The 20th Nordic Film Market in Göteborg, unspooling Jan. 31-Feb 3, will showcase 16 works in progress including Hlynur Pálmason’s “A White, White Day”, Grímur Hákonarson’s “The County”, Mikael Håfström’s “The Perfect Patient” and Jesper Ganslandt’s “438 Days.”
Iceland is well represented this year with top directors and festival darlings Pálmason (“Winter Brothers”), Hákonarson (“Rams”) as well as “Volcano”’s Rúnar Rúnarsson, who will pitch their latest projects at Göteborg’s Biopalatset where last year Benedikt Erlingsson first introduced “Woman at War.”
“I simply had to select the three films by Pálmason, Hákonarson and Rúnarsson as they are on the top list of many festival programmers and buyers and their films are very different from one other, displaying the wide breath of talents from Iceland,” said Nordic Film Market’s head of industry Cia Edström.
“A White, White Day” stars Ingvar E. Sigurðsson (“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”) as an off-duty police chief, obsessed with a man whom he suspects had an affair with his wife, who just died in a car crash.
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Hákonarson ‘s “The County” is the story of a woman who has to stand on her own feet when her husband passes away. The film is sold by New Europe Film Sales.
Rùnarsson will pitch the hybrid pic “Echo” selected for Cannes’s Cinéfondation Atelier 2018. France’s Jour2Fête handles sales.
Academy-Award nominated Mikael Håfström will bring the psycho-thriller “The Perfect Patient” starring David Dencik, Jonas Karlsson and Alba August, under TrustNordisk’s banner, while fellow Swedish director Jesper Ganslandt will present the drama “438 Days,” based on the true story of two Swedish journalists who were imprisoned in Ethiopia before being released. SF Studios handles sales.
Edström singles out two second features by female directors to watch out for: “Disco”, by Norwegian helmer Jorunn Myklebust Syversen (“The Tree Feller”’), about a world champion in freestyle disco dance, and “My Life as a Comedian” by Roja Sekersöz (“Beyond Dreams”), a coming of age tale written by Jonas Gardell, licensed by Yellow Affair.
Besides the works in progress, 11 films in development will bow in the Discovery section, such as “The Quite Migration” by Marlene Choi (“The Return”) and “The Nation” by Anton Källrot (“The Modern Project”).
CREDIT: TrustNordisk
Finished films to be screened to Nordic Film Market’s 300-plus participants include Sundance selections “Queen of Hearts”, “Koko-d- Koko-da”, Göteborg fest opening film “Aurora” and closing film “Swoon”.
More than 300 delegates are expected in Göteborg, a very solid number for Edström, considering the head-to-head competition from Sundance and Rotterdam.
Among the industry reps announced are 72 buyers, such as heavyweights Anatol Chavez of U.S. distribution shingle Synergetic and Netflix’s Funa Maduka and Lina Brouneus, all attending for the first time. “Lina Brouneus is very keen to check the latest features from the Nordics,” notes Edström. “Many talented directed/writers keep shifting from film to TV drama and vice-versa. It’s important for the major streaming services to track who’s doing what and next to TV drama, feature film is also in their sightline to beef up their libraries.”
Brouneus will deliver a keynote at Göteborg’s other industry sidebar, TV Drama Vision, held Jan.30-31.
THE NORDIC FILM MARKET’S 2019 WORKS IN PROGRESS:
“438 Days” by Jesper Ganslandt, Miso Film, Sweden
“A Perfectly Normal Family” by Malou Reymann, Nordisk Film, Denmark
“A Piece of My Heart” by Edward af Sillén, Unlimited Stories, Sweden
“A White, White Day” by Hlynur Pálmason, Join Motion Pictures, Iceland
“Dogs Don’t Wear Pants” by J.P. Valkeapää, Helsinki filmi, Finland
“Disco” by Jorunn Myklebust Syversen, Mer Film, Norway
“Echo” by Rúnar Rúnarsson, Nimbus Iceland, Iceland
“Him” by Gur Bruusgaard, Alternativet, Norway
“Livet med tandsmør” by Magnus Milland, Miso Film, Denmark
“My Life as a Comedian” by Rojda Sekersöz, Anagram, Sweden
“The County” by Grímur Hákonarson, Netop Films, Iceland
“The Domestique” by Jannicke Systad Jacobsen, Ape & Björn, Norway
“The Exception” by Jesper W. Nielsen, Fridthjof Film, Denmark
“The Perfect Patient” by Mikael Håfström, Brain Academy, Sweden
“The Spy” by Jens Jonsson, 4 ½, Norway
“Valhalla” by Fenar Ahmed, Profile Pictures, Denmark