News

Picture Tree International has boarded international sales and debuted the trailer for Miia Tervo’s upcoming comedy “The Missile,” set to world premiere at Göteborg’s just-announced Nordic Competition.

Produced by Finland’s Kaisla Viitala and Daniel Kuitunen (Elokuvayhtio Komeetta) and co-produced by Estonia’s Johanna Paulson and Evelin Penttilä (Stellar Film), the film will be distributed in Scandinavia by Aurora Studios. Hannu-Pekka Björkman, Tommi Korpela, Pyry Kähkönen and Jarkko Niemi are also in the cast.

Tervo’s second feature after the award-winning “Aurora” – which opened the Swedish fest back in 2019 – teases a “uniquely crafted mix of political satire, heartfelt comedy and kitchen-sink drama, rooted in Northern brevity and melancholy,” according to its description.

Starring Oona Airola (pictured above in a first-look image), the film kicks off in Finkand’s Lapland in 1984, when an unexpected Soviet missile incident disrupts the tranquil life of single mother Niina.

Soon, she joins a...

Seasoned Finnish producer Ilkka Matila of Mrp Matila Röhr has signed with Estonia’s Taska Film and locked early support from the Finnish Film Institute and local commercial channel MTV3 for the 2.7m film “Between the Hammer and the Sickle.” Nordisk Film holds Scandinavian rights.

To be pitched on Aug. 24 at the Nordic Co-Production Market in Haugesund, Norway, the title will be one of Matila’s most defining projects, a feature which he believes will stay, along the lines of the multi-awarded “Mother of Mine” or “The Eternal Road.”

“Between the Hammer and the Sickle” will be one of the first features ever to portray Finland’s illustrious former president Urho Kekkonen. Head of state for nearly 26 years, Kekkonen served as the longest-serving Finnish president from 1956 until 1981 and masterminded his country’s policy of neutrality, keeping at bay the threatening Soviet Union with which Finland shares 800 miles of border.

“I...

Seven feature-length fiction films, three documentaries and two shorts have received close to €4.2 million in production aid. March has already got off to a good start in Finland, with 12 new titles being granted Finnish Film Foundation backing as part of the 50/50 production support scheme – aimed at productions with high audience appeal. Jussi-winning director Aleksi Salmenperä, now developing Bubble with Minna Haapkylä, of Rabbit Films, was granted €800,000, while Markku Pölönen will focus on Hamsters, following the successful run of his previous historical drama, Land of Hope. Popular franchises also keep going strong, with Lapland Odyssey 4 given €700,000 and Mika Kaurismäki taking over the third part of the successful Grump series, about a cranky yet ultimately rather loveable older man. Produced by Jukka Helle,...

Indian streaming major Disney+ Hotstar has put the wheels in motion on major new project Special Ops Universe, a multi-series spin-off format of its recent espionage thriller Special Ops. Created by Neeraj Pandey, the project will span numerous incarnations, including Special Ops season 1.5: The Himmat Story, which will tell the back story of Kay Kay Menon’s character Himmat Singh. Like Special Ops, the show will be shot across multiple international locations. “Within weeks of its launch, Special Ops emerged as one of the biggest shows of 2020,” said Sunil Rayan, President of Disney+ Hotstar. “We’re excited to venture in this nonlinear format of storytelling that brings alive an entire universe; where stories and different characters can simultaneously co-exist. The scale at which this is being conceived is enormous and speaks of our passion for creating world-class entertainment for our audiences.”

Leading Nordic distributor Nordisk Film has signed a...

Nordisk Film has signed a development and distribution deal with Mrp Matila Röhr Productions, a leading Finnish production company launched 30 years ago by Marko Röhr and Ilkka Matila, two veteran industry players in Finland.

Under the deal, Nordisk Film will have exclusive distribution rights for the Nordic territories to Mrp’s upcoming features, kicking off with “Hamsters,” a drama-comedy produced directed by Markku Pölönen, Klaus Härö’s “Never Alone,” and the animated title “Malcolm Rocks.”

The pact also gives Nordisk Film the rights to Mrp’s library of 43 titles for the Scandinavian territories.

“Hamsters,” which is currently in pre-production, is based on Veikko Huovinen’s book. “Never Alone,” meanwhile, is based on the true story of a man who fought to help Jewish refugee seekers in 1942. ‘It is the story of an unusual friendship and political power based on the memoirs of the journalist Maarit Tyrkkö,’ said Matila, who is producing the film.

Last year, Danish, Icelandic and Norwegian films triumphed with local audiences, fueling general attendance. In Sweden, local fare also upped their share of an overall sluggish market, while Finland had a quieter year after a record 2017. Everywhere “Mamma Mia-Here We Go Again” was number one except in Denmark where local films were back in favor.

Denmark

After two years of slide, Danish films were back in favour with local crowds, and boosted general admissions to 13 million (up 4.6%) and box office to Dkk 1.1 billion ($173 million). With 3.8 million admissions (up 34.2% from 2017), representing Dkk 290.9 million ($44.5 million) in revenue, local titles claimed a 29% market share, the success target just set in new Danish Film Agreement for 2019-2023.

“In a country like Denmark with a relatively small feature film production [21 films in 2018], the box office will inevitably vary from one year to the next,” commented Claus Ladegaard, CEO at the Danish Film Institute. The latter welcomed the...

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has announced the lineup for its 34th edition, which takes place from Jan. 30 to Feb. 9. Sixty-three world premieres will debut at the California fest, which is also hosting 59 U.S. premieres from 48 countries. “Diving Deep: The Life and Times of Mike deGruy” will open the festival, with “Spoons: A Santa Barbara Story” closing it.

Sbiff also serves as an awards-season stop, and this year’s honorees include Viggo Mortensen, Glenn Close, Melissa McCarthy, Yalitza Aparicio, Sam Elliott, Elsie Fisher, Claire Foy, Richard E. Grant, Thomasin McKenzie, John David Washington, Steven Yeun, and Michael B. Jordan.

Here’s the lineup:

Babysplitters, USA – World Premiere

Directed by Sam Friedlander

Better Together, USA – World Premiere

Directed by Isaac Hernández

The Bird Catcher, Norway, UK – World Premiere

Directed by Ross Clarke

Cemetery Park, USA – World Premiere

Directed by Brandon Alvis

Diving Deep: The Life and Times of Mike deGruy,...