Born in Brede in Denmark in 1948, he attended The Danish Film School from 1971 and subsequently worked as a cinematographer for film and TV. He made his directorial debut in 1978 and has directed films for children and teenagers including "Pelle Erobrereb" which was awarded the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1989. Since making his hugely successful European films "The House of the Spirits" and "Smilla's Sense of Snow", he is acknowledged as one of Scandinavia‘s most significant directors. His film "Goodbye Bafana" screened in competition at the Berlinale in 2007.

Source: 63. Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin (Catalogue)