The ambitious Swedish films The Emigrants by Daniel Espinosa and Britt Marie Was Here by Tuva Novotny just received funding from the Norwegian Film Institute.

Both films are scheduled to start filming in spring 2018. Espinosa who has worked in Hollywood after his 2010 international breakthrough film Easy Money, will come back to Sweden for The Emigrants, the new adaptation of Vilhelm Moberg’s classic novel, previously brought to the screens by Jan Troell in 1971.

The film is the story of Kristina and her husband Karl-Oskar who emigrate from Sweden to America in the 1850s. Determined to flee poverty, religious persecution, and social oppression, they head across the Atlantic in search of a better life. Kon-Tiki’s Peter Skavlan is attached as scriptwriter.

SF Studios’ SVP of International Production Fredrik Wikström Nicastro told nordicfilmandtvnews.com: “we are still working on the script but we are also casting and location scouting.” The project will be co-produced by Norway’s Fantefilm, who collaborated previously with SF Studios on The Wave and the Oscar nominated A Man Called Ove.

Britt Marie Was Here is SF Studios’ next big project after A Man Called Ove, based again on a novel by best-selling author Fredrik Backman. Scandinavia’s top actress Tuva Novotny (Borg vs McEnroe) who tested her directing skills on the Norwegian drama series Lilyhammer and Dag, will make her feature directorial debut with this heart-warming story about finding love and second chances in the most unlikely of places.

The socially-awkward and fussy Britt-Marie has to rebuild her life in the small town of Borg after having walked out of her 40-year marriage and unfaithful husband. She has to find a job and although she hates football, she applies for a position as coach for a children’s football team. Meanwhile, a handsome local police officer makes a move on her. The script will be adapted by Maria von Heland (Big Girls Don’t Cry) and Øysten Karlsen (Dag). 

The comedy drama is produced by Nicklas Wikström Nicastro and Gustav Oldén of SF Studios, in co-production with John M. Jacobsen of Filmkameratene in Norway.