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FUNDING Nordic countries

The Nordisk Film & TV Fond selects seven Nordic titles to boost

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- “A broad spectrum of genres” is represented in the package of Nordic projects that will receive development support and take part in two residential workshops

The Nordisk Film & TV Fond selects seven Nordic titles to boost
Director Olivier Guerpillon, whose Car:y is being backed by the Nordic Genre Boost initiative

Out of 61 applications, the Nordisk Film & TV Fond – the Oslo-based promotional and top-financing fund for film and TV productions from the five Nordic countries – has chosen seven projects for the third and final round of the Nordic Genre Boost initiative.

“The selection encompasses a broad spectrum of genres, including a notable number of thrillers going beyond the extraordinary,” said the fund’s managing director, Petri Kemppinen, of the package. Each film will receive €23,000 in development support and access to two residential workshops with tutoring in script development, sales, post-production and packaging. The first will take place at Finland’s Night Visions International Film Festival in Helsinki between 5 and 9 April – a gathering that focuses on horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action and cult cinema – and the second at the New Nordic Films Co-Production and Finance Market during the Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund between 22 and 25 August.

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The 2017 Nordic Genre Boost selection includes: 

Car:y – Olivier Guerpillon (France/Sweden); screenplay: Olivier Guerpillon; producer: Frida Hallberg, for Silver Films (Sweden). Set in contemporary Sweden, it revolves around a little robot and unfolds into a ghost story. Blending the Nordic supernatural tradition of ghosts and nature mysticism with high-tech elements, it is reminiscent of modern horror films.

Cold – Thora Hilmarsdóttir (Iceland); screenplay: Snjolaug Ludviksdóttir; producer: Eva Sigurdardóttir, for Askja Films. The sci-fi movie takes place in Iceland, after the sun suddenly disappears into a black hole and the Earth is plunged into darkness. The film follows a family of eight trying to survive the harsh conditions that ensue. 

Eleanor – Jonas Arnby (Denmark); screenplay: David Sandreuter; producers: Ditte Milsted and Jacob Jarek, for Profile Pictures. A thriller with horror elements, it follows a woman who kills her husband after he terrorises her psychologically. But his ghost reappears, and she needs to confront her tormentor once again to be truly liberated.

Lamb – Valdimar Jóhansson (Iceland); screenplay: Sjón; producer: Hrönn Kristinsdóttir. A drama-fantasy project about Maria and Ingvar, a childless couple of Icelandic sheep farmers in their early forties, who experience an unexpected change in their lives that brings them much joy before it ultimately destroys them.

Pukk – Øyvind Holtmon (Norway); screenplay: Øyvind Holtmon; producer: Kristoffer Sindre Vittersø, for Vittersø Media. Described as “a dark comedy with desperate characters, a sombre atmosphere and a serious theme – an unusual, exciting story with thriller elements, and a subtle, direct and absurd brand of humour”, it is set in a village where a giant quarry operates around the clock.

The Prayer – Ulrika Bengst (Finland); screenplay: Heli Tamminen; producer: Essi Haukkamaa, for Greenlit Productions. A psychological horror-thriller, it follows two 12-year-old children who create their own morals in the absence of adults. Their life is filled with fear and loss, yet they seem to escape the horrors by making up their own imaginary worlds. 

The Sex Trap – Marie Kristiansen (Norway); screenplay: Sofie Lersol; producer: Stian Tveiten, for Friland Produksjon. A thriller about 17-year-old outcast Amalie, whose life changes forever when she meets the reckless and manipulative Viktoria. Together they start tricking men into sex traps for money, but their routine starts going wrong.

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