EXCLUSIVE: The Finnish prodco specialised in local comedies is producing its first crime series and first international co-production. 

The 12x48’ premium series Deadwind (Karppi) that started filming in October is produced by Dionysos Films for YLE, in co-production with Germany’s s H&V Entertainment. Paris-based APC handles world sales. 

Experienced director Rike Jokela (River, Protectors) who won several Venlas (local Emmys), is creator and director of the entire show. The co-writers are Jari Olavi Rantala (Frozen Land) and Kirsi Porkka. The contemporary crime drama mixes elements of classic Nordic noir with human drama. It’s the story of detective Sofia Karppi (Pihla Viitala) who struggles to pull her life back together after her husband’s death. She goes back at work and her first case is the murder of a woman (Pamela Tola) found on a construction site. Her investigation threatens to destroy her life again.

Other characters are played by Lauri Tilkanen (Tom of Finland), Tommi Korpela (Rare Exports-A Christmas Tale) and German actor August Wittgenstein (Avalon). Dionysos Films’ CEO and producer Riina Hyytiä told nordicfilmandtvnews.com: “The series has one main crime investigation combined with the personal story of Sofia Karppi trying to raise her two teenage kids and feeling a sudden attraction to her younger male colleague. But political and environmental issues are also addressed, and the city of Helsinki shot under dark autumn skies gives a unique feel to the show.”

Filming between Helsinki and Northern Germany will end in March 2017 and the premiere on YLE is set for early 2018.

Comedy factory
Deadwind marks a step forward for Dionysos in its ambition to widen its activities and conquer new international audiences together with foreign partners. But comedies for the local market remain central to the company’s editorial strategy. Together with her partner, writer/director Johanna Vuoksenmaa, Hyytiä believes in the power of laughter and humour to overcome difficult situations. “When Johanna and I set up Dionysos in 2008, our goal was to tell stories that would touch us personally and tell them with humour. Although life is sometimes full of shit, there is always a bright side. That’s what we want to show people.”

Local audiences have embraced Hyytiä and Vuoksenmaa’s positive and quirky views of life. The director’s 2013 film 21 Ways to Ruin a Marriage was the number one domestic film that year with over 400,000 admissions and the two seasons of her comedy series Click Me won five golden Venlas and doubled the viewing of MTV3’s Tuesday night slot. Sweden’s B-Reel has optioned rights to make a remake for the Swedish market.

Vuoksenmaa’s current divorce comedy series Living with my Ex just finished airing on MTV3 and posted half a million average viewers. The 12x43’ show tells of five families moving in an apartment building called Splitsville, specifically designed for the needs of divorced couples with kids. Dionysos is negotiating a returning season with MTV3 and looking for a sales agent. 

The director’s next feature project will be the third part in the trilogy about life changes and learning to adapt, after 21 Ways to Ruin a Marriage and Adult Camp (2015). Her new film 75 will be about dealing with the process of ageing, coping with physical change when minds do not change. “It will be a road trip, a story of sorrow and love”, says Hyytiä. 

Kids Content 
Dionysos has also started producing family content and the company’s first children’s film Tatu and Patu directed by Rike Jokela is a current hit on local screens. The comedy based on a best-selling children’s book series is number two after five weeks on screens with nearly 280,000 admissions. 

The next family film will be Detective’s Daughter, a live action adventure film based on the French animation film A Cat in Paris, but transferred to Helsinki’s skyline.