Copenhagen's most famous squat becomes a battlefield for misfits who'd rather burn it down than sell out.
7.028 minSeason 1 • Episode 5
LatestPolice storm the house with chainsaws, tear gas, and automatic weapons. It seems the fight for the Youth House is lost. But are there really any winners?
Iben and her boyfriend Alex are among the leading figures at the Youth House in Copenhagen; a sanctuary for the city's young people who do not fit in elsewhere. When the Copenhagen Municipality suddenly sells the house to the religious sect, Faderhuset, they and the other young residents come under immense pressure. While Iben tries to draw the attention of politicians and the press, Alex joins a faction of the house that no longer believes in peaceful solutions. "Rebels - Never Surrender" is based on real events leading up to the demolition of the Youth House in 2007, but above all, it is the story of a group of young people who take to the barricades for the right not to conform.
Acting
Thit Aaberg's Iben carries the weight of every failed meeting with politicians.
Direction
Matthiesen captures the claustrophobia of a community eating itself alive.
Production
The actual Ungdomshuset location recreated with documentary-level detail.
Creator
Mads Matthiesen
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The real Ungdomshuset demolition in 2007 sparked riots across Europe; this series arrives 17 years later when Copenhagen's radical spaces have largely been priced out entirely.
Mads Matthiesen (also directed 'Teddy Bear') specifically cast actors with actual activist backgrounds to capture the specific exhaustion of believing in something.
DK
