13/09/2007

Swedish filmmaker Johan Kling – whose directorial debut Darling [+see also:
trailer
film profile] will screen at San Sebastian (September 20-29) in the Zabaltegi section – has partnered with Fredrik Heinig and Johannes Åhlund in the new production outfit St Paul.

Heinig and Åhlund were previously co-owners of Spader Knekt, a successful Swedish production company of commercials and innovative TV programmes, which also produced Kling’s first short film Jag and its feature film spin-off Darling, winner of the Nordic Film Award in Göteborg 2007.

Whereas Spader Knekt was predominantly active in television, St Paul’s output will be split 50/50 between commercials and feature films. “We’ve shown with Darling the kind of quality, original films we want to make,” says Heinig. “We want to raise the bar for Swedish films, make quality films with directors who know exactly what they want and have a vision. We will also continue to make films without compromising the artistic side for financial reasons”.

St Paul has two feature film projects planned for 2008. Kling will team-up again with the lead actors in Darling, Michelle Meadows and Michael Segerström, but will turn to comedy. “The film will be an ensemble piece about eight characters – mostly women – in a theatre group. It will be a bit of a low comedy for highbrow people,” explained Kling.

The second feature film will be directed by Kristian Petri, whose international breakthrough came in 1995 with his directorial debut Between Summers, selected in the Directors Fortnight in Cannes. He also directed Details, winner of three Guldbagge awards in 2004, and the acclaimed documentary film The Well in 2005.

His new feature film Ond tro (Bad Faith), based on a script by Magnus Dahlström, will be a horror film about a woman who becomes obsessed by a serial killer. Ond tro should start filming next summer and Kling’s new comedy in the autumn 2008.