29/09/2022 - We discover some more details about three of the projects close to completion that were showcased at this year’s gathering in Sweden

Director Fredrik Gertten and producer Margarete Jangård pitching their work in progress, Breaking Social

On 25 September, Nordisk Panorama (22-27 September) hosted the Work-in-Progress presentations of six nearly finished documentaries. The projects were presented to a group of international and Nordic decision makers at a tailor-made event held at Malmö’s Scandic Triangeln. In this article, we explore the details of three of these projects.

Breaking Social – Fredrik Gertten (Sweden)
The pitch was introduced by the director, who asked the audience, “Why are people so angry in so many countries?” The project revolves around the social contract (“the rules that we follow and that some don’t”) and focuses, in particular, on the patterns of corruption and kleptocracy erasing the social fabric, which is then followed by social uprisings. We find out that in Chile, a new direction is being taken, spearheaded by young women. Gertten presented four exclusive clips, in which we travel through different countries and meet important witnesses. Among them are Matthew Caruana Galizia, son of late journalist Daphne, and Christian Smalls, president and founder of the Amazon Labor Union. The picture is being produced by Margarete Jangård for Sweden’s WG Film AB.

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In Reality – Milja-Liina Moilanen and Eveliina Pasanen (Finland)
In this feature, produced by Elli Toivoniemi and Juha Löppönen for Helsinki-based outfit Tuffi Films, we zoom in on Eevis, Mira and Meiju, who participated in different reality shows and, instead of having the time of their lives, were publicly humiliated. These experiences drive the women to embark on a journey to reclaim their self image and speak their truth. Among the project’s backers are AVEK, the European Union’s Creative Europe – MEDIA programme and the Finnish Film Foundation. During the presentation, the directors announced that a first cut would be finalised soon.

Good Banks, Bad Banks – Margrét Jónasdóttir, Jakob Halldórsson and Bosse Lindquist (Iceland)
Labelled as “a story of vast financial success, unlimited confidence and sometimes criminality, fearless whistleblowing, brave honesty, and deep-rooted respect for justice”, and produced by Margrét Jónasdóttir for one of the country’s most prominent studios, Sagafilm, the feature covers the story of the 2008 Icelandic banking crisis. It focuses, in particular, on how the Nordic nation has decided to deal with the crash. In the few clips shown during the presentation, we saw the “talking heads” of a few crucial characters from those days, including lawyer and activist Katrín Oddsdóttir, Yale lecturer Sigridur Benediktsdottir and Ólafur Þór Hauksson, the Sheriff of Akranes tasked with investigating the crisis after no one applied for the job. Moreover, the picture includes exclusive interviews with some other protagonists of the crash, yet to be disclosed.