be attached to the camera).

5. Optical work and filters are forbidden.

6. The film must not contain superficial action (murders, weapons etc must not occur).

7. Temporal and geographical alienation is forbidden (that is to say the film must take place in the here and now).

8. Genre movies are not acceptable.

9. The film must be Academy 35mm.

10. The director must not be credited.

Furthermore I swear as a director to refrain from personal taste! I am no longer an artist. I swear to refrain from creating a ‘work’, as I regard the instant as more important than the whole. My supreme goal is to force the truth out of my characters and settings. I swear to do so by all the means available and at the cost of any good taste and any aesthetic considerations.

Thus I make my VOW OF CHASTITY." Copenhagen, Monday 13 March 1995

SIEBBI

Vinterberg and Von Trier were soon joined by fellow Danish directors Søren Kragh-Jacobsen and Kristian Levring, forming the Dogme 95 Collective or the Dogme Brethren. Their offerings to the film series followed suit in the form of Mifune (1999) and The King is Alive (2000) respectively.

Other non-Danish films of note in the series included ‘Lovers’, directed by Jean-Marc Barr, and ‘Julien Donkey-Boy’, from Harmony Korine.

21

22 ON SCREENS Pinocchio’s saved Christmas ... no, that is not my dick THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

11 December 2020 - 14 January 2021

BEN HAMILTON

D

ISNEY films had a mythical status growing up thanks to the cynical re-release strategy. Even Halley’s Comet, which buzzed by when I was 13, was more frequent. I contest the irrefutable evidence that Mumsy took me to see Snow White when I was ten (Google says so, but it must be a North American re-release), but remember well how my older brothers were clearly well versed in the likes of Pinocchio (Not Released Worldwide; at cinemas Dec 25) and other classics that I would never see until I got Chinese pirated copies years later.

The version of Pinocchio that put me off the woody little bastard runt for life was a BBC series released in 1978 – memories of which have haunted me ever since. The Daily Motion website tells me it is “macabre” and made by legendary Doctor Who producer Barry Letts.

Cue Michael Caine at his most throaty: I was only five years old.

Cannonball ball runs SO, I’LL be giving the Roberto Begnini version a wide berth this Christmas, and cinema in general, thanks to sparse offerings that make Bob Scratchit’s annual offering look like Harry Potter’s gluttonous chums have just won the Hobnobs Cup. Even worse, The Cannonball Run (28; Jan 1) is this country’s only New Year’s Day movie, while almost all the other festive releases are deja vu fodder: from the frequently postponed Wonder Woman 1984 (NRW; Dec 17) and Promising Young Woman (74; Jan 7), to oldies like Bong Joon-ho’s 2005 classic Memories of Murder (82; Dec 17).

The only film I’m genuinely interested in seeing at the cinema is the French-language effort Persian Lessons (NRW; Jan 7).

Directed by Vadim Perelman (House of Sand and Fog), it’s a

The IKEA instructions forgot to include how you can make this woody runt bastard likeable

Holocaust survival story-line laced in black humour that is reminiscent of Agnieszka Holland’s superb Europa Europa.

Boiled down, the protagonist survives the death camp because he is giving the kommandant lessons in Farsi – a language he’s completely clueless about.

Also promising are Sound of Metal (82; Dec 10 – also available via Amazon Prime) and The Midnight Sky (NRW; Dec 10 – on Netflix from Dec 23).

The former stars Riz Ahmed as a drummer who loses his hearing, and there is some Oscar buzz (or should that be tinnitus) regarding his performance. The latter brings us George Clooney in an apocalyptic tale about a radar controller who must brave the wilds of the Arctic to warn returning astronauts that humanity’s done its best to destroy itself.

The same could be said of the rest of the round-up. Honest Thief (46; Dec 3) is another thriller starring Liam ‘I’ve cornered this market by threatening

to kill all my peers’ Neeson; The War with Grandpa (34; Dec 17) is another sacrilegious waste of talent, not least because Gramps (Robert DeNiro) is joined by Deerhunter co-star Christopher Walken (we blame Joe Pesci for starring in Home Alone); Infamous (NRW; Jan 7) is a modern but hackneyed retelling of the Bonnie and Clyde story starring Bella Thorne; while Mortal Kombat (NRW; Jan 14) is a title that has already spawned so much disappointment, you wonder when they’ll get the message that nobody cares.

Bottoms up, Chadwick THE SAME could be said of all the festive films recently released on Netflix, but fortunately this month they’re giving us some proper reasons to look forward to Christmas. As well as Mank (80; Dec 4) and The Midnight Sky, we’ve got the musically-inclined The Prom (55; Dec 11) and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (88; Dec 18).

In Ma Rainey, we have the

frontrunners in the main Oscar acting categories: Viola Davis as the title character and the late Chadwick Boseman as the antagonist in what looks to be a superbly realised 1920s creation. It’s particularly poignant as this was Boseman’s last ever performance, and critics have fallen over one another in a bid to read more into his final lines.

The Prom is a cheesier affair, albeit with ‘A list’ duo Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman, and James Corden, along for the ride, but you’d be better advised choosing the other Streep option, Let them all talk (72; Dec 10 on HBO Nordic), a Steven Soderbergh movie that is mostly improvised.

Walt’s back, kind of SERIES-WISE, HBO Nordic has more clout than Netflix this month, with the thriller miniseries Your Honor (Dec 7), starring Brian Cranston in another frantic role, looking like a safe bet to warm up your winter evenings, while Euphoria (S2; Dec 7) has heat of a

different kind.

The equally saucy Normal People (82; Dec 16), Raised

by Wolves (64; Dec 27) and The New Pope (S3; Dec 10) have been doing the rounds for a while, which is apt as The Stand (Dec 17), yet another Stephen King adaptation, will make you dizzy if the trailer is anything to go by.

Over on CMore, the miniseries Quiz (75; Dec 7) with Matthew Macfadyen spot on as the coughing major who cheated on Who Wants to be a Millionaire, is a riot, femme fatale fare Reprisal (53; Dec 1) badly needs to call a friend, and romcom slog The Baker and the Beauty (Jan 5) won’t be asking much of its audience.

This all leaves us with the 50-50 looking British period drama Bridgerton (Dec 25 on Netflix), and if you can look past the absurdly diverse cast, it might even make you forget the shoddy excuse for a Christmas the movie industry is doing its best to exacerbate.

ENGLISH JOB DENMARK Recruitment Announcements Part of The Welcome Group TECHNICAL TESTER, DSB

Would you like to help ensure that DSB’s IT systems and apps run as conveniently and securely as possible?

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Location: Ballerup Deadline: 5 January 2020 Contact: Pia Holm Olesen, HR-Manager, +45 45 26 50 50

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As we continue our growth in the Nordic region, we are now looking for a both commercial and technical minded colleague to take charge of our larger Nordic customers.

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ENGLISH JOB DENMARK

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We are looking for a candidate with years of hands-on experience of both programming and project management of technical software projects.

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HEAD OF DIGITAL SOLUTIONS & PLATFORMS, GLOBAL MARKETING, SITEIMPROVE

You will head up the team responsible for developing and optimizing our digital marketing platforms and ‘stack’ to drive forward our business in a scalable way.

Location: Copenhagen Deadline: When filled Contact: Katrine Rav Hallas, HR Partner, krh@siteimprove.com

INTERNATIONAL FINANCE GRADUATE, NOVOZYMES

We seek highly motivated colleagues who dare to lead, challenge conventions, and have the potential to become a future finance leader or specialist in Novozymes.

Location: Bagsvaerd Deadline: 31 January 2020 Contact: Julie Hvam Ahlgreen, Program Manager, +45 30 77 29 48

AREA SALES MANAGER - DAIRY EVAP. & POWDERS, GEA

Your role will be highly independent as you will be coordinating all project activities and function as the single point of project contact for the customer as well as GEA colleagues supporting you – from clarification of needs and all the way to a signed contract.

Location: Søborg Deadline: 4 January 2020 Contact: Martin Skanderby, Sales Group Manager, Dairy Powders & Nutritional Formula, Global & EMEA, +45 30 63 09 48

IB BUSINESS MANAGEMENT TEACHER, INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF HELLERUP

The role will be to implement the DP programme, develop curriculum, and teach the objectives of the subjects.

Location: Hellerup Deadline: 4 January 2020 Contact: Evis Qeska, IB Diploma Programme Coordinator, eqeska@ish.dk

RESEARCH SCIENTIST – IMMUNOLOGY, LUNDBECK

We are looking for a talented and ambitious drug discovery research scientist with experience in immunology and immune cell signaling to join our efforts in developing and inventing novel drugs against migraine and neurodegenerative and other debilitating disorders.

Location: Valby Deadline: 10 January 2020 Contact: Ib Vestergaard Klewe, Director, ibve@lundbeck.com

CUSTOMER ONBOARDING SPECIALIST, CLERK.IO

You are responsible for successfully onboarding all customers who have signed a contract, customers in trial, and re-onboarding of customers that buy additional products.

Location: Copenhagen Deadline: When filled Contact: clerkio.teamtailor.com/jobs

NEWLY LAUNCHED - ENGLISH JOB DENMARK CLUB Gain free access to articles, webinars, Live Q&A with a recruiter & much more for the price of a few coffees a month! Register today and you will have access to over 500DKK worth of webinars each month! Let us help you take a huge leap forward in your job search Contact us for more information: info@the-welcomegroup.com

Working together with internationals and companies to better understand the needs of one another.

The Welcome Group has created this page and provides additional services, including an online community supporting employment for internationals on Facebook.

BIRKERØD GYMNASIUM HF, IB & B oarding School

Study IB at a truly international school a stone’s throw from Copenhagen VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE Thursday the 21st of January 2021 We look forward to seeing you!

Birkerød Gymnasium, HF, IB & Boarding School has been an IB World School since 1991, offering Pre-IB and the upper secondary IB Diploma Programme.

A vibrant environment of more than 60 nationalities gives the school a unique international atmosphere in which not only English and Danish are spoken, but also a number of other languages. IB at Birkerød Gymnasium is a unique chance to experience both the international atmosphere of the IB programmes as well as the atmosphere of a Danish national school.

To learn more about IB at Birkerød Gymnasium visit www.birke-gym.dk