The NOK 51 million (€6m) project produced by Norway’s Paradox in co-production with Zentropa Sweden, Newgrange Pictures in Ireland and Proton Cinema in Hungary was just granted €330,000 support from Eurimages.
Kongen’s Nei (English working title The King’s Choice) is based on a book by Alf R. Jacobsen published in 2011 featuring a crucial moment in the history of Norway when King Haakon VII said ‘no’ to the surrender of his country to Nazi Germany in April 1940. The monarch (along with his family and the Norwegian government) was eventually forced into exile in England where he became a symbol of Norwegian resistance to the occupying German forces.
“When the book was published, I immediately acquired film rights,” said producer Finn Gjerdrum to nordiskfilmogtvfond.com. “This dramatic episode in Norwegian history has never been brought to the screens before. I also saw in it a great action adventure film and a fascinating portrait of a man, who became a central figure in the Norwegian resistance movement. “
Filming is scheduled to start in May with Jesper Christensen confirmed as King Haakon and Anders Baasmo Christiansen (Journey to the Christmas Star) as Crown Prince Olav. Delivery is set for 2015 with Nordisk Film handling Scandinavian rights.
Along with Kongei’s Nei, the Council of Europe’s Eurimages Fund awarded a €480,000 grant to the Danish fantasy film The Shamer’s Daughter directed by Kenneth Kainz from a script by Anders Thomas Jensen. The film is based on the first of four books in the ‘Shamer Chronicles’ series written by Lene Kaaberbøl. Nina Lyng and Eva Juel Hammerich are producing for Denmark’s Nepenthe Film.
Co-production partners are True North (Iceland), Sirena Film (Czech Republic), Storm Films (Norway) and Filmlance International (Sweden). The project was supported by the Danish and Norwegian film institutes and Nordisk Film & TV Fond.