29/10/2013 - Swedish director Tomas Alfredson’s new version of Swedish author Astrid Lindgren’s children’s fantasy novel – and another seven new features – will get production funding from the Swedish Film Institute

Swedish director Tomas Alfredson’s (photo) updated adaption of The Brothers Lionheart - Swedish author Astrid Lindgren’s 1973 children’s fantasy novel – received a lion’s share of €1.3 million, when the Swedish Film Institute announced a €5.7 million package of production funding for eight new films. Alfredson will team-up again with Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist and the UK’s Peter Straughan, who were nominated for the Oscar for Alfredson’s latest movie, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy [+see also:
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Lindgren’s novel follows two brothers, Karl and Jonatan Lion; Karl is dying from tuberculosis, but Jonatan comforts him – after death they will meet in the country of Nangijala. Jonatan dies first in a fire, however, Karl follows, and in Nangijala they join the resistance against the Black Knight Tengil, who rules with the help of Katla, the dragon. When it was published, Ingmar Bergman was interested in filming it, but Lindgren was faithful and insisted on Olle Hellbom, who had already adapted 15 of her books. Although 11-rated, it took 550,000 admissions domestically, and it became one of the largest international successes of Swedish cinema – it was the first Swedish film to be sold for Chinese distribution. Alfredson’s interpretation will be produced by Peter Gustafson, for Brothers Lionheart.

Swedish director Ruben Östlund, whose Play [+see also:
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interview: Ruben Östlund
interview: Ruben Ostlund
film profile] (2011) garnered him two Guldbagger – Sweden’s national film prize – for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, also received €1.3 million support for Tourist, about a Swedish family on a skiing holiday. The director promises “the most spectacular avalanche scene in film history” in the Erik Hemmendorff-Marie Kjellsson production for Platform. Swedish director Ella Lemhagen collected €0.9 million for bringing Swedish author Max Lundgren’s 1967 international best seller, The Boy with the Golden Trousers, to the screen. Fredrik Wikström Nicastro will produce for Tre Vänner.

The package also included two international co-productions: German director Wim Wenders’ Every Thing Will Be Fine – scripted by Norwegian writer Bjørn Olaf Johannessen – which Neue Road Movies will co-produce with Sweden’s Götafilm; and Danish director Ole Christian Madsen’sItsi Bitsi, a Nimbus Film production joined by Sweden’s Bleck Film & TV.