Last week the Scandinavian powerhouse SF Studios announced the closure of its international sales arm and extended its collaboration with Rikke Ennis’ global distribution and packaging firm REinvent Studios. 

SF Studios’ Elsa Berg Bjärtun, Jenny Stjernströmer Björk, REInvent’s Rikke Ennis and Helene Aurø discuss their collaboration and pledge the Swedish industry to shake up. 

First of all, Elsa and Jenny, could you just remind us of your role at SF Studios?
Elsa Berg Bjärtun: I’m head of the Nordic distribution department, including acquisitions headed by Jenny [Stjernströmer Björk], theatrical distribution, headed by Pia Grünler, home entertainment sales, headed by Martin Brandtler, and international sales.

Jenny Stjernströmer Björk: I head up our acquisitions department, which includes Nordic distribution, co-productions, international acquisitions for distribution in the Nordic market, as well as kids content for our own VOD service, and for other clients to distribute in the Nordics.

I also have a strategic position as CCO at SF Studios, looking at content to make sure it goes in line with our overall strategy when it comes to strategic partnerships, or collaborations between our own production units and the acquisition and distribution activities.

It’s been quite a historical move for SF Studios to close-down its international sales department. What triggered this decision?
EBB: Yes it’s been a big decision, which stems from the fact that the market is changing. We see that new players have entered the market and we’re constantly evaluating how our organisation is run, how to maximise the value of our rights, and how to ensure we remain a leading distributor in the Nordics and a leading Nordic player on the global market. Therefore, strategic partnerships - such as this one with REinvent Studios - are essential to stay relevant. We started a dialogue with Rikke Ennis and her team and realised that we share the same views on how to make sure Nordic content continues to shine on the international market. We believe we can achieve this in an optimum way with REinvent Studios. On the TV side, our partnership has already been very conclusive.

Rikke, will you beef up SF Studios’ film slate with third party film acquisitions?
Rikke Ennis: We have an exclusivity on the feature film side with SF Studios. On TV series it’s a bit different. We handle SF Studios TV slate, and have our own series and third-party projects. This is part of our new strategy on the international market and why the partnership with SF is so good.

One of the reasons why I left TrustNordisk two years ago and started REInvent, is that I could see the market changing drastically and rapidly. I felt I could not sit back with my international distribution hat and wait until the projects were ready, to then give my comments and sales estimates. Today, you have to be part of the development process, check the financing plan, how it is doable.

Within TV drama, we’ve seen the relationships evolve between various players in the production and distribution value chain, and it makes sense to do the same in feature film. The talent is more mobile between film and TV, so are producers, distributors, broadcasters as well. You cannot put them in different silos. We’ve been discussing this for a while.

Now, looking at the amazing projects that are coming out of SF Studios, we’re humbled about our new role. Films like Charlotte Sieling’s Queen of the North, Erik Poppe’s The Emigrant, fit perfectly our expertise in international sales. The partnership with SF Studios will make us the best players in the Nordics and internationally.

Helene Aurø: As international distributor, you need to come in much earlier in the creative process. to create the best marketing and the best sales. You need to be able to take big investment decisions very early now.

JSB: As distributors and co-producers in the Nordics, our strategy is to invest in all rights -theatrical, home entertainment, TV and digital - to be the best partners to Nordic producers. As we’re looking for bigger and more ambitious projects all the time, we need ambitious players able to make estimates on the international market, for each film to be bold and brave. We know we can achieve this with REInvent.

Rikke, in today’s tougher cinema market where traditional distributors take less chances, with smaller MGs than before, how do you see your ability to raise adequate deficit financing and with what type of project?
RE: Indeed the market is tougher, but one thing for sure is that there is a great hunger for great content. If you second guess then there won’t be room for your project. If you bring the best stories with the best talent, people will fight for it. You have to aim high, go for the greatest talent and offer them a good home. You have to make talent feel safe.

In terms of genres, big directors can work across all genres. Then many up-and-coming directors work with genre movies; there is a hunger for that in the market. Each film has to be evaluated individually, but then you need to position them, hype them and create a buzz around them. We do this on the TV side.

HA: I think we sometimes have to be bolder and rethink how to position ourselves the best in this competitive market. If you want to attract MGs to TV series, you have to do things differently, without having to pay a fortune. With film and series, we can package the whole thing attractively. Demand is just going up. We have big serialised TV shows, short format, now feature film and SF’s extraordinary catalogue. We want to help distributors dig into our slate and curate our programme.

JSB: Our role as an independent studio is not to lock our rights to serve only our own VOD channel; we want to make available all the unique content that we have to the international market.

Last May, SF Studios announced ambitious plans to invest in English-language projects in the $20m range. Will those projects be handled by REinvent as well?
EBB: Our current film Horizon Line [directed by Michael Marcimain, starring Allison Williams and Alexander Dreymon] is represented by STX International, then we will take the rest of our English language slate on a case by case basis, but those titles are not part of the deal with REInvent.

Rikke, will REinvent hire new people to handle your film slate?
RE: Yes, we are in the process of hiring new people and readjusting our sales structure.

In 2019, quite a few big Nordic projects have not delivered at the box-office, especially in Sweden, where no local film has passed 220,000 admissions, including projects that looked safe on paper like Britt-Marie Was Here. What is your reaction to this?
EBB: 2019 was a year where the audience sent an alarm message. We have to deliver films that the audience wants to see in cinemas. We need to be self-critical as we obviously didn’t succeed as we had hoped for in 2019. The type of mainstream Swedish movies that worked three-four years ago, don’t seem to work as well today. As an industry we have to reflect on that and try to find new solutions.

JSB: Indeed, distributors are not the only ones who have to reflect. The entire Swedish industry has to do a self-assessment and see how we can make films that are relevant for audiences to watch in cinemas. Sometimes it’s good to be shaken up to face reality. Last year was tough in Sweden. We are already making changes in our line-up.