The Danish crime series starring The Legacy’s Carsten Bjørlund and Marie Bach Hansen just finished shooting for Deluca Film.

Paris-based Newen Connect (distribution arm of Newen, owned by TF1 Group) will handle global sales, outside the Nordic region. The deal was negotiated with Karine Atlan, the company’s Head of Acquisitions & International Co-Productions.

The eight-part series directed by Tilde Harkamp (Pros & Cons) was commissioned by TV2 Denmark, with co-financing from Yle in Finland, NRK in Norway and TV4/C More in Sweden, with support among others from Nordisk Film & TV Fond. The premiere is set for next year.

White Sands (Hvide Sande) is based on a screenplay by A.J. Kazinski, best-selling writing duo Anders Rønnow Klarlund and Jacob Weinreich (The Last Good Man) who have lived in the Danish seaside community of Hvide Sande (‘White Sands’) where the story is set and were deeply inspired by the surroundings and its inhabitants. “We were looking for the pulse of the city and the area for White Sands’ soul and unique tone,” say the writers, whose ambition is “to create a romantic, exciting, warm and humorous TV series that does the city full justice”.

Danish top actors Carsten Bjørnlund (The Legacy, Rita) and Marie Bach Hansen (The Team, The Legacy) play respectively German detective Thomas and Danish cop Helene, who are both down in the doldrums after turning their backs on love. Assigned to work together on a crime investigation in the picture-perfect but tight-knit seaside community of White Sands, they are forced to live as a couple as they carry out a tough job. They gradually come to terms with one another-in life and in love-in this strange yet beautiful surfer town surrounded by odd and dangerous people.

“Newen Connect were quick to see potential in A.J. Kazinski’s series White Sands, along with our Scandinavian broadcasting partners”, said producer David Østerbøg of Deluca Film. “It is wonderful that we are now joining forces to fulfil this potential and we are very happy to be working with the great distribution team at Newen”.

Mette Vorm, Senior Editor, International Content & Distribution at TV2 Denmark added: “We look forward to presenting White Sands on TV2 Denmark, as well as in the Nordic countries where the series has been picked up already. But in addition to the Nordics, we believe that White Sands has an international potential, and that it will be of interest to viewers around the world. Therefore we are excited that it is such a committed and strong player as Newen Connect that will be bringing it to them.”

Newen has other Nordic series in its eclectic slate including the Danish drama DNA and is shareholder of Danish prominent production company Nimbus Film.

Meanwhile Åarhus-based Deluca Film is enjoying the success in Danish cinemas of Christian Dyekjær’ family film All I Want for Christmas 2 (Julemandens datter 2), which has received very good reviews in the Danish press including 4 stars in the leading media outlets Politiken, Ekstrabladet and Jullands-posten. The film launched November 12 by Scanbox opened at number 5, with more than 22,000 admissions. It premiered today Friday in Norway. All I Want for Christmas 2 was backed by Nordisk Film & TV Fond.