Rome-based Intramovies has clinched further key sales on the Swedish pic “Paradise is Burning” for which rising talent Mika Gustafson won best director and writer at the 2023 Venice Orizzonti.
The coming-of-age drama was sold to Conic in the U.K. and Ireland, HBO Max for Eastern Europe (TV and VOD rights), Leopardo Filmes in Portugal, Providence/Belas Artes Grupo Brazil, and Mongsang in South Korea.
The story turns on young siblings Laura, Mira and Steffi, who live a totally free and wild life with no parental supervision. When social services intervene, the eldest sister, Laura (Bianca Delbravo-best actress for her role at Lisbon & Estoril Fest), tries to convince the recently befriended Hanna (Ida Engvoll of Netflix’s “Love & Anarchy”) to be the sisters’ stand-in mother.
“The very talented Swedish director Mika Gustafson has brilliantly captured a portrait of adolescence,” commented Mongsang’s CEO Jihyun Min. “Paradise Is Burning...
The coming-of-age drama was sold to Conic in the U.K. and Ireland, HBO Max for Eastern Europe (TV and VOD rights), Leopardo Filmes in Portugal, Providence/Belas Artes Grupo Brazil, and Mongsang in South Korea.
The story turns on young siblings Laura, Mira and Steffi, who live a totally free and wild life with no parental supervision. When social services intervene, the eldest sister, Laura (Bianca Delbravo-best actress for her role at Lisbon & Estoril Fest), tries to convince the recently befriended Hanna (Ida Engvoll of Netflix’s “Love & Anarchy”) to be the sisters’ stand-in mother.
“The very talented Swedish director Mika Gustafson has brilliantly captured a portrait of adolescence,” commented Mongsang’s CEO Jihyun Min. “Paradise Is Burning...
- 5/13/2024
- by Annika Pham
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix has unveiled its roster of Nordic titles, including Jo Nesbø’s Norwegian series “Harry Hole” (working title), a series adaptation of Amanda Romare’s novel “Diary of a Ditched Girl” starring Carla Sehn (“Love & Anarchy”), the female-led “The New Force,” and a film adaptation of Alex Ahndoril’s “The Key Series.”
“Harry Hole” is entirely penned by Nesbø, a bestselling crime novelist best known for “Occupied” and “The Snowman.” Based on Nesbø’s novel “The Devil’s Star,” the series is set in Oslo during the summer and follows police detective Harry Hole who’s just been abandoned by his girlfriend. On his last mission, Hole has to partner with a corrupt cop to investigate the murder of a woman. The series will be directed by Øystein Karlsen (“Exit”)
“Diary of a Ditched Girl,” penned by Tove Eriksen Hillblom (“Solsidan”) and Moa Herngren (“Bonus Family”), stars Sehn as 31-year-old Amanda who,...
“Harry Hole” is entirely penned by Nesbø, a bestselling crime novelist best known for “Occupied” and “The Snowman.” Based on Nesbø’s novel “The Devil’s Star,” the series is set in Oslo during the summer and follows police detective Harry Hole who’s just been abandoned by his girlfriend. On his last mission, Hole has to partner with a corrupt cop to investigate the murder of a woman. The series will be directed by Øystein Karlsen (“Exit”)
“Diary of a Ditched Girl,” penned by Tove Eriksen Hillblom (“Solsidan”) and Moa Herngren (“Bonus Family”), stars Sehn as 31-year-old Amanda who,...
- 3/18/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix is teaming up with Norwegian crime writer Jo Nesbo, whose Harry Hole crime novels have sold tens of millions of copies worldwide and, thanks to an awkward English-language adaptation of Nesbo’s The Snowman in 2017, launched endless online memes.
On Monday Netflix unveiled a new Nordic noir series, Harry Hole (working title), based on Nesbo’s novel The Devil’s Star, the fifth in his Harry Hole series about the obsessive, brilliant but introverted titular homicide detective.
Working Title will produce the Norwegian series, with Øystein Karlsen — whose new Leonard Cohen-inspired drama So Long Marianne premieres at the SeriesMania this week — attached to direct. Working Title produced the English-language version of Nesbo’s The Snowman in 2017. Directed by Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In) and starring Michael Fassbender as Harry Hole, the movie is now best remembered for the many online parodies of its poster, which featured...
On Monday Netflix unveiled a new Nordic noir series, Harry Hole (working title), based on Nesbo’s novel The Devil’s Star, the fifth in his Harry Hole series about the obsessive, brilliant but introverted titular homicide detective.
Working Title will produce the Norwegian series, with Øystein Karlsen — whose new Leonard Cohen-inspired drama So Long Marianne premieres at the SeriesMania this week — attached to direct. Working Title produced the English-language version of Nesbo’s The Snowman in 2017. Directed by Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In) and starring Michael Fassbender as Harry Hole, the movie is now best remembered for the many online parodies of its poster, which featured...
- 3/18/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Prime Video is diving into genre in the Nordics with a new slate of shows, including the Swedish mystery crime series “Blind Spot” starring Ida Engvoll (“Love & Anarchy”) and Pål Sverre Hagen (“Furia”), and Henrik Georgsson (“The Bridge”)’s dystopian thriller “Vaka,” starring Emmy-award nominated Jonas Karlsson and Aliette Opheim.
Based on Anne Holt’s best-selling novel “1222” which revolves around the character of Hanne Wilhelmsen, a sharp and dark-minded police officer. The series, penned by celebrated author Sara Heldt (“Sandhamn Murders”) together with Erik Skjoldberg (“Occupied”), follows Hanne who finds herself sheltered in an isolated mountain hotel after a train crash and starts investigating on mysterious murders even though she’s been temporarily suspended from the police.
“Blind Spot” is co-produced by Amazon MGM Studios and Nordic Drama Queens, in association with Fifth Season which represents the show outside of the Nordic region. Skjoldberg is directing all four episodes of the series.
Based on Anne Holt’s best-selling novel “1222” which revolves around the character of Hanne Wilhelmsen, a sharp and dark-minded police officer. The series, penned by celebrated author Sara Heldt (“Sandhamn Murders”) together with Erik Skjoldberg (“Occupied”), follows Hanne who finds herself sheltered in an isolated mountain hotel after a train crash and starts investigating on mysterious murders even though she’s been temporarily suspended from the police.
“Blind Spot” is co-produced by Amazon MGM Studios and Nordic Drama Queens, in association with Fifth Season which represents the show outside of the Nordic region. Skjoldberg is directing all four episodes of the series.
- 3/14/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
‘Quicksand’s Flx Gets New CEO
Joshua Mehr has been named CEO of Flx, the Swedish producer behind Netflix’s series Quicksand. Pontus Edgren, who part-owns the company alongside founder and Creative Director Felix Herngren and majority shareholder Sf Studios, is stepping down as CEO. According to a press release, Edgren has chosen to leave “on his own initiative” and has been “in dialogue with Flx’s owners for some time to ensure a smooth succession.” Mehr has been with the company as Head of Business Affairs since 2015 and is stepping up to the CEO post with “an extremely good understanding of the industry and Flx in particular,” said Iréne Lindblat, CEO off Sf Studios and Chair of the Flx board. Flx’s behind series such as Sunny Side, Love & Anarchy and Quicksand, feature films such as The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared and Comedy Queen,...
Joshua Mehr has been named CEO of Flx, the Swedish producer behind Netflix’s series Quicksand. Pontus Edgren, who part-owns the company alongside founder and Creative Director Felix Herngren and majority shareholder Sf Studios, is stepping down as CEO. According to a press release, Edgren has chosen to leave “on his own initiative” and has been “in dialogue with Flx’s owners for some time to ensure a smooth succession.” Mehr has been with the company as Head of Business Affairs since 2015 and is stepping up to the CEO post with “an extremely good understanding of the industry and Flx in particular,” said Iréne Lindblat, CEO off Sf Studios and Chair of the Flx board. Flx’s behind series such as Sunny Side, Love & Anarchy and Quicksand, feature films such as The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared and Comedy Queen,...
- 11/13/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Flx (“Quicksand”), the Nordic banner owned by Sf Studios, is set to adapt the bestseller “Shadowland” (“Skuggland”) into a thriller series revolving around bullying.
The show will take place at an exclusive private school in Stockholm and will follow 11-year-old Daniel, who isn’t from a rich family unlike his classmates and is constantly bullied. After a serious incident, the school can no longer turn a blind eye to the harassment. In search for vindication, Daniel’s mother, Vicki, soon sees that even the truth comes with a price. The founder of the school, a billionaire called Gunnar Grentz, rules in the background. But this incident now threatens his position.
”Marcus Dunberg has written a fantastic novel that feels truly relevant and contemporary, especially given the explosion of ultra-high-net-worth individuals Sweden has seen in recent years and the consequences of that development,” said Pontus Edgren, managing partner of Flx.
Elin Kvist,...
The show will take place at an exclusive private school in Stockholm and will follow 11-year-old Daniel, who isn’t from a rich family unlike his classmates and is constantly bullied. After a serious incident, the school can no longer turn a blind eye to the harassment. In search for vindication, Daniel’s mother, Vicki, soon sees that even the truth comes with a price. The founder of the school, a billionaire called Gunnar Grentz, rules in the background. But this incident now threatens his position.
”Marcus Dunberg has written a fantastic novel that feels truly relevant and contemporary, especially given the explosion of ultra-high-net-worth individuals Sweden has seen in recent years and the consequences of that development,” said Pontus Edgren, managing partner of Flx.
Elin Kvist,...
- 5/22/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Prior to becoming an actor, Giancarlo Giannini, who on March 6 will be getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, studied electronic engineering, a skill he’s been known to put to good use even on movie sets.
“I was meant to start working on the first artificial satellites, or on the first computers at Ibm,” the Italian film and theater thesp recalls. But then Giannini enrolled in acting school and soon was given major roles, first by Franco Zeffirelli and then by Lina Wertmüller, with whom he went on to make nine movies that brought them both international fame.
“I owe it to Lina that I will be getting the star. The only other Italian actor who has one is Rudolph Valentino,” he notes.
Before traveling to Los Angeles, Giannini spoke to Variety about his career journey and what he learned from Anna Magnani, Marlon Brando and Marcello Mastroianni.
“I was meant to start working on the first artificial satellites, or on the first computers at Ibm,” the Italian film and theater thesp recalls. But then Giannini enrolled in acting school and soon was given major roles, first by Franco Zeffirelli and then by Lina Wertmüller, with whom he went on to make nine movies that brought them both international fame.
“I owe it to Lina that I will be getting the star. The only other Italian actor who has one is Rudolph Valentino,” he notes.
Before traveling to Los Angeles, Giannini spoke to Variety about his career journey and what he learned from Anna Magnani, Marlon Brando and Marcello Mastroianni.
- 3/2/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Rome-based Intramovies has picked up sales rights to Swedish up-and-coming filmmaker Mika Gustafson’s “Sisters,” ahead of the film’s pitch as a work in progress at Göteborg’s Nordic Film Market, which runs Feb. 2-5.
The film is being produced by Nima Yousefi for Stockholm-based Hobab, behind the multi-awarded “Clara Sola” by Nathalie Álvarez Mesen.
European co-producers on board “Sisters” take in Italy s’ Intramovies, Denmark’s Toolbox Film and Finland’s Tuffi Films.
Intramovies’ head of acquisitions and production Marco Valerio Fusco said “being the Italian co-producers, we loved the project since its inception, and were very excited by the film’s potential, the impressive script and all talents involved.
“For the good of the film, we didn’t put any pre-emption on the title, leaving the door open to any other possible sales agent. Then when Nima offered us to come on board, we immediately accepted,” said...
The film is being produced by Nima Yousefi for Stockholm-based Hobab, behind the multi-awarded “Clara Sola” by Nathalie Álvarez Mesen.
European co-producers on board “Sisters” take in Italy s’ Intramovies, Denmark’s Toolbox Film and Finland’s Tuffi Films.
Intramovies’ head of acquisitions and production Marco Valerio Fusco said “being the Italian co-producers, we loved the project since its inception, and were very excited by the film’s potential, the impressive script and all talents involved.
“For the good of the film, we didn’t put any pre-emption on the title, leaving the door open to any other possible sales agent. Then when Nima offered us to come on board, we immediately accepted,” said...
- 1/19/2023
- by Annika Pham
- Variety Film + TV
“The Woodcutter Story,” a Finnish drama with a surreal touch, has been sold to Australia (Palace Films), Baltics (Estinfilm), Sweden (Njuta), Germany (Eksystent) and France (Urban), Paris-based Totem Films shared exclusively with Variety.
Directed by Mikko Myllylahti, it sees a good man who runs into bad luck: he loses his job and his wife leaves, but Pepe (Jarkko Lahti) is trying to keep his head high. Even when strange things start to happen in his sleepy village.
The film, which premiered in Cannes’ Critics Week, screens Wednesday at the Helsinki Film Festival – Love & Anarchy. It will have its North American premiere at Chicago Film Festival and its U.K. premiere at the London Film Festival.
“It’s a very strange film,” said Myllylahti back in May. Also opening up about a real-life encounter – and real-life woodcutter – that inspired him.
“There was something very Finnish about the way he was dealing with his ordeals: sometimes,...
Directed by Mikko Myllylahti, it sees a good man who runs into bad luck: he loses his job and his wife leaves, but Pepe (Jarkko Lahti) is trying to keep his head high. Even when strange things start to happen in his sleepy village.
The film, which premiered in Cannes’ Critics Week, screens Wednesday at the Helsinki Film Festival – Love & Anarchy. It will have its North American premiere at Chicago Film Festival and its U.K. premiere at the London Film Festival.
“It’s a very strange film,” said Myllylahti back in May. Also opening up about a real-life encounter – and real-life woodcutter – that inspired him.
“There was something very Finnish about the way he was dealing with his ordeals: sometimes,...
- 9/21/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Swedish helmer Mika Gustafson, one of a roster of promising Swedish voices with “Clara Sola”’s Natalie Álvarez-Mesén at Stockholm-based Hobab, has finalised the cast for her directorial debut “Sisters.”
The feature is in final stages of filming, and co-produced by Italy’s Intramovies, Denmark’s Toobox and Finland’s Tuffi Films.
Ida Engvoll, who broke out in Netflix romcom “Love & Anarchy,” plays Hanna, a young woman drawn into an unexpected adventure when she encounters Laura (16), eldest of a trio of socially-deprived sisters.
Laura asks Hanna to “play” their mum when social services come knocking at the sisters’ doors, threatening to separate them and place them in a foster home. But when Hanna shows her affection, Laura loses control and starts spiralling downwards.
Gustafson who was trained at Ruben Östlund’s auteur-driven Valand film school in Götenborg, said in a statement that she was inspired “by the playfulness of the French New Wave,...
The feature is in final stages of filming, and co-produced by Italy’s Intramovies, Denmark’s Toobox and Finland’s Tuffi Films.
Ida Engvoll, who broke out in Netflix romcom “Love & Anarchy,” plays Hanna, a young woman drawn into an unexpected adventure when she encounters Laura (16), eldest of a trio of socially-deprived sisters.
Laura asks Hanna to “play” their mum when social services come knocking at the sisters’ doors, threatening to separate them and place them in a foster home. But when Hanna shows her affection, Laura loses control and starts spiralling downwards.
Gustafson who was trained at Ruben Östlund’s auteur-driven Valand film school in Götenborg, said in a statement that she was inspired “by the playfulness of the French New Wave,...
- 8/24/2022
- by Annika Pham
- Variety Film + TV
It’s hard to describe what Ida Engvoll does on “Love & Anarchy” as anything other than a magic trick. There’s a moment early in Season 2 of Lisa Langseth’s Netflix series involving a cup of coffee that’s somehow wilder and funnier and more believable than it has any right to be. Part of the thrill of “Love & Anarchy” is that the characters at the heart of it often seem surprised in the same way. Whether it’s a secret kiss, a coworker walking into a meeting in slippers, or a transformative weekend retreat, watching these people continually pinch themselves to remind them that what’s happening in front of them is actually happening is what helps make this show a top-tier Netflix viewing experience.
Sofie (Engvoll) finds herself in plenty of those moments early on in “Love & Anarchy” as the incoming new high-powered consultant at Stockholm-area publishing house Lund & Lagerstedt,...
Sofie (Engvoll) finds herself in plenty of those moments early on in “Love & Anarchy” as the incoming new high-powered consultant at Stockholm-area publishing house Lund & Lagerstedt,...
- 6/17/2022
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
A new month has arrived, which means a fresh batch of movies and TV shows streaming on Netflix. While many are no doubt still making their way through “Stranger Things” Season 4, June brings the arrival of a new season of another beloved Netflix series: “The Umbrella Academy.” The third season of the semi-superhero show premieres June 22 and finds the gang stranded in a timeline where the Umbrella Academy does not exist, while battling not only a rival team but also plenty of timeline-altering shenanigans.
In terms of new Netflix original films, June 17 sees the debut of “Spiderhead,” a psychological thriller starring Chris Hemsworth, Miles Teller and Jurnee Smollett and directed by “Top Gun: Maverick” filmmaker Joseph Kosinski.
June will also see the debut of the new Adam Sandler-fronted basketball inspirational drama film “Hustle” on June 8, while a litany of comedy specials from the likes of Pete Davidson and Amy Schumer...
In terms of new Netflix original films, June 17 sees the debut of “Spiderhead,” a psychological thriller starring Chris Hemsworth, Miles Teller and Jurnee Smollett and directed by “Top Gun: Maverick” filmmaker Joseph Kosinski.
June will also see the debut of the new Adam Sandler-fronted basketball inspirational drama film “Hustle” on June 8, while a litany of comedy specials from the likes of Pete Davidson and Amy Schumer...
- 6/10/2022
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
Just one month after debuting a fan favorite genre hit in the form of Stranger Things season 4, Netflix is once again coming out with the big guns for its list of new releases for June 2022.
The Umbrella Academy season 3 is set to be released June 22 and it will be a busy one for the Hargreeves family of crime fighters. After averting a 1963 nuclear apocalypse in season 2, the gang returns to the present only to find there’s a new team called the Sparrows living in their house. Based on the trailer for season 3, hilarity and many superpowers punches thrown will ensue.
Read more TV The Umbrella Academy Officially Introduces The Sparrow Academy By Alec Bojalad TV The Umbrella Academy Season 3: What To Expect By Michael Ahr
Other Netflix TV original series of note this month include the vampire love story First Kill (June 10) the Melissa McCarthy comedy God’s Favorite Idiot...
The Umbrella Academy season 3 is set to be released June 22 and it will be a busy one for the Hargreeves family of crime fighters. After averting a 1963 nuclear apocalypse in season 2, the gang returns to the present only to find there’s a new team called the Sparrows living in their house. Based on the trailer for season 3, hilarity and many superpowers punches thrown will ensue.
Read more TV The Umbrella Academy Officially Introduces The Sparrow Academy By Alec Bojalad TV The Umbrella Academy Season 3: What To Expect By Michael Ahr
Other Netflix TV original series of note this month include the vampire love story First Kill (June 10) the Melissa McCarthy comedy God’s Favorite Idiot...
- 6/1/2022
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Sf Studios-owned Swedish production banner Flx is developing a thriller feature based on Joakim Zander’s novel “An Honest Life.”
Published in April, “An Honest Life” is set at a university campus in Lund, Southern Sweden. During a violent demonstration, a young, lost law student meets a woman who introduces him to her eccentric friends. Their lives revolve around radical ideals, as well as lies. When he eventually realizes what he has become involved in, it is already too late to get out.
Filming is set to begin next fall with topnotch creators whose names will be announced at a later stage.
“Joakim Zander elegantly, intelligently, and thrillingly weaves together a diabolical heist thriller with a classic coming of age narrative,” said Anna Anthony, Flx’s head of feature film.
“I love that it is set in and around Lund University: the September light, brick walls covered in Boston ivy,...
Published in April, “An Honest Life” is set at a university campus in Lund, Southern Sweden. During a violent demonstration, a young, lost law student meets a woman who introduces him to her eccentric friends. Their lives revolve around radical ideals, as well as lies. When he eventually realizes what he has become involved in, it is already too late to get out.
Filming is set to begin next fall with topnotch creators whose names will be announced at a later stage.
“Joakim Zander elegantly, intelligently, and thrillingly weaves together a diabolical heist thriller with a classic coming of age narrative,” said Anna Anthony, Flx’s head of feature film.
“I love that it is set in and around Lund University: the September light, brick walls covered in Boston ivy,...
- 5/22/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Viaplay has lightened the tone of its originals slate with the greenlight of R.S.V.P., a Swedish romcom featuring The Emigrants star Lisa Carlehed as lead.
Airing later this year and based on award-winning Danish feature Long Story Short, the Nent streamer’s latest spans four years and is structured around nine chapters, each of which focuses on a different holiday celebration. At the center of the narrative is Klara (Carlehed), a 37-year-old single nurse whose perpetual search for love is increasingly causing her to question whether it even exists.
Miso Film, who last week revealed it had signed former Dr Head of Drama Christian Rank, is producing, award-winning Jordskott actor Moa Gammel is directing and Ella Lemhagen is writing.
Alongside Carlehed, who was recently nominated for Best Actress at Sweden’s Guldbagge Awards for Erik Poppe’s The Emigrants, the film features Oscar Töringe (Thin Blue Line...
Airing later this year and based on award-winning Danish feature Long Story Short, the Nent streamer’s latest spans four years and is structured around nine chapters, each of which focuses on a different holiday celebration. At the center of the narrative is Klara (Carlehed), a 37-year-old single nurse whose perpetual search for love is increasingly causing her to question whether it even exists.
Miso Film, who last week revealed it had signed former Dr Head of Drama Christian Rank, is producing, award-winning Jordskott actor Moa Gammel is directing and Ella Lemhagen is writing.
Alongside Carlehed, who was recently nominated for Best Actress at Sweden’s Guldbagge Awards for Erik Poppe’s The Emigrants, the film features Oscar Töringe (Thin Blue Line...
- 5/9/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
[This post originally appeared as part of Recommendation Machine, IndieWire’s daily TV picks feature.]
Where to Watch ‘Love & Anarchy’: Netflix
If you took out all the flirting from “Love & Anarchy” (though why on earth would you ever do such a thing), what’s left is still a pretty solid workplace comedy. A Stockholm-area publishing house has its share of backward-facing execs, eminently more capable employees lower on the organizational chart, and one receptionist/secretary often baffled by what plays out in front of her desk.
But understandably, the hook of this series is the gradual escalation between Sofie (Ida Engvoll), the company’s new publishing consultant and Max (Björn Mosten), the temporary It specialist who makes a noisy first impression. Much of the opening episodes is devoted to showing how one accidental after-hours interaction sets the template for a series of in-office dares between the two. What starts as a potential dark story of blackmail...
Where to Watch ‘Love & Anarchy’: Netflix
If you took out all the flirting from “Love & Anarchy” (though why on earth would you ever do such a thing), what’s left is still a pretty solid workplace comedy. A Stockholm-area publishing house has its share of backward-facing execs, eminently more capable employees lower on the organizational chart, and one receptionist/secretary often baffled by what plays out in front of her desk.
But understandably, the hook of this series is the gradual escalation between Sofie (Ida Engvoll), the company’s new publishing consultant and Max (Björn Mosten), the temporary It specialist who makes a noisy first impression. Much of the opening episodes is devoted to showing how one accidental after-hours interaction sets the template for a series of in-office dares between the two. What starts as a potential dark story of blackmail...
- 12/12/2021
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
If you weren’t around at the time, it’s hard to communicate just what a splashy, dominating place the Italian filmmaker Lina Wertmüller occupied during the 1970s. Wertmüller, who died on Thursday at 93, was far from the first celebrated woman director — just think of Agnès Varda, Shirley Clarke, Elaine May, Lois Weber, Ida Lupino, Dorothy Arzner, or Barbara Loden. But apart from the infamous Leni Riefenstahl, it’s fair to say that Wertmüller was the first woman filmmaker to become a household name. She was the first to receive an Academy Award nomination for best director, the first to adorn the cover of major magazines, the first to rule and own the zeitgeist.
And rule it she did. “Swept Away,” Wertmüller’s controversial 1974 drama about a wealthy snob (Mariangela Melato) and one of her lowly yacht crew members (Giancarlo Giannini), who wind up swapping roles after the two are stranded on a desert island,...
And rule it she did. “Swept Away,” Wertmüller’s controversial 1974 drama about a wealthy snob (Mariangela Melato) and one of her lowly yacht crew members (Giancarlo Giannini), who wind up swapping roles after the two are stranded on a desert island,...
- 12/10/2021
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
As the end of the first decade of the Finnish Film Affair nears, the industry event’s director, Maria Pirkkalainen, who also heads Nordic Flair, notes its phenomenal growth, with more than 200 Finnish film projects showcased, more than 500 international guests brought to Helsinki, and the establishment of a major platform and networking forum for locals.
And things keep evolving, she says: “We are thrilled to now branch out to offer this to filmmakers from our neighboring Nordic countries as well. Not to mention we’ve curated over 2,000 meetings between our guests during all these years. And introduced hundreds of people to the art of sauna.”
The traditional sweat-soaked industry mixer, just one of the signature events of Finnish Film Affair, is typical of the creative approaches Pirkkalainen and her team have embraced in her three years leading the event.
The key driver, she says, is a focus on learning and...
And things keep evolving, she says: “We are thrilled to now branch out to offer this to filmmakers from our neighboring Nordic countries as well. Not to mention we’ve curated over 2,000 meetings between our guests during all these years. And introduced hundreds of people to the art of sauna.”
The traditional sweat-soaked industry mixer, just one of the signature events of Finnish Film Affair, is typical of the creative approaches Pirkkalainen and her team have embraced in her three years leading the event.
The key driver, she says, is a focus on learning and...
- 9/16/2021
- by Will Tizard
- Variety Film + TV
Helsinki International Film Festival – Love & Anarchy’s return to live, in-person screenings is an occasion for national celebration, says Anna Möttölä, the executive director of the event, now marking its 34th edition.
While cinemas in Helsinki must still be limited to 50% capacity for pandemic precaution reasons, screenings of hot new titles such as opening gala film Leos Carax’s tragicomic musical “Annette” and closer Mia Hansen-Løve’s “Bergman Island” have already sold out, Möttölä says, with audience anticipation for the beloved fest feeling palpable this year following a mainly online event in 2020. Foreign guests such as Ninja Thyberg, screening her Sundance sensation “Pleasure,” are also generating buzz this year, she notes.
Meanwhile the event has managed to maintain its dedication to diversity and inclusion despite Covid challenges, with some 46% of the 131 features and 149 shorts screening by women or non-binary filmmakers.
The popular Spotlight section has seen brisk ticket sales for its program,...
While cinemas in Helsinki must still be limited to 50% capacity for pandemic precaution reasons, screenings of hot new titles such as opening gala film Leos Carax’s tragicomic musical “Annette” and closer Mia Hansen-Løve’s “Bergman Island” have already sold out, Möttölä says, with audience anticipation for the beloved fest feeling palpable this year following a mainly online event in 2020. Foreign guests such as Ninja Thyberg, screening her Sundance sensation “Pleasure,” are also generating buzz this year, she notes.
Meanwhile the event has managed to maintain its dedication to diversity and inclusion despite Covid challenges, with some 46% of the 131 features and 149 shorts screening by women or non-binary filmmakers.
The popular Spotlight section has seen brisk ticket sales for its program,...
- 9/16/2021
- by Will Tizard
- Variety Film + TV
Finnish writer-director Khadar Ayderus Ahmed, born in Mogadishu, continues to enjoy his first feature’s successful festival run. Screening this week in Toronto, “The Gravedigger’s Wife” premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week in July.
“We finished the shoot in 2019. We were invited to Cannes last year, but decided to wait for better times,” explains the helmer. “In Cannes, me and my family, and my actors, we were the only Somalis in the audience. Now, in Toronto, there is this big Somali community. They are excited and waiting for the film – people are sending me screenshots of their tickets!”
Inspired by a sudden death that happened in his family 10 years ago in Helsinki, the film shows a man who “hunts bodies for a living,” waiting in front of hospitals for new corpses to bury. But when his wife (Canadian model Yasmin Warsame) needs expensive surgery, gravedigger Guled (Omar Abdi) and his young...
“We finished the shoot in 2019. We were invited to Cannes last year, but decided to wait for better times,” explains the helmer. “In Cannes, me and my family, and my actors, we were the only Somalis in the audience. Now, in Toronto, there is this big Somali community. They are excited and waiting for the film – people are sending me screenshots of their tickets!”
Inspired by a sudden death that happened in his family 10 years ago in Helsinki, the film shows a man who “hunts bodies for a living,” waiting in front of hospitals for new corpses to bury. But when his wife (Canadian model Yasmin Warsame) needs expensive surgery, gravedigger Guled (Omar Abdi) and his young...
- 9/15/2021
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix has ordered “The Unlikely Murderer,” a Swedish limited series based on Thomas Pettersson’s eponymous 2018 award-winning book.
The five-part drama series is a fictional interpretation of how Stig Engström, the graphic designer named as the suspected murderer of Sweden’s prime minister Olof Palme, managed to elude justice right up to his death through a combination of audacity, luck and a perplexed police force.
Engström’s murder was not planned well, he did everything wrong from the beginning and almost no one believed his lies about what he actually did during that fateful night in 1986 in Stockholm, Sweden. The series will question how police could have let the suspect get away, despite tracking him.
The series is written by Wilhelm Behrman and Niklas Rockström. Charlotte Brändström (“The Witcher”) is the conceptual director and will helm the first two episodes of the show.
The Swedish-language series will be produced by Flx,...
The five-part drama series is a fictional interpretation of how Stig Engström, the graphic designer named as the suspected murderer of Sweden’s prime minister Olof Palme, managed to elude justice right up to his death through a combination of audacity, luck and a perplexed police force.
Engström’s murder was not planned well, he did everything wrong from the beginning and almost no one believed his lies about what he actually did during that fateful night in 1986 in Stockholm, Sweden. The series will question how police could have let the suspect get away, despite tracking him.
The series is written by Wilhelm Behrman and Niklas Rockström. Charlotte Brändström (“The Witcher”) is the conceptual director and will helm the first two episodes of the show.
The Swedish-language series will be produced by Flx,...
- 12/3/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix has greenlit a five-part Swedish-language series on Stig Engström, the man who was named as the probable murderer of former Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme.
The Unlikely Murderer is made by Swedish producer Flx — which is behind Netflix series Quicksand and Love & Anarchy — and stars Robert Gustafsson as Engström. The part-fictionalized story is based on a 2018 book by Thomas Pettersson.
Following the assassination of Palme in 1986, Engström managed to elude justice right up to his death through a combination of audacity, luck, and a perplexed police force.
Other cast includes Eva Melander, Mikael Persbrandt and Peter Andersson. Joel Spira, Emil Almén, Shanti Roney, Torkel Petterson, Henrik Norlén, Lia Boysen, Magnus Krepper, Björn Bengtsson, Peter Viitanen, and Cilla Thorell also feature.
Wilhelm Behrman and Niklas Rockström are the writers, while Charlotte Brändström is the conceptual director. Simon Kaijser also directs. The executive producer is Pontus Edgren, while Fatima Varhos...
The Unlikely Murderer is made by Swedish producer Flx — which is behind Netflix series Quicksand and Love & Anarchy — and stars Robert Gustafsson as Engström. The part-fictionalized story is based on a 2018 book by Thomas Pettersson.
Following the assassination of Palme in 1986, Engström managed to elude justice right up to his death through a combination of audacity, luck, and a perplexed police force.
Other cast includes Eva Melander, Mikael Persbrandt and Peter Andersson. Joel Spira, Emil Almén, Shanti Roney, Torkel Petterson, Henrik Norlén, Lia Boysen, Magnus Krepper, Björn Bengtsson, Peter Viitanen, and Cilla Thorell also feature.
Wilhelm Behrman and Niklas Rockström are the writers, while Charlotte Brändström is the conceptual director. Simon Kaijser also directs. The executive producer is Pontus Edgren, while Fatima Varhos...
- 12/3/2020
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
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