SVT’s The Days the Flowers Blossom, NRK’s Helium (picked up by Beta Film) and TV2 Norway’s Kieler Street have received a total of NOK 6.8 million from Nordisk Film & TV Fond. 

The Days the Flowers Blossom (De dagar som blommorna blommar) produced by SVT Drama was granted NOK 2.3 million. The Swedish mini-series of 3x60’ is the third collaboration between writer Jonas Gardell, director Simon Kajser and producer Maria Nordenberg, the trio behind The Half Hidden (2009) and Don’t Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves (2012).

The creators continue to explore the theme of loss and how to deal with it. The drama follows three families - the Munksås, Törnblad and Elofsson, from the late 1970s to present day, through love, loss and shattering events, seen through the eyes of three friends and former neighbours.

Gardell says The Days the Flowers Blossom is about the unbearable frailty of life, but also about the illusion of controlling one’s life and destiny. The stellar ensemble cast includes Rasmus Luthander, Sofia Pekkari, Eva Röse, Anja Lundqvist, Johan Rheborg, Ulf Friberg, Jacob Ericksson, Magnus Krepper and Torkel Pettersson.

Filming started January and the premiere on SVT is set for the end of 2018. SVT International handles world sales.

Helium (13x14’) produced by Fabelaktiv, Norway was granted NOK 1.7 million. The dramedy produced for NRK Super reunites the co-writers of the Trio youth series Trond Morten Venaasen and the late Morten Hovland, as well as directors Liv Karin Dahlstrøm (Match) and Mikal Hovland.

In the series for 7-11 years-old, the main character Martin (12) wants to be as normal as possible and is embarrassed by his family, whom he thinks are barking mad. Martin falls in love with Dalia, but every time he goes to talk to her he gets a helium voice. He tries to appear as normal as possible to Dalia and her family. But the more he tries, the further he pushes Dalia away. In the end, he has to take a leap of faith and trust that he is good enough as he is.

Fabelaktiv’s Producer Arild Halvorsen said: “We want to create an entertaining series that addresses one of the most important existential questions in a person’s life: "Who am I? The series is about identity and raises universal issues connected to love, friendship and the acceptance of family.”

Helium is co-produced by Germany’s NDR and received co-financing from DR, YLE among others, and support from the Norwegian Film Institute. Beta Film (attached to NRK Super’s cult series Skam) handles world distribution. Filming starts this month until May. The premiere on NRK is set for September 2018.

Kieler Street (10x45’) produced by Anagram Norway, was granted NOK 2.8 million. ITV International handles world distribution. The character-driven drama thriller is directed by Patrik Syversen (Manhunt, Hellfjord), co-writer with Jesper Sundnes and Stig Frode Henriksen. Thorbjørn Harr plays Jonas, a former criminal who has assumed a new identity and lives in Scandinavia’s least criminal town, but the façade starts falling apart when he realises that several other inhabitants have hidden identities.

Scandi co-stars include Anneke von der Lippe (Eyewitness), Nicolai Cleve Broch (Acquitted), Johan Rheborg (Solsidan) Andrea Bræin Hovig (All the Beauty) and Janne Heltberg (Occupied). Anagram Norway’s Anne Kobjørnsen (Lilyhammer executive producer) produces together with Ole Marius Araldsen, showrunner of Eyewitness and Maniac. The show started filming last month.