08/11/2011

As this year’s American Film Market in Los Angeles comes to a close (November 9), Danish international sales agency TrustNordisk has reported strong interest for Danish director Christian E. Christiansen’s ID:A [+see also:
trailer
film profile], a psychological thriller starring Tuva Novotny as a woman in search of her own identity.

The Louise Vesth production for Zentropa Entertainments was licensed to UK distributor Chelsea Films, a genre label of Curzon Artificial Eye, after having previously been picked up by Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) (Germany), Kino Swiat (Poland), Sonamu Pictures (Korea) and Calinos Entertainment (Turkey, Cyprus).

At the beginning of 2011, Christiansen’s first US picture, The Roommate, went straight to No 1 on the American charts; after the first weekend on 2,800 screens it had grossed $15 million, which covered the film’s production costs. ID:A will be launched domestically on 24 November by Nordisk Film Distribution AB .

At the AFM, TrustNordisk also sold Danish director Mikkel Nørgaard’s Clown: The Movie [+see also:
trailer
film profile] for the US market through Drafthouse Films, the distribution arm of Alamo Drafthouse. Also produced by Louise Vesth for Zentropa Entertainments, the film became a 2010-2011 local blockbuster, taking 855,000 admissions.

A spin-off from a local television show, starring Danish comedians Casper Christensen and Frank Hvam, Clown:The Movie won for Best Comedy at America’s leading genre festival, Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. ”It embodies the bold and diverse slate we plan to release,” said Drafthouse founder Tim League.

Swedish sales outfit Svensk Filmindustri AB launched the return of Sweden’s most famous secret agent Carl Hamilton in Danish director Kathrine Windfeld’s Hamilton: In the Interest of the Nation - the character was previously portrayed by Peter Stormare in a 2001 TV mini-series, and is now played by Mikael Persbrandt.

Produced by Johan Mardell for Pampas Produktion with Sweden’s TV4, the first of three thrillers with the Jan Guillou character was sold to ZDF (for Germany), Lumière (Benelux) and Sonamu Pictures (Korea). It will be followed by In Her Majesty’s Service and But Not if It Concerns Your Daughter.

Persbrandt also stars as Finnish-Swedish police detective Joona Linna in Swedish Hollywood-director Lasse Hallström’s first film in his native Sweden since 1987 The Hypnotist, introducing a series of eight thrillers from Lars Kepler’s – or Alexandra Coelho-Alexander Ahndoril’s - bestselling novels.

At the AFM the Börje Hansson, Peter Possne and Bertil Ohlsson production for Svensk and its subsidiary, Sonet Film was acquired by StudioCanal (for the UK), EAP (Eastern Europe), Alfa Films (Argentina) and Lev Films (Israel). Principal photography is scheduled to start in January 2012.