Henning Carlsen

Henning Carlsen (4 June 1927 – 30 May 2014) was a Danish film director, screenwriter, and producer most noted for his documentaries and his contributions to the style of cinéma vérité. Carlsen's 1966 social-realistic drama Hunger (Sult) was nominated for the Palme d'Or and won the Bodil Award for Best Danish Film. Carlsen also won the Bodil Award the following year for the comedy People Meet and Sweet Music Fills the Heart. Acting as his own producer since 1960, Carlsen has directed more than 25 films, 19 for which he wrote the screenplay. In 2006, he received the Golden Swan Lifetime Achievement Award at the Copenhagen International Film Festival.

Early life Carlsen was born on 4 June 1927 in Aalborg, Denmark. In 1948, Carlsen became an assistant director at Minerva Film where he received on-the-job training. He worked at Minerva until 1953 when he shifted to Nordisk Film.

Career Carlsen began by writing and directing short documentaries and industry films, and with this background he flourished in the production of the cinéma vérité style. His documentary trilogy, De Gamle (The Elderly – 1961)), Familiebilleder (Family pictures- 1964) and Ung (Youth – 1965), created a classic portrait of 1960s Denmark as the nation revolutionized and transformed into a modern welfare society Especially noted was Carlsen's technique of rhythmic editing in De Gamle which produced a lyrical portrait of retirees without any needed commentary. Carlsen was nominated for the Palme d'Or and won the Bodil Award for Best Danish Film.

The following year, Carlsen changed pace from his realistic dramas and made the comedy People Meet and Sweet Music Fills the Heart (Mennesker mødes og sød musik opstår i hjertet) based on the work of Jens August Schade. Again, he was awarded the Bodil Award for Best Danish Film. During his career, Carlsen has maintained interest in popular comedies with such films as Oh, to Be on the Bandwagon! (Man sku være noget ved musikken), in collaboration with Benny Andersen, and I Wonder Who's Kissing You Now?. In 1967, Carlsen returned to the same format of social realism he used in Sult with the drama We are All Demons (Klaubauterman), a story based upon a novel by Axel Sandemose.

In 1986, Carlsen filmed the international production Wolf at the Door starring Donald Sutherland. During his career, Carlsen has written 19 films and directed 21. He has also directed for both theater and television. Since 1966, Carlsen has been a teacher and member of the advisory council for the National Film School in Denmark. In 2006, Carlsen was the recipient of the Golden Swan Lifetime Achievement Award at the Copenhagen Film Festival. He also released his film, Memoria de Mis Putas Tristes (Memories of My Melancholy Whores), adapted from the 2004 novel by Gabriel García Márquez.

Books Carlsen has written two books. The first, Mit livs fortrængninger (English: My Life's Forgettings), is an autobiography published in 1998 in Danish. Flyvske billeder (English: Images in Flight) is a history of the realisation of film and flight from the perspective of human development.

Personal life Henning Carlsen was married the first time to Hjørdis Wirth Jensen. In 1975 he married a second time with film consultant Else Heidary. He died at the age of 86 on 30 May 2014.

Filmography Year Original Title English Title Notes 2012 Memoria de mis putas tristes Memories of My Melancholy Whores 2005 Springet Springet 1998 I Wonder Who's Kissing You Now I Wonder Who's Kissing You Now 1995 Pan Two Green Feathers 1986 Oviri The Wolf at the Door 1982 Pengene eller livet Your Money or Your Life 1978 Hør, var der ikke en som lo? Did Somebody Laugh? 1975 Da Svante forsvandt When Svante Disappeared 1975 En Lykkelig skilsmisse A Happy Divorce 1972 Man sku være noget ved musikken Oh, to Be on the Bandwagon! Entered into the 22nd Berlin International Film Festival 1971 Er i bange? Are You Afraid? 1969 Klabautermannen We Are All Demons Entered into the 19th Berlin International Film Festival 1967 Mennesker mødes og sød musik opstår i hjertet People Meet and Sweet Music Fills the Heart Bodil Award for Best Danish Film 1966 Sult Hunger Bodil Award for Best Danish Film 1965 Kattorna The Cats 1965 Ung Youth 1964 Familebilleder Family Pictures 1963 Hvad med os? How About Us? 1962 Dilemma A World of Strangers Grand Prize at Mannheim-Heidelberg International Filmfestival 1961 De Gamle The Elderly 1960 Souvenirs from Sweden Souvenirs from Sweden 1959 Et Knudeproblem 1958 Cyklisten The Bicyclist 1950 Civilforsvaret The Civil Defense 1950 Dukkestuen