Kjartan Thor Thordarson, CEO of one of Iceland’s leading production companies, has opened a Stockholm branch, Sagafilm Nordic to develop projects with international partners.

Thordarson told nordiskfilmogtvfond.com: “Sagafilm has been producing successfully for all Icelandic channels original entertainment and scripted formats (The Press, The Night Shift series) for many years, alongside documentaries and feature films. Our focus remains TV drama, but chances to grow domestically have been hampered by the national stations’ ability to pay the full production cost for local series. At the same time, there is a huge appetite from foreign broadcasters for original scripted drama and remake opportunities. Iceland is very attractive for foreign shoots with its 20% tax rebate and we can board projects as co-producers, which is why we have opened Sagafilm Nordic. Our goal is to up the game by accessing different markets from Stockholm where we will develop more ambitious projects with international partners and handle our remakes around the world.”

Projects in various stages of development and production include.
- Case (9x45’), a spin-off of its popular in-house TV drama Réttur (The Court), focusing on the main character, infamous lawyer Logi Traustason (Magnús Jónsson). Baldvin Z (Life in a Fishbowl) is directing the dramatic thriller set to start filming in April (see other news story about supported projects).
- Stella (6x45’/3x90’), an adaptation of a best-selling crime novel written by Stella Blomkvist. The €3m project will be co-produced by a major German partner.
-The Minister is a political drama developed for RUV
-The Press (Pressa) Season 4 will be produced for Channel 2 and directed again by Óskar Jónasson (Reykjavik-Rotterdam).
- The Nightshift series currently being readapted for Sweden, Germany, France, the UK and the US.

Rounding up Sagafilm’s projects is the feature film project 800, a Viking movie about the first Icelanders, to be directed by Björn Br. Björnsson (Cold Trail).