In 18th century Denmark, Captain Ludvig Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen) – a proud, ambitious, but impoverished war hero -- sets out to tame a vast, uninhabitable land on which seemingly nothing can grow. He seeks to start farming crops, build a colony in the name of the King, and gain a noble title for himself. This beautiful but forbidding area also happens to be under the rule of the merciless Frederik De Schinkel, a preening nobleman who realizes the threat Kahlen represents to his power. Struggling against the elements and local brigands, Kahlen is joined by a couple who have fled the clutches of the rapacious De Schinkel. As this group of misfits begins to build a small community in this inhospitable place, De Schinkel swears vengeance, and the confrontation between him and Kahlen promises to be as violent and intense as these two men.
The Promised Land was premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, contending for the prestigious Golden Lion. Additionally, it was chosen as the Danish submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the 96th Academy Awards.
Nikolaj Arcel has written a large number of scripts including the adaptation of the first film in the highly acclaimed Millennium trilogy, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009). The film based on the bestselling book by, Stieg Larsson earned him a BAFTA nomination in 2011.
His feature film A Royal Affair, which he both wrote and directed, won the Silver Bear for best script at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2012 and was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language category in 2013.
Since then Arcel has directed, The Dark Tower, and has written several critically acclaimed films, which makes him one of the most sought-after both writers and directors in Scandinavia.