Celebrated Faroese actress Birita Mohr prepares for the role of a lifetime as she attempts an extraordinary comeback to the theater stage as Shakespeare’s King Lear.

In this moving and deeply personal feature documentary, a family of theater-makers on the tiny archipelago of The Faroe Islands attempts to stage Shakespeare’s King Lear, casting the mother - celebrated theater actress Birita Mohr - who is living with Alzheimer’s in the lead role.

Birita’s son Búi Dam, a theater director, leads the project—a controversial endeavor driven by his belief that, even though his mother can no longer speak, she longs to return to the stage. Directing the play, Búi must grapple with justifying the project’s premise, while his father, a retired theater director, tries to balance caregiving with his own well-being.

As this remarkable drama unfolds, Birita’s joyful presence brings a surprising lightness to the process, leaving a profound impact on everyone involved.

The day my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, she bought a sign to hang over her door that read: “Don’t Take Life Too Seriously—Nobody Gets Out of It Alive Anyway.” I think this quote from Elbert Hubbard perfectly captures her life philosophy.

Throughout her struggle with Alzheimer’s, she has remained happy and joyful — always ready for a song, a dance, or a laugh. This has inspired those of us around her to be more present, to love each other more deeply, and to live fuller lives.

There are many films about Alzheimer’s disease, and very few that are joyful, celebratory or life-affirming. I hope this is one of them.

FILMMAKER BÚI DAM

Meet the Team

Búi Dam

DIRECTOR
Bú Dam is a director, actor, and musician born who grew up in the Faroe Islands in a family of artists. He studied theater directing at the Danish National School of Performing Arts, acting at the London School of Dramatic Art, and music at FÍH in Iceland. He was mentored by Indian poet and playwright H. S. Shivaprakash and American jazz saxophonist John Purcell. He began his career as a jazz guitarist and composer, performing with renowned singer Eivør as well as other local musicians. Under the name BUDAM, he released two studio albums and toured extensively throughout Europe. He also composed music for several theater productions. He later transitioned fully into theater and film; acting, writing and directing. Dam’s work has earned him several awards, including Best Short Film at The Geytin Film Awards (2020), Best Actor at the Winter Film Awards in New York (2021), and the prestigious M. A. Jacobsen Award for his play Castle of Joy (2022).
BIRITA is his first feature film.
Birita Mohr

ACTOR
BIRITA MOHR is a Faroese actress. She studied theater at Leiklistarskóli Íslands in Reykjavík, Iceland. She was a leading figure in Faroese theater for more than three decades, performing memorable roles in productions such as Antigone, The Crucible, The Prostitutes Will Precede You into the Kingdom of Heaven, The Lost Musicians, The Vagina Monologues, The Cherry Orchard, and many others. Her film credits include ATLANTIC RHAPSODY and BYE BYE BLUEBIRD, both directed by Katrin Ottarsdóttir. As an actor, Birita was known for her physically intense performances and her distinctive, sensual voice. Beyond the stage and screen, she was also an outspoken activist, advocating for women’s and LGBTQ+ rights in a small fishing society where patriarchal and Christian conservative values have long been widespread.
In 2023, Birita was awarded the prestigious Cultural Honorary Award by the Faroese government for her role in King Lear and her lifelong contribution to Faroese theater.
Ricardo Acosta

EDITOR
Ricardo Acosta is a film editor, script consultant and member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Canadian Cinema Editors. Acosta moved to Canada from his native Cuba where he studied and worked at the world-renowned Cuban Film Institute (ICAIC). He has been an Alumni and Adviser of the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Editing Lab, and the Music Composition and Sound Design Lab. A few of his editing and story consulting credits include: Once Upon a Time in Venezuela (2020), The letter (2019), The Silence of Others(2018), winner of GOYA, ALMA, and the Berlinale Panorama Documentary Audience Award, Sembene! (2015), and Marmato (2014). His films have premiered at Sundance, Cannes, and IDFA, among other world film festivals. He is an Emmy winner and nominee for the Canadian Industry Genie and Gemini Awards, Canadian Film Editors Association Awards and Canadian Screen Awards.
Franklin Symphor Henriksen

CINEMATOGRAPHER
Franklin Symphor Henriksen studied a one year course in filmmaking at ‘København’s Film- og Fotoskole’ in Copenhagen, Denmark and started working as camera and lighting assistant in the Danish film industry. Later on Franklin went to Poland to study a 5 year Master of Art in Cinematography in Polish National Film School in Lodz, finishing his Masters degree in 2021. Franklin works as cinematographer and creative producer with base in Denmark and Faroe Islands in his own production company Symphor Film.
Member of association of Danish Cinematographers.
Bill Frisell

COMPOSER
Bill Frisell’s career as a guitarist and composer has spanned more than 45 years and many celebrated recordings, whose catalog has been cited by Downbeat as “the best recorded output of the decade”. Recognized as one of America’s 21 most vital and productive performing artists, Frisell was named an inaugural Doris Duke Artist in 2012. He is also a recipient of grants from United States Artists and Meet the Composer, among others. From 2013 – 2015, Bill was Resident Artistic Director for Jazz at Lincoln Center for their Roots of Americana series, and in 2016, he was a beneficiary of the first FreshGrass Composition commission to preserve and support innovative grassroots music. Upon San Francisco Jazz opening their doors in 2013, he served as one of their Resident Artistic Directors. Bill is also the subject of a documentary film by director Emma Franz, entitled Bill Frisell: A Portrait, which examines his creative process in depth. He has also received an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music.
Tom Ryan

SUPERVISING SOUND EDITOR AND RECORDING MIXER
Tom Ryan is a multiple Emmy MPSE and CAS nominated New York City based supervising sound editor, re-recording mixer, and sound designer who has nearly 400 film and television credits in his nearly 20 years of work. Recent film projects include Mean Girls the Musical (Paramount), Which Brings Me To You, The Luckiest Girl Alive, In The Heights I’m Thinking of Ending Things(Charlie Kauffman) Relay by Academy Award nominated Director David Mackenzie and Shotgun Wedding(Amazon). His work on the horror film Hereditary won multiple awards. Selected TV works include Emily in Paris (Netflix), Kindred (Hulu), For Life (ABC), Modern Love (Amazon) and Russian Doll (Netflix). Tom is an active member of the Motion Picture Editors Guild as well as a member of MPSEption goes here
Stewart Griffin

COLORIST
Over the last 15 years, Stewart has graded hundreds of film and television projects, including the Oscar winning narrative short – The Neighbors’ Window (2019). Recent work includes: Once Upon a Time in Harlem, Threshold, Number One on the Call Sheet, Ask E. Jean, We Can Be Heroes, God Save Texas, El Equipo and The Quilters. He always feels privileged to apply his craft to creative and progressive stories about under-represented or misunderstood subjects. It has been his great pleasure to collaborate with so many fearless artists who refuse to stop giving a shit. He remains endlessly fascinated by the transformative process of finishing a project…
Jón Hammer

PRODUCER
A graduate of Goldsmiths, University of London, Jón Hammer began his film career in 2012 at Zentropa in Copenhagen, where he honed his storytelling instincts and production skills. In 2017, he founded the Faroese production company Kykmyndir, which later became Outlier Projects, a natural next step in his ambition to tell bold, internationally resonant stories. A pioneer in the Faroese industry, Jón produced the first-ever Faroese TV series TROM (2022) and the award-winning The Last Paradise on Earth (2025), the first Faroese film to be nominated for and win the Nordic Council Film Prize. He has built a strong international network through programs including Berlinale Talents, Rotterdam Lab, Cannes L’Atelier, and the EAVE Producers Workshop (2019). In 2025, he completed the exclusive Inside Pictures programme, strengthening his connections in the UK and US markets. Alongside his own projects, Jón also works production manager on major international productions filmed in the Faroe Islands and Denmark, including The BFG, No Time to Die, and Peter Pan & Wendy.
Mark Steel

PRODUCER
Mark is an industry catalyst steering many projects from production through the long tail of finishing, sales, distribution, and delivery. As an early-stage executive and organizational leader at Werc Werk Works, Mark co-produced Lawrence Kasdan's "Darling Companion", Jill Sprecher's "Thin Ice", Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman's "HOWL”, and Todd Solondz's "Life During Wartime.” Mark recently produced the Sundance directing award winning "Ricky" (Sundance 2025) and was a founding partner of Post Hub the industry leading post management company. He is a member of the Producers Guild of America and a Trans-Atlantic Partners producing fellow.
Durita Sumberg

PRODUCER
Durita Sumberg Poulsen holds an MA in Dramaturgy and Film & Media and a BA in Dramaturgy from Aarhus University. She works as Producer on the film project BIRITA ( and has since 2022 been Administrative Director, Production Manager and Dramaturg at Det Ferosche Compagnie, where she is responsible for management, production, strategy, finance, communication and international touring.
She has extensive experience in Nordic and international performing arts collaborations, including as Production Manager on a long list of theatre production.
From 2022 to 2024, she was Advisor to the Faroese Film Fund under the Ministry of Culture.
Her background also includes roles as Production Manager at Hålogaland Teater, Project Manager of Yggdrasil Nordic Theatre Network, Production Manager and Dramaturg with Acting for Climate, as well as teaching and PR work.