Personal details
- Birth Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
- Parents: Ole Scherfig
- Professions: Writer, Director, Producer
Lone Scherfig, straight outta The National Film School of Denmark in '84, has had a seriously wild ride through the film world. Her debut, THE BIRTHDAY TRIP, jumped right into Berlin’s Panorama section, made it to MOMA in New York, and even snagged the Grand Jury Prix in Rouen. Not too shabby for a first go. She kept that momentum rolling with ON OUR OWN, which scooped up honors in Montreal and Amsterdam. But honestly, it was ITALIAN FOR BEGINNERS that really put her on the map—Danish Dogma #5, massive crowd-pleaser, and a total trophy magnet, including the Silver Bear at Berlinale and the FIPRESCI critics’ prize. The thing just kept winning. She didn’t stick to Danish, either. WILBUR WANTS TO KILL HIMSELF marked her first English-language flick and, not to sound like a broken record, but yeah, more awards—France, the US, Japan, you name it. Then came AN EDUCATION, which just blew up at Sundance, landed three Oscar nods, and racked up BAFTA nominations like it was nothing. Since then, Scherfig has been stacking up British projects: ONE DAY, THE RIOT CLUB, THEIR FINEST, all making film fest rounds and pulling in solid buzz (TIFF, Sundance, London gala). Even in 2019, THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS kicked off Berlin’s International Film Festival in competition. And in between? She’s dabbled in TV—TAXA, QUIET WATERS, BETTER TIMES, plus THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB, which she helped shape. The woman does not slow down.
She’s got a husband who’s a psychologist—yeah, talk about awkward dinner conversations, right? You’d think having a shrink around would make life easier, but nope. Actually, it just makes things weirder. Every little argument turns into some kind of therapy session. She snaps, he wants to “unpack her feelings.” Classic. And honestly, it’s not like she doesn’t love him, but sometimes you just want to be mad about the dishes without someone analyzing your childhood. Still, there’s something sweet about it too. He’s always there, quietly listening, picking up on stuff she doesn’t even say out loud. It’s a strange balance—her stubborn streak versus his calm, clinical patience. They clash, they make up, they laugh about how messed up their fights sound to anyone else. But, hey, it works for them, even if it’s not the rom-com fantasy people imagine.
Konidela Ram Charan
Copenhagen, Denmark
Ole Scherfig and Surekha