On Monday, June 12, Viaplay premieres a documentary on Denmark’s first female Prime Minister. “Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt” is a political thriller that portrays minister and party leader Helle Thorning-Schmidt – before, during and after her political life. The documentary is in two parts and directed by Nille Westh.
Helle was the first woman to lead the Social Democrats and the first woman to become Prime Minister in Denmark. But how was it for Helle to be under a lot of pressure in the party and in the midst of a media storm, where Danes were fed stories about her being disqualified based on the kind of woman she was?
Titles such as ‘Gucci Helle’, ‘Teflon Queen’, ‘Ice Queen’ and ‘New Year’s Fireworks’ made headlines, and the Danish media helped perpetuate Helle’s image as an unworthy social society. trustworthy and inauthentic. Democrat. These comments are still heard when talking about this former Prime Minister, and it is one of the main reasons why director, Nille Westh, felt it was important to paint a realistic picture of Helle as a politician. .
The challenges are many and everyone has an opinion on it
“What first interested me about Helle Thorning-Schmidt as a politician was how she challenges many people I have met. Everyone has an opinion about her. there are also many, especially among the younger generation, who think it’s great. But there are also many people who have great prejudices and misconceptions about her. Some people believe that she still has them fed up with the media, that she treats her appearance badly, that she never had any political beliefs and that’s why she had nothing interesting to say, that’s all history. Of course, I completely disagree with that. There are many interesting and important things to say here. The history of Helle is an important part of Danish history, both because of the position she occupied, but also her story is a stimulating example of what shapes our collective attitude”, explains director Nille Westh.
It has only been 10 years since Helle left the post of prime minister. A lot has happened since then. The Metoo movement, the fight for equality and women’s rights has taken a leap forward, and Helle is now one of the biggest and most important voices in the debate. The distance from these events and the perspective in the documentary reveal the masculine environment in which this first Danish female Prime Minister had to act and be a role model at the same time. A scenario that seems unthinkable today.
Had to withstand attacks in the political arena
The documentary, based on an extensive collection of documents, describes exactly this scenario and how Helle had to resist both attacks in the political arena, but also herself as a person and at the same time fight for her political mission. We have the opportunity to peek behind closed doors in Christiansborg and hear untold stories about political issues such as the ‘Dark Tower’ government formation talks as well as wider conflicts internal to the Equality Party. We can also observe Helle’s private life through exclusive access to her husband, Stephen Kinnock and their children, Milo and Johanna Kinnock.
Interviews with prominent and well-known political figures and journalists from Danish public life shed light on the political context. The story then intertwines with Helle’s life as it is today, important light is shed on media access to politicians and how the current Prime Minister is based on the Hell’s experience.
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