Director Bille August Makes Psychological Pact

Oscar winner Bille August (Pelle The Conqueror) is set to direct The Pact (Pakten), a psychological drama about the special and turbulent relationship between author Karen Blixen and young poet Thorkild Bjørnvig.

Thorkild Bjørnvig first met Karen Blixen in 1948, when he was 30 and she was 63. The special bond that formed between them became a secret pact. Bjørnvig was a young, sensitive and easily influenced poet with a wife and child. Meanwhile, Blixen was a woman ahead of her time – strong, composed and deeply fascinating.

The pact demanded the unconditional commitment of Bjørnvig in return for the mentorship of Blixen. However, this arrangement became complicated, and they promised each other that they wouldn’t utter a word of their pact to the world until one of them had passed away.

Bille August said: “The Pact is a relationship drama, the eternal story of seduction and wanting to be seduced, of the art of manipulation, of guilt and innocence, of a highly unusual friendship between two deeply talented people and a relationship that develops into a fateful bond… A thrilling connection between two of Denmark’s greatest personalities.”

The Pact, written by Christian Torpe based on the autobiography of Thorkild Bjørnvig, is expected to premiere in early 2021.