Unfold

Unfold emerges from the collaborative surrealist method cadavre exquis (equisite corpse), known from the children’s game in which a blank sheet of paper is folded, and participants draw parts of a person. In this artistic game, three filmmakers create a continuous work based on a vision of artistic collaboration across genres and art forms. In Unfold, music is the canvas on which the filmmakers paint. They were each given a third of a piece composed for the project, and asked to cinematically interpret it to create one continuous film, having only seen the last ten seconds of the previous filmmaker’s work. The protagonist begins her journey in an abstract light-world, and moves to a dystopian realm filled with haunting images of outbreak and quarantine, before ending up in an emotional and intense one-take love story that takes a turn for the worse. Unfold challenges conventions and celebrates the transformative power of collaborative storytelling through music and film.

Directed by Nicolai G.H. Johansen, Selma Sunniva, Óskar Kristinn Vignisson, Unfold leans on a strong ensemble — Clara Dessau, Frederikke Dahl Hansen, Xenia Noetzelmann — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about screen titles of 2024.