A record number of Finnish film and TV professionals are attending this year’s American Film Market in Santa Monica (November 4-11) as part of the ‘Getting it Made for the US Market’ initiative.
Launched in August, the promotional initiative organised by Team Finland in collaboration with the Finnish Film Foundation, FAVEX, TEKES and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland will reach its climax at the AFM where 15 selected Finnish companies are attending under the European Film Promotion umbrella at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel.
Among the production companies are Art Film Productions, with Arto Halonen’s documentary White Rage (November 27 domestic release), Don Films with the slasher film Bodom (part of Nordic Genre Boost initiative), Fisher King Productions with the hospital drama series Replacements and crime series Bordertown, Mouka Filmi with the documentary In Dependence by Henriikka Hemmi co-produced by Sweden’s Auto Images, and Yellow Film & TV with the returning seasons of the YLE TV series Nurses and MTV3 series Roba.
Two leading production outfits are coming with their 2016 Oscar entries: Making Movies is bringing the Finnish submission The Fencer (Miekkailija) by Klaus Härö (pictured, sold by The Little Film Company) and Matila Röhr Productions the Estonian selection 1944 (Eyewell). The two films are taking part in the European Film Promotion’s LA Screenings series (October 28-November 8) alongside 25 other European Oscar hopefuls such as Norway’s The Wave (TrustNordisk) and Sweden’s A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (Coproduction Office).
Eight Scandinavian films are benefitting from the European Film Promotion’s Film Sales Support scheme to get a better exposure at the AFM: the Danish films What We Become (Indie Sales), April 9 (TrustNordisk), Summer of 92’ (Hanway Films), Finnish films Homecoming (Yellow Affair), The Midwife (Picture Tree International), and Swedish films Drifters (The Match Factory) and The Heareafter (TrustNordisk).