The dance film Battle, comedy series Blind Donna and documentaries Munch in Hell, Boys Who Like Girls, The Arctic Camels received production support in April. 

  • Battle produced by Pål Røed of Norway’s Friland Film and Storm Films was granted 1,700,000.
    Katarina Launing (Magic Silver, Cool Kids Don’t Cry) will direct based on a script by Maja Lunde.  Top crew members include Danish cinematographer Jørgen Johnasson (Italian for Beginners, Flame & Citron) and Swedish production designer Ellen Oseng (The Giant).

    The story focuses on teenage dancer Amalie who is forced move to a tougher neighbourhood. She falls in love while desperately trying to hold on to her former, privileged life. Torn between two worlds, she needs to learn who she really is to become a true dancer. Producer Pål Røed said: “With mesmerizing music and great dancing Battle deals with topics such as identity, social differences, ambition, pride and prejudice. It harbours high-octane emotional conflicts, teenage hormones, hopes and dreams. Our target group is teenagers and young adults.“ The NOK 27 million film is co-produced with Adomeit in Denmark, Zentropa International in Sweden, and Phanta Basta! in the Netherlands. Principal Photography starts in July and the film will be released in the fall 2018 via Nordisk Film.
  • Blind Donna (10x25’) produced by Liisa Akimof of Production House Finland was granted NOK 1,000,000. Co-writers Mikko Reitala and Heikki Kujanpää have created an unconventional romantic comedy. The twist is that the main character Donna, a 27-year old woman in search of love, is blind. The main themes are divorce, dating, friendship and love. In the main roles are Alina Tomnikov, Essi Hellén, Eero Ritala and Miina Penttinen. The series is co-financed by YLE, NRK with support from the Finnish Film Foundation. Yle Sales handles world distribution. Blind Donna started filming on April 19 and will be delivered end of February 2018. 
  • The Arctic Camels produced by Knut Skoglund of Relation 04Media, Norway was granted NOK 250,000. Karl Emil Rikardsen (co-writer/producer of Siblings are Forever) is directing.
    The siblings Torarin (10) and Svalin (13) from Finnmark wanted a horse, but got two Mongolian camels instead. But riding a camel can only be done safely if the animals are trained, so the children set off on a trip to Mongolia to find a skilled camel trainer.  Sloglund said: The film is about following dreams. It is also about cultural prejudices, as well as strong relationships between children and animals, parents and children, and siblings.” The documentary is co-produced by Toolbox Film, Denmark and Giraff Film, Sweden, in association with DR, NRK, with support from the Fund, the Norwegian Film Institute and Danish Film Institute among others. 
    The Arctic Camels will be delivered in April 2018 and released theatrically in Norway (Tour de Force) and Sweden (Folkets Bio). Autlook Film Sales handles world sales. 
  • Munch in Hell produced by Carsten Aanonsen of Indie Film, Norway was granted NOK 500,000. Art historian and documentary filmmaker Stig Andersen who explored the thefts of Edvard Munch’s iconic paintings in his 2008 film Scream and Madonna, goes back to the life of the Norwegian master and investigates why the world celebrated painter was subject to systematically poor treatment in his homeland. The film is co-produced by NRK and Pieter Van Huystee in the Netherlands, with co-financing from SVT, DR, in association with the Bergesen Foundation, Jahre Foundation and Kulturrådet. Support from the Norwegian Film Institute, Creative Europe and Fritt Ord Foundation, among others.  Films Transit handle world sales.
  • Boys Who Like Girls produced by Liisa Juntunen of Napafilms, Finland was granted NOK 300,000. Inka Achté (The Wait) is directing. The Mumbai-set character-driven documentary follows three men as they each try to find a way to be a good man in a deeply patriarchal Indian society undergoing slow but certain reshaping of gender roles. The film is co-produced by Christian Falch (Gammaglimt Norway), with support from the Finnish Film Foundation and the Norwegian Film Institute. Boys Who Like Girls is currently in production and editing will start in July 2017. Completion of the film is scheduled for March 2018. 

Nordisk Film & TV Fond also allocated the following support: 

  • NOK90,000 to Studio Show Entertainment Sweden for the distribution of Erik Poppe’s The King’s Choice in Sweden 
  • NOK25,000 to Kool Production AS for a Nordic Animation showcase at  MIFA , Annecy, June 2017 as part of the Film Cultural initiatives support.