GötaFilm, one of Sweden’s leading independent production outfits, is enjoying the international acclaim of its mini-series Ettor & Nollor and preparing a new flagship TV drama for SVT, Det mest förbjudna, co-produced by Eyeworks. Also in its pipeline is a Swedish/Danish/Norwegian film by Lena Koppel.
GötaFilm has been standing on the two legs of film and television since its very inception in 1988, producing award-winning films such as Maria Larsson’s Everlasting Moments, Simon and the Oaks and the TV series The New Country and How Soon is Now?. Today the company headed by Christer Nilson (pictured) is stepping up its television ambitions and looking at ways to survive in the tough independent sector. Hooking up with Warner-Bros-owned Eyeworks on its upcoming three part TV drama Det mest förbjudna (The Most Forbidden) has been one alternative. “The focus in production is increasingly on long running TV dramas, but you need 40-50% of the financing from abroad. If you’re part of a big multinational group, it’s obviously easier, so co-producing with Eyeworks gives us access to what we lack. Det mest förbjudna is our first collaboration with them but hopefully that will lead to more ambitious long running TV series, says Nilson.
Written by Åsa Blanck and directed by actress/director Tova Magnusson, Det mest förbjudna (The Most Forbidden) is built on the life of controversial Swedish author and feminist Kerstin Thorvall and on her eponymous 1976 best-selling novel. The project has received support from the Swedish Film Institute and co-financing from Film i Väst and SVT. Production is set to start in 2015.
GötaFilm’s mini-series Ettor & Nollor which recently won Best Non-English Language Drama Series at the C21 International Drama Awards is being reformatted for the BBC in the UK. “We’re negotiating with a UK company who wants to make an extended remake in six hours,” says Nilson. “One of the conditions that we gave is that scriptwriter Oskar Söderlund who has worked more than ten years for us will collaborate with a UK writer and Johan Renck has a first option to direct. But it will be a 100% British production,” notes Nilson.
In the feature film side GötaFilm has in production Alexandra Keining’s film Pojkarna (The Boys) based on Jessica Schiefauer’s 2011 August Prize winning novel. “The film deals with sexual identity with a magical and playful way, using stunning special effects when girls turn into boys,” says the producer. The film co-produced by Finland’s Periferia Films with backing from Nordisk Film & TV Fond, will premiere in the autumn 2015.
Potensgivarna (Potency Givers) based on Karin Brunk Holmqvist’s best-selling novel will go into production in 2015. Nilson describes it as a ‘grey’com’, ie a comedy for seniors, directed by Lena Koppel. Norway’s Norsk Superfilm and Denmark’s Nitrat Film are co-producing the SEK 26 million film. GötaFilm is also involved as minority co-producer on Wim Wenders’ Everything Will Be Fine, Saara Cantel’s Tacit Wisdom, Joost van Ginkel’s Our Sun and Peter Gardos’ Fever at Dawn.
The company based on Gothenburg is also actively involved locally in the script-writing initiative ‘Klyftan’ (‘The Gap’) aimed at finding new stories dealing with social inequalities in Sweden.