
Photo: Emil Monty Freddie
Jakob Weis is one of Denmark’s most prominent and versatile writers, with a passion for exploring both different genres and mediums for storytelling.
Weis has a background as a prolific and awarded playwright with more than 30 plays to his credit since his debut in 1993. He is the only writer to have won three Reumert Awards, Denmarks biggest award for the performing arts, in the category ‘Best Dramatist’. Weis has also received the prestigious Danish Dramatics’ Honorary Award.
In 2016 Weis turned his attention to writing for film and TV series, and 2018 saw the premiere of his first feature film That Time of Year for which he was awarded ‘Best Screenplay’ at the Bodil Awards, and nominated for ‘Best Original Screenplay’ at the Robert Awards.
2019 marked the release of the acclaimed TV series Face to Face (Forhøret) of which Weis is co-creator and head-writer. Lauded by critics, Face to Face received numerous nominations at the Robert Awards and became Viaplay’s most watched original production in 2019-2020. In 2022, a British remake of the series titled Suspect aired on Channel 4 in the UK.
His latest feature film, the star-studded dramedy Fathers & Mothers (Fædre & mødre), premiered in November 2022 and had the best opening weekend of the year for a Danish film. Tove’s Room (Toves værelse), a character drama based on Weis’ play about author Tove Ditlevsen, was released in June 2023 to outstanding reviews.
Weis currently has several projects in the making. He is writer of the sixth Department Q film Boundless (Den Grænseløse), set to premiere in February 2024, and of The Lioness (Løvinden), the upcoming biopic of Out Of Africa author Karen Blixen. Based on Tom Buk-Swienty’s recently published biography about Blixen’s life, the highly anticipated film is set to be directed by May el-Toukhy.
Haugesund Norwegian International Film Festival (Publikumsprisen) Norway – Toves værelse Tove's room | 2023 |
Robert Award Nominee (Best Short-Format TV Series) Denmark – Forhøret Face to Face | 2020 |
Bodil Award (Best Screenplay) Denmark – Den tid på året That Time of Year | 2019 |
Robert Award Nominee (Best Original Screenplay) Denmark – Den tid på året That Time of Year | 2019 |
Danish Dramatics' Honorary Award Denmark | 2018 |
Reumert Prize (Best Dramatist) Denmark | 2017 |
Reumert Prize Nominee (Best Dramatist) Denmark | 2014 |
Reumert Prize (Best Dramatist) Denmark | 2011 |
Reumert Prize (Best Dramatist) Denmark | 2007 |
Reumert Prize Nominee (Best Dramatist) Denmark | 2002 |
Tove’s Room (Toves værelse), a character drama written by Jakob Weis and directed by Martin Zandvliet, will premiere in Danish theatres June 22 and has already received outstanding reviews. Tove’s Room is based on Weis’ acclaimed play about author Tove Ditlevsen, and stars Paprika Steen, Lars Brygmann and Joachim Fjelstrup.
The film is set in 1963. A women’s liberation movement is underway. In a flat in Copenhagen, we meet one of the biggest female writers, Tove Ditlevsen, and her husband, the sadistic news editor in chief, Victor Andreasen. Tove’s talent is indisputable, only her husband’s destructive envy surpasses it. Their power struggle needs an audience, and on this very day they’re expecting a lunch guest, the promising young author Klaus Rifbjerg, who celebrates the modern woman. Klaus believes they’ll be talking about literature – what he doesn’t know is that a blood bath awaits him.
Jakob Weis is one of Denmark’s most prominent and versatile writers, with a passion for exploring both different genres and mediums for storytelling.
Weis has a background as a prolific and awarded playwright with more than 30 plays to his credit since his debut in 1993. He is the only writer to have won three Reumert Awards, Denmarks biggest award for the performing arts, in the category ‘Best Dramatist’. Weis has also received the prestigious Danish Dramatics’ Honorary Award.
In 2016 Weis turned his attention to writing for film and TV series, and 2018 saw the premiere of his first feature film That Time of Year for which he was awarded ‘Best Screenplay’ at the Bodil Awards, and nominated for ‘Best Original Screenplay’ at the Robert Awards.
2019 marked the release of the acclaimed TV series Face to Face (Forhøret) of which Weis is co-creator and head-writer. Lauded by critics, Face to Face received numerous nominations at the Robert Awards and became Viaplay’s most watched original production in 2019-2020. In 2022, a British remake of the series titled Suspect aired on Channel 4 in the UK.
His latest feature film, the star-studded dramedy Fathers & Mothers (Fædre & mødre), premiered in November 2022 and had the best opening weekend of the year for a Danish film.
Weis currently has several projects in the making. Tove’s Room (Toves værelse), a character drama based on Weis’ play about author Tove Ditlevsen, will be released in June 2023. He is also writer of the sixth Department Q film Boundless (Den Grænseløse), set to premiere in February 2023.
Furthermore, Weis is writer of The Lioness (Løvinden), the upcoming biopic of Out Of Africa author Karen Blixen. Based on Tom Buk-Swienty’s recently published biography about Blixen’s life, the highly anticipated film is set to be directed by May el-Toukhy.