Whether capturing or creating a world, the objects onscreen tell as much of a story as the people within it. Whether sourced or accidental, insert shot or background detail, what prop or piece of set decoration do you find particularly integral to your film? What story does it tell?

When I first started filming at the space lab in Copenhagen, the objects symbolized dreams and positive ambitions; they were the tools used to create the crude inventions forged by the hands of excited young optimists, eager to be part of Peter Madsen’s quest to launch a rocket into space.

The objects then unexpectedly became integral to a brutal murder case. Initially innocuous and exciting, these tools and creations became unbearable to talk about, impossible to touch and surrounded by police tape.

Sundance Responses 2020