Nordic comedy shows Mister8, Countrymen win big at Canneseries

The major awards both to Mister8 produced by Finland’s It’s Alive Films for Elisa Viihde, and Countrymen, produced by Norway’s Rubicon Television for NRK/Arte France, are shining examples of the Nordic region’s excellence in steadily delivering top quality and engaging TV shows across a wide range of genres, despite the heating up of premium scripted content from all around the globe.

Indeed, this is the second year in a row that the Nordics grab Best TV series in a main programme where 10 handpicked high-end international TV shows were vying for the top honours.

Last year the Best Series-award winner was Sweden’s crime show Partisan (Warner Bros. ITP/Viaplay) and in 2018, Norway’s State of Happiness (Maipo/NRK) won Best Screenplay and Best Music.

Speaking about Mister8 to Variety, Albin Lewi, Canneseries artistic director said: ‘Scripted drama is really a model where great talent can come from anywhere, and the codes change all the time…you can’t anticipate that a black-and white, very funny and cynical Finnish comedy would beat out all contenders,” he said.

Mister8 stars Krista Kosonen as businesswoman Maria whose private life is split between contractually-binding relationships with seven men-one for each day of the week, until a certain Mister 8 - played by Pekka Strang - brings havoc to the well-oiled relationship machinery.

The series was co-created by director Teemu Nikki and producer Jani Pösö.

READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR AND CAST - CLICK HERE.

Federation Entertainment who was selling Mister8’s ready-made and format at Mipcom, said the series has attracted a lot of interest, notably for potential remakes. Prolific co-creators Nikki and Pösö said a second season is in their pipeline.

“It’s such a fun concept,” said Nikki who just won an Audience award at Venice Orizzonti Extra for the film A Blind Man Who Didn’t Want to See Titanic.” I would like for season 2 to turn the table around and describe the events, not through Mister 8, but through Maria’s eyes,” he told nordicfilmandtvnews.com.

Mister8 season 1 premiered on the Finnish streamer Elisa Viihde Viaplay last January.

Meanwhile the Norwegian comedy drama Countrymen (Jordbrukerne) won a Special Prize for its ensemble cast and the High School Prize for Best Series.

“It is surprising, touching and completely unique that the award for best actor goes to our entire wonderfully diverse ensemble cast,” said NRK project manager Tone Rønning who underlined the top talent behind and in front of the camera who stretched themselves to achieve such a result.

The fish-out-of-water comedy drama co-created by Anne Bjørnstad (Rubicon Head of Creative) and director Izer Aliu, follows a group of Muslim men with dubious plans, who move from Oslo to a farm in Telemark and unexpectedly turn into halal cheesemakers.

The high concept comedy supported by Nordisk Film & TV Fond premieres October 21 on NRK.

READ OUR INTERVIEW: CLICK HERE.

Elsewhere, the German legal drama The Allegation produced by Moovie for TV Now/Vox, grabbed Best Screenplay and Dior Grand Prize.​