Kaj Bager (66) slams the ball in the game 'Crolf' - a contraction of the games Crocket and Golf. Every Tuesday and Thursday he meets with the approximately 16 members of the "Uninon of Lone Men". In order to be a member, you have to be a pensioner of some sort and single. But if your wife is very sick, its possible to get dispensation to join.
In a small town like Gram, the voluntary unions are important. It's the way to get things to happen.
Torbjørn Fristed is the main candidate of the Danish People's Party (DF) in Gram this year. To some people's surprise he has added climate change policies to his core policies.
It's his first time running for parliament, but in spite of 2015's excellent results for the party, its not going to be easy for him to get elected. DF has been challenged by a couple of new parties even further to right.
It’s been a long standing tradition for the 9th grade students in Gram to jump into the castle lake after their graduation. After a long deliberation they have decided to switch to the other side, so they could easily hide under the trees if starts to rain
Tue and Lisa are watching a documentary on refugee children. They don't have much sympathy for them. They suspect that most of their statements have been fabricated. They have been distributing flyers in support the local candidate, Torbjørn Fristed, for the right wing party "Danish People's Party"
Pernille Vermund is the leader of a new, far right party in Denmark, expected to gain influence in the area around Gram. She's a controversial figure - welcomed by some, hated by others.
The first political debate is held in Sdr. Vilstrup Assembly House, a little outside Gram. Candidates from 4 parties came to answer questions from the public. The center-right party and the Socialdemocrats are fighting to get back the position as Grams biggest party.
The Nabo family are Yazidi refugees from Syria and came to Denmark three years ago. In Syria Nuzha Nabo (back, left) fought against IS in the female resistance unit YPJ. Like before the war, she now runs a hair dressing salon. But she finds it hard to live in Gram, since they are only Syrians in the town. The refugees she has known in the town have all moved to bigger cities, with easier access to jobs. Her daughter Avrin (right) doesn't feel the same way. She thinks Denmark is easy to integrate into. "I already learned everything. I behave a little different in school, I'm more Danish there and behave like a Danish person. At home, I'm more in my own culture
The corps of voluntary firefighters has gathered to one of the 12 yearly exercises, to hone their skills. Tonights focus is cutting open cars.
Last year was busy for the firefighters. 48 alarms - more than double from last year. Many of them are linked with floods and fires during 2018's extremely warm summer - most likely an outcome of climate change.
Climate policies is beginning to be important to them.
"I think about now. I have never done that before" says captain Lars Damkjær
Downstairs in the living room the adults are still busy conversing each other over the cheese and wine on the table. But the main characters of the evening has retracted upstairs to go through ABBA's discography on the karaoke machine. It's tradition around here to have several "after-confirmations", informal parties for the guests that came to the first confirmation-party.
Bjørn Wiborg is struggling to get the door on his old Fiat to hold itself. It is the day when the incumbent Prime Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, attempted to propose a government across the political middle, in a last ditch attempt to stay in power. Bjørn likes the idea. He's afraid of the new parties on the right wing, that he calls extremist.
There are two bars in Gram, right next to each other. They co-exist without any problems. Most people have picked their favourite and will stay there.
Its the last day of school for 9th grade in the small town Gram. After the students has finished teading their younger schoolmates and teachers, they start making way towards the park with their soundssystems, where they will be partying tonight. Even though the road is short, it takes them a while, since they constantly stop to say hello and share drinks with the other young people in town.
Laust Peter Nielsen has recently moved to Gram. He is originally from Ribe, but has lived in Odense lately. For many years he voted for SF (Socialist People’s Party), last time it was DF (Danish People’s Party), but this time he will be voting for Stram Kurs (new far-right party). “I don’t want him to have power – many of the things that he says are far out. He just needs to stir things up in there”. In the annex next door, his wife Pasook from Thailand is opening a massage parlor
The priest, Johannes Gjesing, came to Gram in 2007 and is seen by many in the town as a substitute for the town's old mayor. He made a name for himself last Christmas when he drove to the neighbouring town Haderslev and dragged their Christmas tree back to Gram. Their local chamber of commerce didn't like the tree because it was ugly and limb. But Johannes didn't think much of that explanation, so he adopted the eight meters tall tree and put it up in his rectory instead.
The stamina comes and goes throughout the day, at the graduation celebration. They have been partying since they left school at 12 pm and its’ getting difficult to see them last until 02 am as they promised they would
Arne Andresen’s daughter has a salon in Sønderborg hvor sitting minister of health Ellen Trane Nørby (Venstre) has her hair done. That’s why she invited herself over for coffee at his house after he publicly criticized the proposed health reform. She didn’t change his mind
Thursday night is dice night at ‘The Café’. Many of the guests keep their own dice cups and nobody ever asks about the rules. The game here is ‘Syver’ (Seven) with the local Gram-rules. If you drive 20 minutes over to the next town, it’s a different set of rules
Four years ago, DF (Danish People’s Party), won a decisive victory and became without a doubt the biggest party in the region. This year, it looks like the mainstream parties has managed to gain back their support
A little outside Gram, the new F-35 planes take off for the first time. Many neighbors of the air base have been if the noise level will be greater than what they are already suffering. But for the ones who showed up today are mostly interested in the spectacle. The most worried ones are sitting at home, trying to tell the difference between the new ones and the old ones
Asbjørn (right) has decided to have his ear pierced tonight - no matter the cost. But when he realised that none of the supermarkets in his small town carried rings, his chances are beginning to look slim. The last hope is ruined when none of the girls at the party will sell him their rings, even though he offers them 30 USD for them.
Young people have been leaving Gram increasingly for the past years. "It's a struggle that we have lost many years ago. What's interesting now, is how we can build an environment that makes people want to move back again. Just like me and Marie did" says Kresten Nedergaard Dreiøe who works in the city planning union, Vision Gram.
