Party Film Sales Shares Exciting Deals for Benedikt Erlingsson’s TV Drama ‘The Danish Woman’ and Discusses First Fiction Campaign Strategy

EXCLUSIVE: The Party Film Sales has announced initial distribution deals for Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson’s six-part drama, The Danish Woman. The series features Trine Dyholm in the lead role as a retired Danish secret service agent who relocates to Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital.

The drama has secured sales in several countries, including France and Germany (ZDF-Arte), Sweden (SVT), Denmark (DR), Finland (YLE), Spain (Filmin), Switzerland (RTS), and Australia (SBS).

The Icelandic state broadcaster RÚV, which supported the project from its development phase, is set to premiere The Danish Woman on January 1. Subsequent episodes will air on Sundays throughout January and into February. RTS plans to follow with its launch at the end of January. ZDF-Arte and SBS will roll out the series in February, while SVT aims for a March debut. DR has scheduled its release for Easter Sunday, April 5, and Filmin is also targeting an April launch. YLE will air the series in June.

The Danish Woman marks Erlingsson’s entry into television, following his acclaimed feature films Of Horses and Men and Woman at War. Of Horses and Men garnered the New Directors prize at the 2013 San Sebastián Film Festival and the 2014 Nordic Council award, while Woman at War premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week, winning the SACD Award and subsequently being picked up for a remake by Jodie Foster.

Produced by Marianne Slot and Carine Leblanc at Paris-based Slot Machine, which also produced Woman at War, the series was developed with a focus on cinematic storytelling. “Slot Machine is an author-driven company, and we produced this series more like a feature film than a TV series,” they stated.

They emphasized the importance of their collaboration with Benedikt Erlingsson, citing a strong partnership during the production of Woman at War. “We wanted to give him the creative space he needed to make The Danish Woman. We therefore developed the series within Slot Machine and got RÚV on board early with development support,” they added.

This is the first time Party Film Sales has undertaken the sales for a significant fiction series, transitioning from a focus primarily on TV documentaries. The team expressed a long-held ambition to expand into TV drama, viewing The Danish Woman as the perfect project to bridge their cinematic and television expertise.

“The series by Benedikt Erlingsson proved to be the ideal project to launch this initiative,” said The Party Film Sales co-heads Estelle De Araujo and Sarah Chazelle. They noted the natural progression stemming from previous successful collaborations, particularly with Jour2Fête during the French release of Woman at War.

Described as a blend of Rambo, Napoleon, and Pippi Long Stocking, Dyholm’s character, Ditte Jensen, is a decorated agent who hopes for a quiet retirement in Reykjavik. However, her plans are soon disrupted as her elite soldier mentality and strong sense of justice resurface.

The Party Film Sales team utilized its film sales experience and festival knowledge to promote the series. “This positioning allows us to launch the series at both television-specific and major film festivals, showcasing high-quality series with strong cinematographic identities,” they explained. The first two episodes premiered at Series Mania in March 2025, participating in the International Panorama competition and benefiting from significant visibility through the Buyers’ Upfront program.

The Danish Woman also screened at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and Thessaloniki International Film Festival. Beyond the agreements already in place, discussions are currently ongoing with potential distributors in Greece, Eastern and Central Europe, as well as aims for North America, the UK, and Italy, where Erlingsson’s works have received acclaim.

With the Icelandic premiere approaching, Slot and Leblanc expressed optimism about the series’ reception. “We believe there is a significant audience eager for innovative storytelling that entertains while offering a thoughtful perspective on today’s world, deeply rooted in local culture," they remarked. “Just like Woman at War, which has captivated audiences across generations and continents.”