SF Studios, TrustNordisk and Autlook Film Sales reported healthy business on several of their Nordic titles on offer on the sales and pre-sales markets in Cannes.
SF Studios’ Head of International Sales Anita Simovic reported multi-territory deals on Janus Metz’s upcoming film Borg/McEnroe (working title) starring Shia Labeouf, Sverrir Gudnason and Stellan Skarsgård. After a buyers-only presentation in Cannes, the film was pre-sold to the UK (Curzon/Artificial Eye), Benelux (September Films), Germany/Austria/Switzerland (Ascot Elite), France (Pretty Pictures), Australia/New Zealand (Vendetta Films) while Encore Inflight picked up Airline rights. Nordisk Film holds Scandinavian rights to the film set to open in the fall 2017.
Simovic said several other offers are on the table for the drama written by Ronnie Sandahl.
SF Studios International also pre-sold In the Forest of Huckybucky (Dyrene I Hakkebakkeskogen) by Rasmus A. Sivertsen to France (KMBO) and Iran (Century 21). The stop-motion animation film will be released in Norway on Christmas day.
The car chasing movie Børning 2-On Ice directed by Hallvard Bræin was pre-sold to Japan (BMS), CIS (Russian Report), Iran (Century 21) with Encore Flights taking airline rights.
TrustNordisk’s major Cannes announcement was Lars von Trier’s come-back behind the camera with his first horror film The House that Jack Built to be shot in English language with a US/European cast. Lars von Trier aficionados California Filmes (Latin America), September Film Distribution (Benelux), Cinemania Group (Former Yugoslavia), Gutek Film (Poland) were among the first distributors to acquire rights to the director’s new film currently in pre-production.
Rikke Ennis, TrustNordisk CEO said: “Cannes was surprisingly good this year. Our line-up was very well received amongst buyers and obviously Lars von Trier’s new film The House that Jack built was hot stuff. But not only that; in fact there was a general interest in most of our titles which means that Scandinavian films still have a high status abroad.”
TrustNordisk also reported deals on Ole Bornedal’s dark comedy Small Town Killers, pre-sold to Germany, Austria and Switzerland (DCM), Poland (M2 Films), former Yugoslavia (Cinemania Group) and Hong Kong (Edko).
The Norwegian drama The Lion Woman set to open Haugesund’s Norwegian International Film Festival was sold to France (First International Production), and China (DD Dream International Media). The Lion Woman’s sale to DD Dream International Media was part of a package including The Commune, Pyromaniac and The Last King. Another Chinese group, HGC Entertainment picked up A Man Called Ove, Devil’s Bride, The Model, Walk with Me, Across the Water and The Day Will Come.
Autlook Film Sales secured a major US deal on the Danish documentary BUGS with Kino Lorber which plans to release the film theatrically early 2017, and with Blue Ice Docs for Canada. Cinema Delicatessen in the Netherlands will also release Andreas Johnsen’s documentary in cinemas. TV sales were closed in Spain (Canal+), Israel (Channel 8), Norway (NRK), and Sweden (UR).
France’s Les Films du Préau snapped the Scandinavian documentary film series Sport Kids co-produced by Final Cut for Real, Story AB, Sant & Usan and is planning to combine three episodes of 28 minutes into a feature film version for the theatrical release in October 2016 according to Autlook’s CEO Salma Abdalla.
Finally the Danish documentary Big Time by Kaspar Astrup Schrøder produced by Sara Stockmanfor Sonntag Pictures is in final stage of pre-sales. The film which follows Danish star architect Bjarke Ingels over a period of 5 years as he struggles to complete Manhattan’s skyscraper W57 and World Trade Centre 2 will be delivered in 2017.