The Finnish animated film Niko & the Way to the Stars had buyers lining uup to view the first footage of the film co-directed by Kari Juusonen and Michael Hegner.
The film is the biggest export ever for a Finnish film, with over 100 territories closed by Germany's Telepool, including The Weinstein Company for all English language territories and Latin America, and Bac Films for France. "We built the film in such a way that it would attract international interest," said producer Petteri Pasanen who was in Cannes to talk to all partners involved in the project. "We had a wonderful script (co-written by Hannu Tuomainen and Marteinn Thorisson) with a very touching story that will please wide audiences around the world."
The film is produced in Finland by Anima Vitae and Cinemaker, in co-production with Denmark's A Film, Ireland's Magma Films and Germany's Ulysses GmbH, with support from Nordisk Film & TV Fond. The Finnish premiere through Nordisk Film Distribution is set for October 10, 2008.