I grew up with a Christian family in a small town, Nørre Åby, on the Danish island, Funen. We were a part of the alternative church movement, Apostolic Church. Until I was thirteen years old, I attended church every week, but never really felt Jesus’ presence. When I was fifteen, I told my mother, that I did not believe in God. She was sad that I would not join her in heaven. When I finished high school, I traveled a lot in the States for two years and spent half a year in London. Then I moved to Copenhagen to pursue a career within film, and I have been working with film production ever since. The inspiration for my films has always come from my own experiences. My last film, Reception, was about handling confrontation and finding the guts to take a stand for yourself. The inspiration for “Welcome to Paradise” came from my own reality. I have seen people being forced by group mentality of religion to suppress their own ideas and thoughts. I wanted to work with this subject and problem in the film as I believe it is not right. Read less