Only in the nightmares of ‘Vild med Dans’ contestants do Latin American world dance champions and sleepwalking cannibals ever meet – that is until next month’s Tribeca Film Festival where they are central characters in two film entries with Danish roots set to make their North American debuts. 

The documentary ‘Ballroom Dancer’ and the drama ‘Eddie – the Sleepwalking Cannibal’ are two of 107 entries bidding to walk away with a prize at the festival in New York from  April 18-29. 

The festival, co-founded by Robert De Niro and now enjoying its 11th year, had a total of 5,950 film submissions this year alone, and the final selections will represent 32 different countries and what the organisers hope will be the very best in contemporary international filmmaking. 

Entered in the World Documentary Feature Competition, ‘Ballroom Dancer’ was written and directed by Danish pairing Christian Bonke and Andreas Koefoed. The film is a moving, intimate yet tragic love story documenting the successes and failures of Slavik Kryklyvyy, a reigning Latin American world dance champion, both on the dancefloor and in his personal life. The film is Bonke and Koefoed’s feature length directorial debut.

‘Eddie – The Sleepwalking Cannibal’ is a co-production between Denmark’s Fridthjof Film and Canadian director Boris Rodriguez, and has been entered into the crowd-pleasing Cinemania Section of the festival. The main character, a once-famous artist called Lars Olaafsen, played by Danish actor Thure Lindhardt, finds himself inspired by a friend whom he later finds out is a sleepwalking cannibal. 

The Tribeca Film Festival was founded by De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff in 2001 to encourage the economic and cultural revitalisation of lower Manhatten following the 9/11 attacks. 

The last Dane to make a splash at the festival was Karoline Leth, who was a co-producer of the film ‘Defamation’ which won Best Documentary Feature with a special jury mention in 2009.