Nordic Star Trio Back Moomin Troll

May 18, 2010
The Moomin troll was in great company in Cannes this weekend with Nordic stars Stellan Skarsgård, Helena Mattson and Mads Mikkelsen (photo) who came to support the launch of Filmkompaniet Alpha's Moomins and the Comet Chase. The Finnish stereoscopic 3D animation film by Maria Lindberg had a full house at its world premiere on Friday May 14. The film will be released domestically by FS Film on August 8. Nordisk Film will open the film in Scandinavian rights and Myndform in Iceland. The film's producer Tom Carpelan said a second Moomin film based on the Polish TV series from the 1970s will start production in the autumn.

Photo: Nick Wall

Moland's Elephant On US Little Roster

May 17, 2010
Veteran sales executive Robert Little (The Little Film Company) has picked up world rights on Hans-Petter Moland's (photo) upcoming film The Elephant. The film produced by Olav Øen (Monster Film) is based on the novel ‘Black Rain' by Magnar Johnsgaard. The Elephant (meaning an oil reservoir of at least 500 million barrels) is set in 1969 on an oil rig in the North Sea. The action drama co-produced with Germany's Studio Babelsberg will focus on three innocent young Norwegians and their confrontations with US oil specialists. The film is in pre-production.

 

Johannes Nyholm Wins Göteborg Fest's Golden Dragon

May 12, 2010
The multi-awarded Swedish filmmaker Johannes Nyholm (photo) has received the 17^th film art Golden Dragon and the attached SEK10,000 cash prize from the Göteborg International Film Festival (GIFF). The Golden Dragon is awarded annually to people and organisations from Western Sweden that present visual arts and film art in new contexts, and inspire new ways of incorporating visual arts in other cultural structures. Last year's winner was the company Plattform Production. Nyholm was twice selected at Cannes' Directors Fortnight, in 2008 for his short film The Tale of the Little Puppet Boy and in 2009 for the short film Dreams from the Woods.

Finnish Foundation Wants Silence

May 11, 2010
In its latest round of production support, the Finnish Film Foundation has given out €750,000 towards the €1.6m WW2 drama Silence (Hiljaisuus) by Sakari Kirjavainen, (photo). The film is produced by Petri Rossi (Cine Works), in co-production with YLE and support from Nordisk Film & TV Fond. Filming will start in July and Walt Disney Studios will handle domestic distribution. The Finnish Film Foundation also supported the low budget film Dirty Bomb (Likainen pommi) by Elias Koskimies produced by Jarkko Hentula. The youth film will start filming in October. FS will handle domestic distribution.
Photo: Jurki Valkama, YLE

Aksel Hennie Takes Lead In Headhunters

May 11, 2010
The Norwegian star actor Aksel Hennie is going to play the leading role in Morten Tyldum's upcoming thriller Headhunters. In the screen adaptation of Jo Nesbø's eponymous best selling novel, Hennie will play the charming villain Roger Brown whose favourite game is art theft. The NOK16.1m film is produced by Friland Film in co-production with Sweden's Yellow Bird and Scandinavian group Nordisk Film, with support from Nordisk Film & TV Fond. Filming is scheduled to start in August. Friland Film's Asle Vatn - Norway's Producer on the Move 2010 - is in Cannes to discuss the project.

Max Manus Enters US Market

May 10, 2010
The Norwegian WW2 hit Max Manus is going to have a limited theatrical release in the US via Toronto-based D Films which has acquired all North American rights from TrustNordisk. D Films was launched in September 2009 by distribution veterans Jim Sherry and Tony Cianciotta. Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg's Max Manus was among their first acquisitions. The film opened in Canada early April. Around 30 territories have acquired rights to the Norwegian blockbuster, produced by Filmkameratene, with support from Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

Piraya Supports Pink Uprising

May 6, 2010
The Norwegian production company Piraya Film AS has received a total NOK1.5m support from the Norwegian Film Institute towards its NOK4m documentary project Pink Uprising by Indian filmmaker Nishtha Jain. The film tells of several thousands of women from India's Uttar Pradesh region who dress in pink saris and fight against their repressive culture. The project is produced and written by Piraya's Torstein Grude who focuses on human right issues. Filming started on April 1^st.

SFI Support To Black Power And Bergman Docs

May 5, 2010
The three documentaries The Black Power Mixtape by Göran Olsson, ...but Film is My Mistress by Stig Björkman and Hur kunde hon? by Ingela Lekfalk were awarded production support from the Swedish Film Institute. Olsson's documentary is an archive compilation film that displays the story of the Afro-American and their fight for equal rights. The Story AB production was supported by Nordisk Film & TV Fond. ...but Film is My Mistress produced by Mantaray Film & TV with the Ingmar Bergman Foundation is a tribute to Ingmar Bergman. Hur kunde hon? (How Could She?) about the so-called ‘HIV woman' will be released by Folkets Bio on May 21.

Polish Audience Vote For Good Heart

May 4, 2010
Dagur Kári's The Good Heart won the Audience Award at the Off Plus Camera Film Festival in Cracow, Poland. Zik Zak Filmworks and Polish distributor Gutek Film received a cash prize of $10,000 each. The Good Heart opened in Poland on April 23. Gutek Film is a regular buyer of Nordic films - recent films released include Norway's Nord and Denmark's Antichrist.

Mikkelsen, Nielsen Adopt Kenyan Child

May 3, 2010
Lars Mikkelsen and Connie Nielsen (photo) are currently working on Kidnappet (English title Lost in Africa), a family adventure film set in Kenya, written and directed by newcomer Vibeke Muasya. Produced by Vibeke Windeløv and Karoline Leth for SF Production Denmark, in co-production with S/S Fladen in Sweden, Kidnappet is the story of Simon, an adopted child who travels to Kenya with his parents (Mikkelsen and Nielsen) and on the first day of the trip Simon disappears. The film supported by Nordisk Film & TV Fond was just awarded production support from the Danish and Swedish film institutes.

Strong Nordic Delegation At HotDocs

April 29, 2010
A delegation of over 50 documentary professionals from the Nordic region reunited by Filmkontakt Nord will attend Hot Docs in Toronto (April 29-May 9). They will attend films screenings and various events including the International Co-Production Day on May 3. As many as 17 Nordic docs have been selected for the biggest showcase of documentary films in North America. Several will compete for the Best International Feature Award, such as Sweden's The Regretters, Denmark's Into Eternity, Tankograd, (photo) and Finland's Steam of Life all supported by Nordisk Film & TV Fond. For further delegate info click here.

Finnish Painting Sellers Goes To Cannes

April 28, 2010
The Painting Sellers (Taulukauppiaat) by Juho Kuosmanen (photo) has been selected for the Cannes Film Festival's student competition programme - Cinéfondation. The Painting Sellers is Kuosmanen´s graduation film from Aalto University Helsinki. It the story of 3 men who are still on the road, trying to sell art from door to door, although it's almost Christmas. The 60 minute film is produced by Jussi Rantamäki and Auli Mantila for Aamu Filmcompany Ltd. Kuosmanen's previous student film Roadmarkers (Kestomerkitsijät) won the third Prize at the Cinéfondation 2008. The president of the 2010 Cinefondation jury is filmmaker Atom Egoyan.

Over 95 Kids Films At Kristiansand Fest

April 27, 2010
Around 95 films (including 53 Norwegian premieres) will screen during the 13^th Kristiansand International Children's Film Festival (Norway) that opens Tuesday April 26 and runs until May 2^nd. "Quite a few good children and youth films come from the Nordic region, and we do have many in the programme this year, said festival director Danckert Monrad-Krohn. Three Danish films (such as Super Brother) are among the 11 international films in the main competition programme. Another six Nordic films (including Sebbe, Forbidden Fruit and Vegas, all supported by Nordisk Film & TV Fond) are in the Youth programme.

Danish, Finnish Docs Win In Nyon

April 26, 2010
Danish documentary Into Eternity by Michael Madsen (photo) was awarded the Grand Prix at the 16^th Visions du Réel Documentary Film Festival in Nyon, Switzerland, and the Finnish documentary Steam of Life won the festival's prize of the Interreligious Jury. Into Eternity, produced by Magic Hour Films, also won the CPHDOX award in Copenhagen last November. Steam of Life (Miesten vuoro), by Joonas Berghäll and Mika Hotakainen's  produced by Oktober Oy also won the Risto Jarva and Audience Awards in Tampere and has over 14,000 admissions in Finland. Film Transit is selling both films which were supported by Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

Warner Bros To Remake Easy Money

April 20, 2010
Fredrik Wikström (Tre Vänner), producer of the Swedish hit Easy Money (Snabba Cash) by Daniel Espinosa, has confirmed that Warner Bros has acquired US remake rights to the film. High School Musical star actor Zac Ephron will play the lead role that was held by Joel Kinnaman in the Swedish film. Wikström is one of the producers attached to the US version, with Efron's own company and Charles Roven and Richard Suckle from Atlas Entertainment. Easy Money has sold over 600,000 tickets for Nordisk Film in Sweden. The thriller supported by Nordisk Film will be released in Norway on May 21 under the title Cash used by Jens Lapidus for his novel.