Goteborg’s Nordic Film Market to Showcase Films by Thomas Vinterberg, Charlotte Blom
By Elsa Keslassy
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – New films by Thomas Vinterberg, Charlotte Blom and Jonas Poher Rasmussen will be presented at the Goteborg Film Festival’s Nordic Film Market. In total, 16 films in post-production will be presented to industry participants in at the Nordic Film Market as part of the Work-in-Progress section. Half of the lineup is made up of first features.
Cia Edström, the head of the Nordic Film Market, said the industry showcase is seeing a big increase in participation this year. As many as 381 attendees from 25 countries so far have signed up for the event, including 37 sales agents, 67 festival programmers and 47 buyers. Edström noted the breadth and diversity of films and projects in this year’s program.
Vinterberg’s next film, “Another Round” is a modern drama starring Mads Mikkelsen. Represented in international markets by , the film follows a group of high school teachers who embark on an experiment to be intoxicated at a constant level throughout the working day. The anticipated Danish movie has already been picked up in several key territories. It’s produced by Sisse Graum Jørgensen and Kasper Dissing at Zentropa Entertainments3.
Charlotte Blom’s “Diana’s Wedding,” is produced by Synnøve Hørsdal at leading production banner Maipo Film. The story revolves around the family life of Liv and Terje who married in July 1981, the same day as Diana Spencer and Prince Charles.
The film explores their turbulent relationship and how it’s affecting the growth of their daughter. The film was written by Blom and Mette M Bølstad, whose credits include the critically acclaimed series “Nobel.” “Diana’s Wedding” marks Blom’s sophomore outing, following her directorial debut “Staying Alive.” There is no sales agent attached to the project at this stage.
Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s “Flee,” is a politically-engaged animated documentary film about the journey of a boy who travels with other refugees and arrives in Europe everyday. The film is produced by Monica Hellström and Signe Byrge Sørensen at Final Cut For Real and is being sold by Cinephil. “Flee” was presented at an earlier stage at Annecy’s work-in-progress section.
Another anticipated documentary film set for the Nordic Film Market’s work in progress include “Children of the Enemy” directed by Gorki Glaser-Müller. “Children of the Enemy” tells the story of Amanda Gonzales who converted to Islam when she was 18-year-old, got quickly radicalized and moved to Syria with her husband to join the terrorist group ISIS and became a high profile warrior recruiting for ISIS. The Swedish docu is produced by Cinenic and One Night Picture. “Children of the Enemy” doesn’t have a sales agent at this point.
The lineup also includes Yngvild Sve Flikke’s “Ninjababy,” a quirky comedy drama a about a 23-year-old woman who finds out she’s pregnant after a one-night stand and sees her life turned upside down. “Ninjababy” mixes animation and live action. The script was penned by Johan Fasting based on Inga H Sætre’s graphic novel “Fallteknik.” Motlys, the thriving production banner behind “Force Majeure” produced “Ninjababy.” TrustNordisk handles international sales.
Magnus von Horn’s “Sweat,” Teemu Nikki’s “A Blind Man Who Did Not Want To See Titanic,” Hamy Ramezan’s “Any Day Now,” Itonje Søimer Guttormsen’s “Burning Man,” Frida Kempff’s “Knockings,” Valdimar Jóhannsson’s “Lamb,” Lisa Jespersen’s “Persona non grata,” Eskil Vogt’s “The Innocent,” Oskar Mellander and Tord Danielsson’s “The Other Side” and Jonas Kærup Hjort’s “The Penultimate” complete the slate of work-in-progress.
The Nordic Film Market will also premiere completed films, some of which will play at the festival, notably Maria Bäck’s “Psychosis in Stockholm,” Jenni Toivoniemi’s “Games People Play” and Mårten Klingberg’s “My Father Mary Anne,” Henrik Schyffert’s “Uje,” Malou Reyman’s “A Perfectly Normal Familly,” Amanda Kernell’s “Charter.” Other completed movies set to play at the Nordic Film Market include “Ole Christian Madsen”‘s “The Day We Died,” Frelle Petersen’s “Uncle,” Antti J. Jokinen’s “Helene,” Pamela Tola’s “Ladies of Steel,” Kristín Jóhannesdóttir’s “Alma,” Ragnar Bragason’s “The Garden,” as well as “Thirst” by Steinþór Hróar Steinþórsson, Gaukur Úlfarsson, Ingvild Søderlind’s “Chica Chile Norway” and Lisa Aschan’s “Call Mom.”
A separate section dedicated to documentaries is also part of the Nordic Film Market program. Four docu films will premiere at the industry event, notably “The Self Portraitor” directed by Margreth Olin, Katje Høgset and Espen Wallin; and “Colombia in My Arms” directed by Jussi Rastas and Jenni Kivistö. “The Self Portraitor” and “Colombia in My Arms” are handled by Cinephil and Journeyman, respectively. The other two titles are Sven Blume’s “For Somebody Else” and David Aronowitsch’s “Idomeni” which don’t have a sales agent at this stage.
The Nordic Film Market will run Jan. 30- Feb. 2.
