Danish Actor-Turned-Director Marijana Janković Finally Goes ‘Home’ as Her Feature Debut Sells to Multiple Territories: ‘It’s Not Just My Story’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Marijana Janković’s personal feature debut “Home” – set to world premiere at IFFR and handled by TrustNordisk – has sold to Bulgaria (Beta Film), the Baltics (Estinfilm OÜ) and Singapore (September Film). 

The trailer debuts here:

Janković, a Danish actress born in Montenegro, previously explored her immigrant family’s story in “Maja,” which won the Best Narrative Short award at Tribeca.

“That’s how everything started. In ‘Maja,’ I played my own mother and it was completely based on my own life. ‘Home’ is only inspired by it. This time, I don’t want to be in the spotlight; I want the film to be in the spotlight because it deserves it,” she told Variety.

In “Home,” six-year-old Maja suddenly moves to Denmark with her parents, while two brothers have to stay behind. Soon, she effectively becomes her parents’ translator. Janković was just as young when her family made a similar decision. 

“I’ve also experienced this, because I learnt Danish in three months. It can be shocking to witness, and I’d never put my own daughter in that situation. But back then, it was necessary. Also, we were a team. It was like football. Every time I helped, it felt like I’d just scored a goal,” said Janković.

Although she’s not exactly traumatized by her childhood, making the film still “felt like therapy.”

“It has been worth all the blood and tears, because I told the story of my generation and of those who came before us. I’m very proud of that.”

As she prepares to host the upcoming Danish Film Awards, Janković reflected on her long career.

“I was one of the first ‘foreign’ actresses in Denmark. Then there’s Dejan Čukić, who actually appears in the film. I used to look up to him, thinking: ‘If Dejan can do it, so can I.’ We’re from the same village in Montenegro. His parents came to Denmark on the same bus as my aunt!”

She added: “I wouldn’t necessarily describe my skin as dark, but it was considered dark in Denmark. I was always cast as the Arabic or Turkish girl. At one point, I stopped accepting these roles. I went: ‘I’m Danish. Give me something else.’”

When she decided to become a director, she had a specific goal. 

“I wanted to change something in the system,” she noted.  

“When people from the Balkans appear in Danish films, they’re usually portrayed as criminals. I got tired of that. My father is not a criminal; he’s an honest man who left his country and abandoned his language in order to provide a better life for his children. Why isn’t anyone talking about that?” 

Janković, who co-wrote the script with Babak Vakili, Bo Hr. Hansen and Emil Nygaard Albertsen, can be seen in one of the supporting roles. 

“At first, I wanted to focus solely on the 1990s, but then I decided to depict what happened to this family and talk about generations,” she said. “I ended up playing ‘myself,’ in a way, and there was something beautiful about it. It gave me a sense of closure.” 

Apart from Čukić, Nada Šargin or Tara Cubrilo, she cast some familiar faces: Jesper Christensen, Zlatko Burić, Claes Bang and Trine Dyrholm.

“Trine is one of my best friends. I told her: ‘You’re the best Scandinavian actress, but I can only offer you this small part.’ They wanted to be there to support me and this story. They felt it was important to tell.” 

Looking ahead, she would like to explore other themes.

“My heart is so full of this film, but I don’t need to talk about my life anymore. What I would like to do is explore the idea of a love story between people from two different cultures: an immigrant woman and a Danish man. I used to date Danes, and then I married a Serbian guy. Why?,” she wondered, clearly still thinking about the themes of identity. 

“During the pandemic, my father was scared. He called me up, saying: ‘If this thing kills me, I don’t want to be buried in Denmark.’ I was shocked, but I also understood. He wanted to go home.” 

“When immigrants decide to leave, there’s a price to pay. You keep on wondering: Where do I belong? Is it where I live or where I want to be buried? This has been changing for me, too.” 

Despite the intimate personal details she shares, she views “Home” as a universal story. She’s not alone in that. “It’s a profoundly moving exploration of identity, belonging, and the sacrifices that define us,” said TrustNordisk’s Nicolai Korsgaard. “With its universal themes and strong international appeal, we’re proud to bring the film to global audiences.”

Janković observed: “I keep saying: ‘It’s not just my story’.” 

“Every foreigner and every immigrant will recognize something here. At Tribeca, a girl stopped me in the street to say the same thing about ‘Maja,’ even though her family was from Chile. That’s my calling, I think: to be honest. That’s why I started directing. I want to tell more stories about immigrants that can bring people together. We can’t be so afraid of each other.”