Rolling off its buzzy world premiere at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, Oscar-nominated Icelandic filmmaker Rúnar Rúnarsson’s poignant drama “When The Light Breaks” has sold to a raft of territories.
Represented in international markets by The Party Film Sales, the movie has been picked up for Italy (Movies Inspired), Switzerland (Xenix), Norway (Arthaus), Denmark (Ost for Paradis), Finland (Cinemanse), Hungary (Vertigo), Greece (Cinobo), Israel (New Cinema), Poland (Aurora), Turkey (Bir Film) and Baltics (Estofilm). Cherry Pickers will release the film in Benelux, while Jour2fête will handle French theatrical distribution. The Party Film Sales is negotiating several deals.
As previously announced, The Party Film Sales is also selling Rúnarsson’s short film “O” which has just been completed.
While pitching the project at Goteborg Film Festival‘s work-in-progress showcase, Rúnarsson said he inspired by a personal event for “When the Light Breaks”. “Ever since experiencing the loss of a friend as a young man,...
Represented in international markets by The Party Film Sales, the movie has been picked up for Italy (Movies Inspired), Switzerland (Xenix), Norway (Arthaus), Denmark (Ost for Paradis), Finland (Cinemanse), Hungary (Vertigo), Greece (Cinobo), Israel (New Cinema), Poland (Aurora), Turkey (Bir Film) and Baltics (Estofilm). Cherry Pickers will release the film in Benelux, while Jour2fête will handle French theatrical distribution. The Party Film Sales is negotiating several deals.
As previously announced, The Party Film Sales is also selling Rúnarsson’s short film “O” which has just been completed.
While pitching the project at Goteborg Film Festival‘s work-in-progress showcase, Rúnarsson said he inspired by a personal event for “When the Light Breaks”. “Ever since experiencing the loss of a friend as a young man,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Paris-based The Party Film Sales and Heather Millard of Iceland’s Compass Films have reunited with “When the Light Breaks” director Rúnar Rúnarsson on his next poetic filmic venture “O.”
The Icelandic film “When the Light Breaks” is due to open Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section May 15.
Headlining Iceland’s major international star Ingvar E. Sigurðsson (“A White, White Day,” “Fantastic Beasts, the Crimes of Grindelwald”), the 20-minute film “O” is a “humanistic and poetic story of a fragile man, trying to achieve a simple task where his main obstacle is within himself,” according to the official logline.
“We’re very excited to also accompany Rúnar on his new short film,” said The Party Film Sales’ Samuel Blanc. “O” and “When the Light Breaks” have a lot in common and resonate with each other. We’re confident distributors will be interested in programming both films in tandem: in the frame of special screenings,...
The Icelandic film “When the Light Breaks” is due to open Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section May 15.
Headlining Iceland’s major international star Ingvar E. Sigurðsson (“A White, White Day,” “Fantastic Beasts, the Crimes of Grindelwald”), the 20-minute film “O” is a “humanistic and poetic story of a fragile man, trying to achieve a simple task where his main obstacle is within himself,” according to the official logline.
“We’re very excited to also accompany Rúnar on his new short film,” said The Party Film Sales’ Samuel Blanc. “O” and “When the Light Breaks” have a lot in common and resonate with each other. We’re confident distributors will be interested in programming both films in tandem: in the frame of special screenings,...
- 5/14/2024
- by Annika Pham
- Variety Film + TV
NonStop Entertainment has acquired Nordic distribution rights to Mattias J Skoglund’s upcoming horror The Home [working title].
The film will begin production in Gotland, Sweden in spring, produced by Siri Hjorton Wagner for [sic] film. LevelK is handling international sales.
The Home is based on Mats Strandberg’s 2017 novel of the same name, about a man who returns to his small town to care for his dementia-stricken mother, as she experiences terrifying visions of her late abusive husband.
Strandberg is adapting his book in collaboration with Skoglund; co-producers are Elina Litvinova of Three Brothers and Heather Millard of Compass Films. Financing comes from the Svenska Filminstitutet,...
The film will begin production in Gotland, Sweden in spring, produced by Siri Hjorton Wagner for [sic] film. LevelK is handling international sales.
The Home is based on Mats Strandberg’s 2017 novel of the same name, about a man who returns to his small town to care for his dementia-stricken mother, as she experiences terrifying visions of her late abusive husband.
Strandberg is adapting his book in collaboration with Skoglund; co-producers are Elina Litvinova of Three Brothers and Heather Millard of Compass Films. Financing comes from the Svenska Filminstitutet,...
- 2/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
Paris-based The Party Film Sales has boarded renowned Icelandic auteur Rúnar Rúnarsson’s fourth pic, “When the Light Breaks,” which is selected for Göteborg’s Nordic Film Market’s works in progress session.
Rúnarsson serves as producer together with Heather Millard of Iceland’s Compass Films, in co-production with local banner Halibut, Holland’s Revolver, France’s Eaux Vives/Jour2Fête and Croatia’s MP Film.
Lauded for his coming-of age tales set against Iceland’s majestic scenery, Rúnarsson saw his international breakthrough in 2008 with his Oscar-nominated short “Two Birds.” Since then, he has delivered equally poetic fare in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight 2011 entry “Volcano,” San Sebastian 2015 winner “Sparrows “ and 2019 Valladolid and Lübeck fest winner “Echo.”
As in his earlier works, Rúnarsson was inspired by a personal event for “When the Light Breaks”. “Ever since experiencing the loss of a friend as a young man, I wanted to deal with the...
Rúnarsson serves as producer together with Heather Millard of Iceland’s Compass Films, in co-production with local banner Halibut, Holland’s Revolver, France’s Eaux Vives/Jour2Fête and Croatia’s MP Film.
Lauded for his coming-of age tales set against Iceland’s majestic scenery, Rúnarsson saw his international breakthrough in 2008 with his Oscar-nominated short “Two Birds.” Since then, he has delivered equally poetic fare in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight 2011 entry “Volcano,” San Sebastian 2015 winner “Sparrows “ and 2019 Valladolid and Lübeck fest winner “Echo.”
As in his earlier works, Rúnarsson was inspired by a personal event for “When the Light Breaks”. “Ever since experiencing the loss of a friend as a young man, I wanted to deal with the...
- 1/16/2024
- by Annika Pham
- Variety Film + TV
Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, Serbia and France are all producing the title.
Urska Djukic’s Little Trouble Girls, a co-production between five European countries, is among the winners at the Les Arcs Film Festival Industry Village, which handed out its prizes this evening.
The film took the €10,000 post-production services award in the Work in Progress section. Slovenia’s Spok Film and Nosorogi, Italy’s Staragara I.T., Croatia’s Izazov, Serbia’s Non-Aligned Films and France’s Sister Productions are all producing the film.
Scroll down for the full list of winners
The feature debut of Slovenian director Djukic, Little Trouble Girls...
Urska Djukic’s Little Trouble Girls, a co-production between five European countries, is among the winners at the Les Arcs Film Festival Industry Village, which handed out its prizes this evening.
The film took the €10,000 post-production services award in the Work in Progress section. Slovenia’s Spok Film and Nosorogi, Italy’s Staragara I.T., Croatia’s Izazov, Serbia’s Non-Aligned Films and France’s Sister Productions are all producing the film.
Scroll down for the full list of winners
The feature debut of Slovenian director Djukic, Little Trouble Girls...
- 12/18/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Egyptian director Alaa Dajani’s “The Native Dance,” a documentary that tells the story of Younis Abdallah and his comrades who were among the 300,000 peasants conscripted into the Egyptian Labor Corps in 1917, many of whom were dispatched to Europe to dig trenches for allied defense in World War I, took the top prize in the Pitching Forum of the Thessaloniki Intl. Documentary Festival’s Agora Docs industry program, which wrapped Wednesday.
The awards ceremony concluded a session that saw more than 400 professionals taking part both in-person and online in the Agora activities.
In “The Native Dance,” which is produced by Kesmat El Sayed and Laura Kloeckner (Seera Films), the jury found “a film that promises a compelling visual approach combining archive material and animation, telling the story about the British forcing peasants from Egypt to dig trenches in Europe during WWI,” read the jury’s statement.
The top prize in the Doc in Progress section,...
The awards ceremony concluded a session that saw more than 400 professionals taking part both in-person and online in the Agora activities.
In “The Native Dance,” which is produced by Kesmat El Sayed and Laura Kloeckner (Seera Films), the jury found “a film that promises a compelling visual approach combining archive material and animation, telling the story about the British forcing peasants from Egypt to dig trenches in Europe during WWI,” read the jury’s statement.
The top prize in the Doc in Progress section,...
- 3/9/2023
- by Tara Karajica
- Variety Film + TV
The Göteborg Film Festival has unveiled the 53 Nordic Films that will take part in the latest edition of the Nordic Film Market, running February 2 – 5. Scroll down for the list.
The line-up consists of 17 completed feature films, 15 works in progress, 11 films in development presented at the market’s co-financing platform Discovery, and another 10 features in development from up-and-coming Swedish creators at Talent to Watch.
The 2023 edition of Nordic Film Market will comprise a full on-site event in Göteborg alongside digital screenings on the festival’s dedicated industry platform. This year the festival has said close to 500 invited buyers, distributors, sales agents, producers, festival programmers, and other key industry delegates from 32 countries are expected to attend.
Elsewhere, the 17th edition of the TV Drama Vision summit will run February 1–2.
Göteborg will run January 27 – February 5. As previously announced, Holy Spider breakout Zar Amir Ebrahimi will head the jury of the festival’s Nordic Competition.
The line-up consists of 17 completed feature films, 15 works in progress, 11 films in development presented at the market’s co-financing platform Discovery, and another 10 features in development from up-and-coming Swedish creators at Talent to Watch.
The 2023 edition of Nordic Film Market will comprise a full on-site event in Göteborg alongside digital screenings on the festival’s dedicated industry platform. This year the festival has said close to 500 invited buyers, distributors, sales agents, producers, festival programmers, and other key industry delegates from 32 countries are expected to attend.
Elsewhere, the 17th edition of the TV Drama Vision summit will run February 1–2.
Göteborg will run January 27 – February 5. As previously announced, Holy Spider breakout Zar Amir Ebrahimi will head the jury of the festival’s Nordic Competition.
- 1/17/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
The Finnish Film Affair, an annual industry event running parallel to the Helsinki International Film Festival, handed its top prize Thursday night to “Je’vida,” a historical drama about memory, survival and personal growth from director Katja Gauriloff.
“Je’vida” was one of seven fiction feature works in progress that were pitched to an audience of industry guests in Helsinki on Sept. 22, during the Finnish Film Affair’s showcase of local and regional projects. The jury noted that the winning film “is a story that needs to be told, with real potential to become relatable globally. The presentation and cinematography felt personal, beautiful and visually striking.”
Produced by Joonas Berghäll of Oktober Oy, “Je’vida” is the first film ever shot in the Skolt Sámi language. It tells the story of an elderly woman who has abandoned her past under the pressures of assimilation and winds across three different time periods.
“Je’vida” was one of seven fiction feature works in progress that were pitched to an audience of industry guests in Helsinki on Sept. 22, during the Finnish Film Affair’s showcase of local and regional projects. The jury noted that the winning film “is a story that needs to be told, with real potential to become relatable globally. The presentation and cinematography felt personal, beautiful and visually striking.”
Produced by Joonas Berghäll of Oktober Oy, “Je’vida” is the first film ever shot in the Skolt Sámi language. It tells the story of an elderly woman who has abandoned her past under the pressures of assimilation and winds across three different time periods.
- 9/23/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Katja Gauriloff’s Je’vida is the first film to be shot in the Skolt Sami language.
Katja Gauriloff’s Je’vida, the first feature to be made in the Skolt Sami language was awarded the best fiction project award at the Finnish Film Affair (Ffa) in Helsinki this week.
The film is now in post-production and tells a very personal story of a woman forced to assimilate into a culture that is not her own and abandon her own language and culture. Gauriloff, who is of Skolt Sami heritage, said the story is based on the experiences of her mother,...
Katja Gauriloff’s Je’vida, the first feature to be made in the Skolt Sami language was awarded the best fiction project award at the Finnish Film Affair (Ffa) in Helsinki this week.
The film is now in post-production and tells a very personal story of a woman forced to assimilate into a culture that is not her own and abandon her own language and culture. Gauriloff, who is of Skolt Sami heritage, said the story is based on the experiences of her mother,...
- 9/23/2022
- by Louise Tutt
- ScreenDaily
LevelK has boarded Icelandic thriller “Natatorium,” directed by Helena Stefánsdóttir Magneudóttir. The film started shooting on Sept. 14, and is expected to bow locally next year.
Produced by Sunna Gudnadóttir for Bjarstýn Films, marking the company’s first feature film, it’s financed with the support from the Icelandic Film Center and the Finnish Film Foundation. Scanbox, Sena and Ruv Yle are behind the project as well.
“I am mostly interested in working on films with female directors and/or scriptwriters, [projects] with high artistic integrity and universal appeal,” says Gudnadóttir, who previously worked on “A White, White Day,” and Iceland’s Oscar submission “Beautiful Beings.” She adds that “Natatorium” has three complex female leads, and 60 of the crew is female as well.
Currently being presented at the Helsinki-based industry event Finnish Film Affair, “Natatorium” zooms in on teenage Lilja who visits her estranged grandparents, Áróra and Grímur. She is supposed to...
Produced by Sunna Gudnadóttir for Bjarstýn Films, marking the company’s first feature film, it’s financed with the support from the Icelandic Film Center and the Finnish Film Foundation. Scanbox, Sena and Ruv Yle are behind the project as well.
“I am mostly interested in working on films with female directors and/or scriptwriters, [projects] with high artistic integrity and universal appeal,” says Gudnadóttir, who previously worked on “A White, White Day,” and Iceland’s Oscar submission “Beautiful Beings.” She adds that “Natatorium” has three complex female leads, and 60 of the crew is female as well.
Currently being presented at the Helsinki-based industry event Finnish Film Affair, “Natatorium” zooms in on teenage Lilja who visits her estranged grandparents, Áróra and Grímur. She is supposed to...
- 9/22/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
LevelK has boarded Icelandic crime drama “Cold,” directed by Erlingur Óttar Thoroddsen and based on the bestselling book “The Undesired” (“Kuldi”) by Yrsa Sigurdardóttir. Still in production, it was recently pitched at Venice Gap-Financing Market.
The story centers on Óðinn, living alone with his daughter Rún. As he investigates decades-old deaths at a juvenile treatment center, he begins to suspect that the sinister secrets are connected to his ex-wife’s mysterious suicide. As well as his daughter’s strange behavior.
“Erlingur is an established, talented director who respects the audiences and finds it fascinating to thrill them,” says LevelK’s CEO Tine Klint.
“We were captured by his take on the book, his style and the entire team behind the production.”
Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Sara Dögg Ásgeirsdóttir and “Woman at War” lead Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir are all set to star.
“On the surface, ‘Cold’ certainly seems like a classic Nordic noir.
The story centers on Óðinn, living alone with his daughter Rún. As he investigates decades-old deaths at a juvenile treatment center, he begins to suspect that the sinister secrets are connected to his ex-wife’s mysterious suicide. As well as his daughter’s strange behavior.
“Erlingur is an established, talented director who respects the audiences and finds it fascinating to thrill them,” says LevelK’s CEO Tine Klint.
“We were captured by his take on the book, his style and the entire team behind the production.”
Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Sara Dögg Ásgeirsdóttir and “Woman at War” lead Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir are all set to star.
“On the surface, ‘Cold’ certainly seems like a classic Nordic noir.
- 9/4/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Projects include The Distant Barking of Dogs, from The Act of Killing production company Final Cut For Real.
The Nordisk Panorama Forum for Co-financing of Documentaries, to be held in Malmo, Sweden from Sept 18-20, has selected 24 documentary projects to be pitched to industry professionals.
They include Johan Von Sydow’s Swedish documentary about American musician Tiny Tim; Lea Glob’s Danish documentary about a female painter’s coming of age in Paris; Emil Trier’s feature debut about Norwegian con man Waleed Ahmed; and The Act of Killing production company Final Cut For Real’s new Ukraine-set project The Distant Barking of Dogs [pictured], directed by Simon Lereng Wilmont.
The full list of projects being pitched16, dir Kenneth Elvebaak, Fuglene (Norway)Adil and the Spy, dirs Randi Mossige-Norheim & Johan Palmgren, Mantaray Film (Sweden)Apolonia, Apolonia, dir Lea Glob, Danish Documentary (Denmark)Confessions of a Military Dictatorship, dir Karen Stokkendal Poulsen, Bullitt Film (Denmark...
The Nordisk Panorama Forum for Co-financing of Documentaries, to be held in Malmo, Sweden from Sept 18-20, has selected 24 documentary projects to be pitched to industry professionals.
They include Johan Von Sydow’s Swedish documentary about American musician Tiny Tim; Lea Glob’s Danish documentary about a female painter’s coming of age in Paris; Emil Trier’s feature debut about Norwegian con man Waleed Ahmed; and The Act of Killing production company Final Cut For Real’s new Ukraine-set project The Distant Barking of Dogs [pictured], directed by Simon Lereng Wilmont.
The full list of projects being pitched16, dir Kenneth Elvebaak, Fuglene (Norway)Adil and the Spy, dirs Randi Mossige-Norheim & Johan Palmgren, Mantaray Film (Sweden)Apolonia, Apolonia, dir Lea Glob, Danish Documentary (Denmark)Confessions of a Military Dictatorship, dir Karen Stokkendal Poulsen, Bullitt Film (Denmark...
- 7/29/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
The traditional crafts of crochet and knitting have become one of the hottest movements in modern art. We follow a few International artists and knitters as they bring yarn to the streets and into our lives in new ways. Starting in Iceland, this quirky and thought-provoking film takes us on a colorful and global journey as we discover how yarn connects us all. For this interview TV Host Vickie Howell sits down at SXSW Film 2016 to chat, Yarn the documentary with co-directors/producers Heather Millard & Þórdur Bragi Jónsson (Thordur Jonsson). Enjoy!
- 3/15/2016
- by Dave Campbell
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
Denmark’s Katja Adomeit and Germany’s Ingmar Trost among upcoming European producers set to be showcased at Cannes.Scroll down for full list
European Film Promotion (Efp) has selected 20 emerging young European producers for the 16th edition of its Producers on the Move networking initiative, which will be held during the upcoming Cannes Film Festival from May 15-18.
The 2014 selection includes Danish producer Katja Adomeit, who produced and co-directed the hybrid film Not At Home with the Afghan director Shahrbanoo Sadat as well as co-producing Ruben Östlund’s Force Majeure as a freelancer for the Copenhagen office of Philippe Bober’s The Coproduction Office.
Cologne-based Ingmar Trost of Sutor Kolonko has also been selected. His credits include Ilian Metev’s award-winniıng documentary Sofıa’s Last Ambulance, Latvian director Juris Kursietis’ Modrıs and Ingo Haeb’s The Chambermaid Lynn, and he has just completed production of his third feature, Isabelle Stever’s The Weather Inside.
Lithuania will be...
European Film Promotion (Efp) has selected 20 emerging young European producers for the 16th edition of its Producers on the Move networking initiative, which will be held during the upcoming Cannes Film Festival from May 15-18.
The 2014 selection includes Danish producer Katja Adomeit, who produced and co-directed the hybrid film Not At Home with the Afghan director Shahrbanoo Sadat as well as co-producing Ruben Östlund’s Force Majeure as a freelancer for the Copenhagen office of Philippe Bober’s The Coproduction Office.
Cologne-based Ingmar Trost of Sutor Kolonko has also been selected. His credits include Ilian Metev’s award-winniıng documentary Sofıa’s Last Ambulance, Latvian director Juris Kursietis’ Modrıs and Ingo Haeb’s The Chambermaid Lynn, and he has just completed production of his third feature, Isabelle Stever’s The Weather Inside.
Lithuania will be...
- 4/21/2015
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: 40 Canadian and international producer teams selected for Omdc’s eighth annual Toronto co-financing market.
New films by Donald Petrie, Timo Vuorensola, Baltasar Kormakur [pictured], Nick Broomfield, Gillies Mackinnon are some of the 40 selections for the eighth Omdc’s International Financing Forum. (Full list below)
The Ontario Media Development Corporation’s feature film co-financing market will be held Sept 8-9, running concurrently to Tiff.
The two-day event includes one-on-one producer meetings, a top-level panel discussion, roundtable meetings, a networking luncheon, and a networking reception.
The initiative focuses on English language feature film projects being developed by international and Canadian producers, who meet with executives including sales agents, financiers, distributors, agents and executive producers – from companies including Beta Cinema, Big Beach, Cinetic, eOne, Film4, Film Nation, TF1, Wild Bunch and William Morris Endeavor.
The Canadian-produced projects selected this year include Nick Broomfield’s fiction feature film debut The Catastrophist to star Freida Pinto and John C Reilly and to...
New films by Donald Petrie, Timo Vuorensola, Baltasar Kormakur [pictured], Nick Broomfield, Gillies Mackinnon are some of the 40 selections for the eighth Omdc’s International Financing Forum. (Full list below)
The Ontario Media Development Corporation’s feature film co-financing market will be held Sept 8-9, running concurrently to Tiff.
The two-day event includes one-on-one producer meetings, a top-level panel discussion, roundtable meetings, a networking luncheon, and a networking reception.
The initiative focuses on English language feature film projects being developed by international and Canadian producers, who meet with executives including sales agents, financiers, distributors, agents and executive producers – from companies including Beta Cinema, Big Beach, Cinetic, eOne, Film4, Film Nation, TF1, Wild Bunch and William Morris Endeavor.
The Canadian-produced projects selected this year include Nick Broomfield’s fiction feature film debut The Catastrophist to star Freida Pinto and John C Reilly and to...
- 8/27/2013
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
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