Four new documentaries - including three IDFA selections, three films and a youth series have received support from Nordisk Film & TV Fond in October.

Documentaries

  • The Deminer (SE) which will have its world premiere at IDFA’s main feature film competition next week was granted NOK 350,000. The film directed by Hogir Hirori and Shinwar Kamal was produced by Hirori’s Lolav Media with Ginestra Film’s Antonio Russo Merenda. It centres on Fakhir, a father of eight, who embarks on a military mission to Mosul, Iraq, to fight terrorism after Saddam Hussein’s downfall in 2003. When he sees how thousands of innocent people are stricken by exploding mines he decides to become a deminer. The film was co-financed by SVT and DR, with support from the Swedish Film Institute.
  • Stronger than a Bullet (SE) selected for IDFA’s First Appearance Competition was granted NOK350,000. Maryam Ebrahimi who produced and co-directed the International Emmy- award winning film No Burqas behind Bars (2014) with Nima Film’s Nima Sarvestani, makes her full directorial debut. The film addresses the use of Iranian war propaganda to manipulate and control, such as when the government employed photographer Saeid Sadeghi’s pictures to inspire martyrdom in its citizens during the Iran-Iraq war. The film was co-financed by DR, SVT, YLE, NRK, TVO, Arte France, with support from Konstnärsnämnden, Doha Film Institute, the Swedish Film Institute and Creative Europe.
  • Aleppo’s Fall (NO-DK-FR) set to screen at IDFA’s panorama programme, was granted NOK 500,000. The film was produced by Henrik Undebjerg (Stray Dog Productions) and Tove Buvarp (Fenris Film) with France’s Yuzu Productions. Norwegian-Syrian director Nizam Najar travels back to his home town of Aleppo, where he follows a group of civilians who, as the Free Syrian Army, defend themselves against their own government. The film follows them through until Aleppo falls and the survivors must flee to Idlib. Co-financiers are NRK, DR and YLE. 
  • Magic Lives of V (FI-DK-BG) produced by Kaarle Aho of Making Movies was granted 500,000. The film is directed by acclaimed Bulgarian born Helsinki-based director Tonislav Hristov, nominated for the 2017 European Film Award with The Good Postman. It explores how LARPing (live-action-role-playing) can be used in order to help people cope with their problems. While trying to help her mentally disabled brother to become more independent through LARPing, a young woman learns how to face her own past and overcome her identity problems by playing with multiple identities. The film is co-produced by Kirstine Barfod (Danish Documentary) and Hristov's Bulgarian company Soul Food, together with ARTE France, and co-financing from YLE and SVT. 

Feature films

  • Out Stealing Horses (Ut og stjæle hester) directed by Hans Petter Moland for Norway’s 4 ½ Fiksjon was granted NOK2.5 million. The feature adaptation of Per Petterson’s best-selling novel, tells the story of Trond (67) who has moved to a remote house in the forest where he can grieve the death of his wife. The countryside idyll is disturbed however, by a chance encounter with a neighbour whom he knew when he was young, in 1948. That summer his father disappeared for good. That same summer for the first time he felt close to a woman, the same one who disappeared with his father. 

    In the main roles are Stellan Skarsgård and Bjørn Floberg who starred as well in Moland’s A Somewhat Gentle Man and In Order of Disappearance. Producer Turid Øverseen said they are in the middle of casting for other parts. Winter shoot will take place in February/March 2018 and summer the following June/July.

    The film is co-produced by Zentropa Sweden and Zentropa Denmark, in association with NRK and DR. Nordisk Film handles Scandinavian distribution and TrustNordisk world sales.
  • The Human Part (Ihmisen osa) directed by Juha Lehtola for Finland’s Bufo Oy was granted NOK 1.3 million. The comedy is inspired by the eponymous novel by Nordic Council Literature Prize winner Kari Hotakainen, co-scriptwriter with Lehtola.

    The film tells a story from a northern country called Finland, where the money is gone, the family is torn apart, and a brilliant impostor is born, who will have to bring his family together and make it stronger than ever.  In the main roles are Hannu-Pekka Björkman, Kari Hietalahti, Ria Kataja, Asko Sarkola, Armi Toivanen, Leena Uotila as well as Della McLoud and Nicole Stiles.

    The award-winning cinematographer J-P Passi (The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki) is attached to the film, currently filming in Finland. The film is co-produced by Denmark’s Smile Entertainment, YLE, with support from the Finnish Film Foundation. B-Plan will handle the Finnish distribution and Smile the Danish release.
  • Minna & the Dreambuilders (Minna og Drømmebyggerne), the Danish CGI animated film produced by Lady Film was granted NOK 1.3 million. The film is based on an original idea by Kim Hagen Jensen, lead story artist on Marco Macaco and VFX supervisor and story artist on Asterix and the Vikings, who was inspired by Pixar Studios and Miyazaki’s films.

    Minna’s life is overturned when new stepsister Jenny moves in. Jenny is mean and Minna wants her gone! One night Minna discovers the Dream Builders. But changing dreams has consequences. Minna must face the nightmare she has created, to save Jenny.

    The film is produced by First Lady’s Nynne Selin Eidnes, in co-production with Sweden’s Snowcloud Films. SF Studios will handle Scandinavian distribution. Delivery is set for February 2020. 

TV series

  • Where are you? (Hvor er Thea?) described as a cross between Skam and Bron was granted NOK 450,000.  “It’s a Nordic noir for a young audience, using the platforms and aesthetics familiar to that target group,” said Norwegian producer and concept director Jørn Berge Larsen of ANTI.

    Where are you? is a crime series of 50x5’ about Liv who is searching for her best friend, Thea, who suddenly disappeared.  Liv has started her own investigation and starts a videoblog where she posts video logs about her discoveries. Soon she realises that she did not know her best friend as well as she thought, and soon the big question isn’t where Thea is, but who she is.

    The show is financed by TV2 Norway and co-produced by TV2 Denmark. Larsen explains that viewers can already follow the characters on a daily basis on the website/blog www.hvorerthea.no, where 5-8 short web episodes are published each week, on social media and once a week on linear TV. The show is airing until December 7 on TV2.

Distribution support

  • Angel Distribution was granted NOK 140,000 for the distribution of the Finnish animated film Moomins and the Winter Wonderland in Denmark.
  • Finnkino was granted NOK 150,000 for the distribution in Finland of the Swedish Palme d’or winning film The Square, -SF Studios Norge was granted NOK 200,000 for the distribution in Norway of the Swedish film Solsidan-The Movie, -Storytelling Media was granted NOK 400,000 in slate distribution for the release in Norway of Room 213 and Moomins and the Winter Wonderland, with a third film TBC.

Film Cultural Initiatives

  • WIFT (Women in Film & Television) was granted NOK 25,000 for WIFT Nordic Talent Incubator.
  • Norsk Animasjonsforum Stiftelse was granted NOK 50,000 for the Nordic Animation Forum 2017.