# We Shall Overcome (film)

Drømmen (Danish "The Dream", English: We Shall Overcome) is a 2006 Danish film based on a true story about a young boy's crusade against a dictatorial headmaster of the "old school", in 1969 Denmark.
The film is directed by Danish screenwriter and film director Niels Arden Oplev and stars Bent Mejding and Anders W. Berthelsen. It won sixteen awards in 2006 and 2007.

## Synopsis

The story opens in the Danish countryside of 1969. Denmark and the rest of the world are changing rapidly but Lindum-Svendsen, the headmaster of the rural school, hasn't noticed.
Frits is a young boy who spends his summer holidays watching the family's first television, and is influenced by the American civil rights movement. The sermons and speeches of Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated in 1968, coupled with his own dreams of a better life, have given Frits courage and a desire for rebellion. The dictatorial Lindum-Svendsen steps over the line while punishing Frits, drawing the ire of youthful new teacher Freddie Svale, which encourages Frits to take up battle against the headmaster.

## Cast

* Bent Mejding as headmaster Lindum-Svendsen
* Janus Dissing Rathke as Frits Johansen
* Anders W. Berthelsen as Freddie Svale
* Jens Jørn Spottag as Peder, Frits' father
* Peter Hesse Overgaard [da; no; sv] as Erling
* Anne-Grethe Bjarup Riis [da; no] as Stine, Frits' mother
* Gyrd Løfqvist as Frits' grandfather
* Elin Reimer as Frits' grandmother
* Steen Stig Lommer [af; da; no; sv] as teacher Olsen
* Kurt Ravn as school doctor
* Peter Schrøder [da; de; no; sv] as sexton
* Sarah Juel Werner as Iben
* Daniel Ørum as Troels
* Lasse Borg as Søren
* Joy-Maria Frederiksen as Iben's mother

## Accolades

The film has won sixteen awards in 2006 and 2007.
| Organization | Category | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Result |
| Berlin International Film Festival | Crystal Bear – Best Feature Film | Niels Arden Oplev | Won |
| Bodil Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Bent Mejding | Won |
| Bodil Awards | Best Actor | Janus Dissing Rathke | Nominated |
| Bodil Awards | Best Film | Niels Arden Oplev | Nominated |
| Bodil Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Jens Jørn Spottag | Nominated |
| Carrousel international du film de Rimouski | Camério – Best Actor | Janus Dissing Rathke | Won |
| Carrousel international du film de Rimouski | Camério – Best Film | Niels Arden Oplev | Won |
| Chicago International Children's Film Festival | Children's Jury Award – Live-Action Feature Film or Video | Niels Arden Oplev | Won |
| Chicago International Children's Film Festival | Adult's Jury Award – Live-Action Feature Film or Video | Niels Arden Oplev | Won 2nd place |
| Cinekid Festival | Cinekid Film Award | Niels Arden Oplev | Won |
| Robert Awards | Best Costume Design | Manon Rasmussen | Won |
| Robert Awards | Best Director | Niels Arden Oplev | Won |
| Robert Awards | Best Editor | Søren B. Ebbe | Won |
| Robert Awards | Best Film | Niels Arden Oplev (director) Sisse Graum Jørgensen (producer) | Won |
| Robert Awards | Best Screenplay, Original | Niels Arden Oplev Steen Bille | Won |
| Robert Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Bent Mejding | Won |
| Robert Awards | Best Actor | Janus Dissing Rathke | Nominated |
| Robert Awards | Best Actress | Anne-Grethe Bjarup Riis | Nominated |
| Robert Awards | Best Cinematography | Lars Vestergaard | Nominated |
| Robert Awards | Best Make-Up | Kirsten Zäschke Suzanne Jansen | Nominated |
| Robert Awards | Best Original Score | Jacob Groth | Nominated |
| Robert Awards | Best Production Design | Søren Skjær | Nominated |
| Robert Awards | Best Sound | Peter Schultz | Nominated |
| Robert Awards | Best Special Effects/Lighting | Morten Jacobsen Hans Peter Ludvigsen | Nominated |
| Robert Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Anders W. Berthelsen | Nominated |
| Robert Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Sarah Juel Werner | Nominated |
| Zlín Film Festival | Audience Award – Best Feature Film | Niels Arden Oplev | Won |
| Zlín Film Festival | Don Quixote Award | Niels Arden Oplev | Won |
| Zlín Film Festival | Golden Slipper – Best Feature Film for Youth | Niels Arden Oplev | Won |