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PRODUCTION Finland

Finnish state support for The Girl King - and a schlager singer with problems

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- The Finnish Film Foundation allocates production funding for six new features, including Mika Kaurismäki’s The Girl King and Tommi Korpela & Co’s Swedish Moment

Finnish state support for The Girl King - and a schlager singer with problems
Mika Kaurismäki

Finnish director Mika Kaurismäki last week (December 15) started principal photography for his €6.5 million The Girl King [+see also:
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, the historical biopic of 17th century Swedish Queen Kristina, who ruled from the age of seven till her abdication at 28 (as depicted by US director Ruben Mamoulian’s in his Queen Christina classic, with Greta Garbo in the lead).

Already supported by Eurimages and the Nordisk Film & TV Fond, Kaurismäki’s Marianna Films production received €0.5 million funding from the Finnish Film Foundation, which has chipped in a total of €1.9 for six new feature film projects. Starring Swedish actress Malin Buska, The Girl King will be co-produced with Germany’s Starhaus, France’s Arsam, Canada’s Triptych Media-Gala Film, and Sweden’s Anagram FilmSF Film Finland has scheduled the local release for January 9, 2015.

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Five Finnish actors, including Tommi Korpela who has twice won the Jussi – Finland’s national film prize – will direct Swedish Moment, following a Swedish schlager singer, adored by women, who is going on holiday with a few obstacles: a corpse in the trunk and a jealous psychopath wife. Scripted by Teemu Kaskinen, also on the directors’ team with Minna Haapkylä, Elina Knihtilä and HP Björkman, the Bufo production will shoot from January, to be premiered on October 31, 2014.

Most recently credited for Rat King [+see also:
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, Finnish director Petri Kotwica will next March start the shoot for Cross Your Hart, from his own and Johanna Hartikainen’s script. Martin and Kiia are speeding towards the hospital  - Kiia in premature labour – when their car hits something. At the hospital Kiia meets Hanna, whose husband is in a coma – the victim of a hit-and-run driver. Minna Virtanen will produce for Vertigo Production, and Nordisk Film Finland will release in the spring 2015.

The Finnish Film Foundation will also support two international co-productions: UK director Peter Greenaway’s Eisenstein in Guanajato, about the Russian filmmaker’s 1931 visit to Mexico, from UK’s Submarine and Finland’s Edith Film; and Swedish director Lisa Aschan’s horror drama, The Deposit, from Sweden’s Garagefilm and Finland’s Yellow Film & TV.

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