Out of 29 companies registered under the European Film Promotion (EFP) umbrella eight are Finnish, such as Solar Films, Blind Spot and MRP Matila Röhr Productions. "Currently, Finnish films are very successful internationally, and there are also interesting upcoming titles. One could even say that there is something like a new wave going on, and at this moment, AFM is the right place to continue meetings and negotiations with buyers from across the world," said Jaana Puskala, Head of International Promotion at The Finnish Film Foundation. Among the Finnish films on offer are two that were in the Top 3 local charts last weekend: Dome Karukoski's comedy Lapland Odyssey (sold by The Yellow Affair) and the crime thriller Priest of Evil, screening for the first time via TrustNordisk.
To cater for world buyers' current hunger for Nordic crime, TrustNordisk is also screening three films part of high profile Scandinavian series, Beck-Buried Alive, episode 26 of the Swedish Beck series, Utopia, the second of six films in the Miso Film series Those who Kill (Den som dræber) and The Writing on the Wall, the first film from the second season of the Norwegian Varg Veum series. "The series are both suitable for TV and DVD, so it makes sense to show them at the AFM. And then we strongly believe in Those who Kill which is a great quality series," stressed TrustNordisk CEO Rikke Ennis.
Among the other main Scandinavian sales companies, Svensk Filmindustri is screening the Swedish Oscars nomination entry Simple Simon and the Norwegian award-winning film Limbo. Three documentaries are on SF's AFM line up: Norway's much talked about Tears of Gaza, and the Swedish films Submission (Underkastelsen) and The Plan.
NonStop Sales has four market premieres, including Kaspar Munk's Hold Me Tight and Othman Karim's Dear Alice. The latest films by two of Scandinavia's biggest export names Fridrik Thor Fridriksson (Mamma Gógó) and Bent Hamer (Home for Christmas) are represented respectively by Bavaria Film International and The Match Factory.