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Lone Scherfig

Lone Scherfig

Director, writer, producer and actor · Born May 2, 1959 (67) · Søborg, Danmark

BAFTA Award nominee · 3 other major award bodies

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Lone Scherfig (born May 2, 1959) is a Danish film director. She graduated Danish Film School in 1984, and began her career as a director with Kaj's fødselsdag "A Birthday Trip". She made her mark with the Dogme95-film, Italian for Beginners (Italiensk for begyndere, 2000), a romantic comedy which among its many international awards won the Silver Berlin Bear (Jury Prize) at the 2001 Berlin International Film Festival. It is credited as the most profitable Scandinavian film to date. Most recently she's directed An Education (2009), based on an autobiographical article by British journalist Lynn Barber. The independent film was nominated for three of the 82nd Academy Awards.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 2, 1959 (67)
From
Søborg, Danmark
Works as
Director, writer, producer and actor
Titles
19 on MovieCove · 31 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 17% in 30 days

What are Lone Scherfig's films like?

Across their 17 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Self.

Genres

Drama8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 64th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 74th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 63rd percentile
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
25%
Self
21%
Bonds
20%
Society
17%
Power
8%
Morality
6%
Ideas
3%
Grief5 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose4 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma3 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 15 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 5 · Dark 6

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 10 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 4 · Charged 8 · Intense 3

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 9 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 1

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 10 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 4 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 2

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 7

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 7 · Open-ended 7 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
9
Melancholic
10
Warm
6
Contemplative
5
Bittersweet
4
Other
15

How their films linger

Bittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet13
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Lone Scherfig's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 19 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Lone Scherfig's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

31 credits, 19 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Insider (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Show 1 episode · as Sig selv

  • The Girl with the Needle(2024)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Bullshit(2024)

    Show 6 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows

  • The Movie Teller(2023)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Dag & Nacht (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Show 16 episodes · Executive Producer · Original Series Creator

  • The Shift(2022)

    Show 16 episodes · Director · Creator · Executive Producer · Idea · Script · Writer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Idioterne der startede Festen(2020)

    as Sig selv

  • The Day We Died(2020)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • The Kindness of Strangers(2019)

    Director · Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Backstabbing for Beginners(2018)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Their Finest(2016)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • A Serious Game(2016)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Astronaut Wives Club(2015)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all shows

  • Ulla Terkelsen i Italien (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Show 1 episode · as Sig selv

  • The Riot Club(2014)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • One Day(2011)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Donkeys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Characters

  • An Education(2009)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Just Like Home(2007)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Red Road(2006)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Jeg er bare den logerende (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Director · Writer

  • Better Times(2004)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all shows

  • Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself(2002)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Italian for Beginners(2000)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Morten Korch - Ved stillebækken (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 26 episodes · Director · Writer

  • On Our Own (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Director · Writer

  • Taxa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Show 2 episodes · Director · Writer

  • Flemming og Berit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Show Creator

  • The Birthday Trip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Director

  • Den onde cirkel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Director

  • Honeytrap (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Screenplay

Career shape

A full career of 31 titles, 30 of them dated from 1984 to 2025.

Biggest box office

One Day (2011)

$59M worldwide

Highest rated

The Girl with the Needle (2024)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

The Shift (2022)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting3 of 31: 3 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting19 of 31: 9 only directing, 10 with another role · typical Midcredits score71stWriting14 of 31: 3 only writing, 11 with another role · typical Midcredits score74thProducing7 of 31: 4 only producing, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score62ndOther crew2 of 31: 1 only other crew, 1 with another role

31 titles, 11 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 10 of them.

By decade

1980s1 · crew1990s5 · crew2000s7 · crew2010s9 · 1 acting · 8 crew2020s8 · 2 acting · 6 crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

6 major awards from 12 major nominations, 1998–2019.

WinNomination
  1. 2019
    • Berlinale award, nominated · Best Film
  2. 2010
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Director
    • BAFTA Award, nominated
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Independent Spirit Award, won · Best Foreign Film
  3. 2009
    • Sundance award, won · World Cinema - Dramatic
    • Sundance award, nominated · World Cinema - Dramatic
  4. 2001
    • Berlinale award, won ×2 · Competition
    • Berlinale award, won · Jury Prize
    • Berlinale award, won
    • Berlinale award, nominated
  5. 1998
    • Berlinale award, nominated

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Lone Scherfig's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 71st percentile, the median of the 14 of 15 with a score; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 70th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Approval · how many liked their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Reach · how many have seen their films

83rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Midcredits score across 18 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th8
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

15 of their 18 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Crowd Pleaser15
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · director, writer

Just Like Home (2007)

52nd percentile spread · 28% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

The Girl with the Needle (2024)

Midcredits 95th · 83% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 70/100 and the pacing 44/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Lone Scherfig's work okay for kids?

Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity and alcohol & drugs run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles26–73 · median 58 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity8 titles30–70 · median 49 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity6 titles15–62 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs6 titles35–57 · median 44 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense7 titles29–82 · median 42 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Lone Scherfig work with?

People who share at least 2 of Lone Scherfig's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Malene Blenkov shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles