In 1987 , a Danish-Swedish film adaptation directed by Bille August was released . August chose to adapt the novel because it is considered essential reading in Denmark . It starred Pelle Hvenegaard as the young Pelle and Max von Sydow , and won the Palme d'Or at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival , the 1988 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and numerous other awards . In 2017 , HBO Nordic and SAM Productions announced they were producing an eight-hour miniseries '' The Conqueror '' , written by Rasmus Heisterberg and based on Nexø 's '' Apprenticeship '' , '' The Great Struggle '' and '' Daybreak '' .
1988 Cannes Film Festival
1988 Cannes Film Festival
Pelle the Conqueror (novel)