Election Night

1998 0h 11m DA

👍

7.1

SOLID

⭐

7.5

IMDB

★7.1TMDB · 47★7.5IMDB · 2,399

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

On election night we meet Peter, an idealistic young man, who suddenly discovers he has forgotten to vote. On his way to the polls he encounters a variety of taxi drivers, all racist in their way and Peter has to decide whether to stand up for his convictions or getting to the polls on time. The film won an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Ulrich Thomsen
Peter
Jens Jørn Spottag
Carl
John Martinus
Taxi Driver 2
Ole Thestrup
Taxi Driver 1
Farshad Kholghi
Taxi Driver 3
Hella Joof
Woman
Mikkel Vadsholt
Bartender
Nicolas Bro
Man

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Anders Thomas Jensen
Writers: Anders Thomas Jensen
Languages: Danish
Countries: Denmark

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 11-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Anders Thomas Jensen, shot by Jens Schlosser. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Anders Villadsen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Ulrich Thomsen and Jens Jørn Spottag and John Martinus carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0189179 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 47 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Anders Thomas Jensen directs. Jens Schlosser behind the camera. Anders Villadsen cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Denmark. Dialogue in Danish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 11-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
228 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Anders Thomas Jensen, shot by Jens Schlosser. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Anders Villadsen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Ulrich Thomsen and Jens Jørn Spottag and John Martinus carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0189179 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 47 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jens Schlosser
Editing: Anders Villadsen
Runtime: 11 min · 0h 11m
Status: Released
Original language: DA
IMDB: Election Night (1998)
IMDB rating: 7.5/10 · 2,399 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Awards

Won 1 Oscar. 1 win total

Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Anders Thomas Jensen

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-01-10
★ 6/10
With just twenty minutes left before the polls close, international aide worker “Peter” (Ulrich Thomsen) leaves the scintillating conversation he is having in the pub and tries to get a taxi to the polling station. His first driver makes racist observations about just about everyone so he gets out. With time ticking down he gets a second cab with little improvement. Then a third whose perspective is different, but no less pejorative. Finally, with the rain tipping down he decides to run but can he arrive in time or might he just as well have stayed in the dry? The whole thrust of this is overly contrived, but it still raises the thorny issue of what freedom of speech actually means. The right to speak your mind or the right to be offensive, or both? Where do these boundaries blur, or cross? Do these taxi drivers, or even does “Peter” himself, realise the subliminal impact of their judgmental language on the observer, the listener or perhaps even on an unwitting subject on the wrong end of a frustrated tongue. Worth a watch.

Production companies