The Berlinale’s Drama Series Days will present two Nordic high end TV dramas among seven international projects selected for the ‘CoPro Series Pitching’ session.

State of Happiness (Lykkeland) produced by Maipo Film for NRK was just backed by Nordisk Film & TV Fond with a NOK 4M grant towards its NOK 96M (around €10M) budget. The 8x45’ series was pre-sold to DR and YLE.

Mette M. Bølstad (Nobel) has written the script based on a concept by Siv Rajendram Eliassen (Occupied). The idea originates from producer Synnøve Hørsdal. Petter Næss (Elling) directs, together with Pål Jackman. State of Happiness focuses on four young people in a small town in Norway. The story begins right before the first big discovery of oil, and we follow the main characters through the whirlwind of opportunity and change that follows. According to Hørsdal, shooting is set to start in May 2017. DR Sales handles world distribution.

Warrior (6x48’) produced by Miso Film for TV2 Denmark will be presented in co-operation with Series Mania in Paris. Created and directed by Christoffer Boe (Reconstruction), the show tells the story of a former soldier who struggles to find his way back into society after returning home from war. When he learns that a friend and fellow former soldier has committed suicide, he sets out to learn the truth behind his death.

Producer and Miso Film co-founder Peter Bose told nordicfilmandtvnews.com: “Warrior is entirely Christoffer’s vision. With this series, we are raising the level of what we’ve done so far in TV Drama, both budget-wise [the 6-part series has a budget of DKK 40/around €6.4M] and talent-wise. “This is essential in today’s competitive market, if we want to remain among the leading Scandinavian TV drama producers and to continue to attract international interest.”

The names of top Danish talent will be announced within the next couple of weeks and shooting is expected to start in May says Bose. Freemantle International handles world sales.

This year’s Drama Series Days in Berlin (February 13-15) will be held at the new Zoo Palast Cinema. For the first time, a conference programme will explore the latest trends in TV Drama.
The full list of TV drama screenings will be announced on January 31. For further information, check: www.berlinale.de