Edition 24: 1–9 August, 2025

FACT OR FAKE: Truth On Film

Cold Case Hammarskjöld

Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Belgium
2019 — 8' / Color

1

Synopsis

In 1961, United Nations secretary-general Dag Hammarskjöld’s plane mysteriously crashed, leaving no known survivors. It is widely understood that because Hammarskjöld was advocating for Congo’s independence, against the wishes of European mining companies and other powerful entities, the "crash" was an assassination. With the case still unsolved 50-plus years later, Danish journalist, filmmaker and provocateur Mads Brügger leads an investigation to unearth the truth. Brügger, his Swedish private-investigator sidekick Göran Björkdahl and a host of co-conspirators tirelessly pursue a winding trail of clues, but they turn up more mysteries than revelations. Scores of false starts, dead ends and elusive interviews later, they begin to sniff out something more monumental than anything they had initially imagined.

Official Trailer

Director Biography

Mads Brügger is a Danish journalist, television host, author, and filmmaker. He has written several books, worked for magazines and newspapers, produced award-winning radio programs, and hosted the critically acclaimed late-night television show The 11th Hour, as well as the daily news program Deadline. Brügger also created the satirical docuseries Danes for Bush and the feature documentaries The Red Chapel (World Cinema Documentary Jury Prize, 2010 Sundance Film Festival) and The Ambassador (2012 Sundance Film Festival).

Director

Mads Brügger

Producer

Andreas Rocksén

Bjarte M. Tveit

Peter Engel

Cinematographer

Tore Vollan

Editor

Nicolas Nørgaard Staffolani

Sound

Senjan Jansen