Psycho-thrillers and fantasy dominated the third and final round presented at Haugesund’s Coproduction market on August 23.

Well prepared by pitch tutor Helene Granqvist, the seven Nordic teams delivered convincing pitches for their feature projects, each backed by NOK 200,000 in development support from Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

Genre expert and distributor Annick Mahnert (Screen Division) felt that the Nordic Genre Boost proved once again that ‘Nordic genre film reserves are not running dry yet’. She said: “This year's selection showed ‘a shift from pure horror into fantastic arthouse. This is a sign that the newer generation doesn't necessarily want to do bloody films anymore, but rather explore a subtler genre, and I can't wait to see the finished features.”

The pitching session closed two residential workshops held at Haugesund’s New Nordic Films, after a first session at Helsinki’s Night Visions International Festival in April.   

Commenting on the initiative, writer/director/producer Olivier Guerpillon (Silver Films) who pitched the Swedish project CAR:Y said: “We really loved the Nordic Genre Boost experience. It did exactly what it was meant to do: boost the project in so many ways, from improving the script thanks to great feedbacks to helping us develop and package it. Meeting other Nordic teams with similar tastes and ambitions has also been very useful and a great pleasure.” For veteran Icelandic producer Hrönn Kristinsdóttir (Go to Sheep), the programme ‘opened a lot of doors’ and connected her and Lamb creators, with potential co-producers and sales companies.

Norwegian up and coming producer Kristoffer Sindre Vittersø (Vittersø Media) said that ‘without Nordic Genre Boost, he would probably ‘still be sitting in a café’, talking about his project PUKK with director Øyvind Holtmon. “Now, we've discussed it with tens of people from the industry, from sales and distribution to fellow filmmakers and even a post-production supervisor, and this has helped us a lot in our process.” The pitching to a large in Haugesund also contributed to making his project ‘more focused and appealing’.

Danish producer Jacob Jarek (Profile Pictures) enjoyed being surrounded by ‘like-minded people’ and the initiative helped him nail his project in terms of genre. 

Initiated by Nordisk Film & TV Fond CEO Petri Kemppinen and managed by Valeria Richter, Nordic Genre Boost has provided development support and mentoring to 21 genre projects since December 2014. We will continue to monitor each project on their road to final delivery. 

Here under are details of the 2017 Nordic Genre Boost projects:

  • CAR:Y Sweden. Psychological horror-thriller. First feature written/directed by Olivier Guerpillon (Sound of Noise), produced by Guerpillon and Frida Hallberg (Silver Films). A little robot dog is devised as a prototype to look after the elderly. As it learns to understand its “master”, its behaviour starts to become threatening. “We want the story to be entertaining and at the same time, to ask questions about artificial intelligence and our over-reliance on technology,” said Guerpillon. “The film will also deal with loss, grief and the lack of inter-generational communication."
  • COLD Iceland. Sci-fi.  First feature by Thora Hilmarsdóttir, written by Snjolaug Ludviksdottir and produced by Eva Sigurdardottir (Askja Films).  Sara (30) and her extended family become isolated as the Earth plunges into darkness after the sun disappears. They find refuge in an old factory, but soon the family starts to implode. Hilmarsdóttir said she will play with time and memory for this first Icelandic sci-fi project which received development support from the Icelandic Film Centre. Shooting is planned to start in 2018.
  • ELEANOR Denmark. Psycho-horror written by David Sandreuter, produced by Jacob Jarek (Profile Pictures). A woman accidentally kills her terrorizing husband, just to realize that he is not letting her go.”Eleanor is essentially a ghost story, dealing with fear, psycho-abuse and manipulation”, said Jarek. Scanbox has boarded the project set to go into production in 2018.
  • LAMB (working title) Iceland. Fantasy. First feature by Valdimar Jóhannsson, written by Sjón and produced by Hrönn Kristinsdóttir and Sara Nassim (Go to Sheep). A childless sheep farming couple receive an unexpected heir that fills their loneliness with joy, before ultimately destroying them. “The story will play with dream and reality, and nature will play a major role, said Jóhannsson. Veteran Hungarian director Béla Tarr will co-produce.
  • PUKK Norway. Dark comedy/thriller.  First film written/directed by Øyvind Holtmon, produced by Kristoffer Sindre Vittersø (Vittersø Media). In a godforsaken village, a giant quarry operates around the clock. When Jasper causes a terrible accident, he discovers dark factory secrets. “The film will question why it is difficult to break free and what motivates one’s actions,” said Holtmon.
  • PRAYER  Finland. Psychological horror directed by Ulrika Bengts (The Disciple) based on a script by Heli Tamminen, produced by Essi Haukkamaa and Merja Ritola (Greenlit Productions). Set in the future, Iris (12) and Mikael (12) live on an island and try to cope with fear and loss by escaping into their own imaginary world. Their game escalates into a cruel power play where Iris must try to save her friend by bringing him back to reality. The €2m project is set to start filming in 2019. 
  • THE SEX TRAP Norway. Thriller directed by Marie Kristiansen, based on a script by Sofia Lersol Lund, produced by Stian Tveiten and Christian Fredrik Martin (Friland). Based on true events, the story focuses on two teenage girls who start tricking men into sex traps for money. But their game turns into a nightmare. “The film will deal with girl power and how far you are ready to go to belong”, said the producer.