Chills and thrills from some of Finland and Scandinavia’s top creators will be introduced March 22, at Lille’s Series Mania Forum, thanks to the Focus on Finland promotional initiative, co-organised by APFI (Audiovisual Producers Finland), Yle, the Finnish Film Foundation, Elisa Viihde and Film in Finland.

Explaining the selection process from the Focus in Finland’s Steering Committee, Laura Kuulasmaa, APFI Executive Director said: “The search was open to everyone and we considered several aspects of the proposed projects that affect their potential: originality of the concept, the team behind it, international potential, already attached partners, the likelihood of getting production incentive, and diversity, to give a good outlook of what’s happening on the Finnish creative field.”

The seven selected TV dramas reflect both the continuous expansion of Finnish drama into new creative venues - here horror and sci-fi-and trend of indie feature film producers turning to TV drama. “Yes we see that this trend continues,” Kuulasmaa said, “thanks to increased ambition and budgets. Also, producers and creators that have previously made films, see series as an increasingly interesting format. The uncertainty caused by the pandemic to film distribution might have affected as well,” she argues.

Among established film production outfits part of ‘Coming Next from Finland’, Kuulasmaa mentions Bufo (The Gravedigger’s Wife, The Other Side of Hope) which just released its first TV drama Next of Kin on Elisa Viihde Viaplay (January 30, 2022) and will be pitching in Lille the mystery/Christmas thriller The Town of Tails from Next of Kin co-writer Minna Panjanen.

Also bringing their cinematic flair to TV drama are genre specialists Don Films (The Twin, Lake Bodom) set to reunite some of the Nordics’ top genre creators - Roar Uthaug (Tomb Raider, The Wave), Tommy Wirkola (The Trip, Dead Snow, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters), Taneli Mustonen (The Twin, Lake Bodom) and Lars Klevberg (Child’s Play) among others, in the six-part horror anthology Nordic Horror Masters.

“Often the genre filmmakers are forerunners [in Nordic collaborations], because the markets for genre content are more scattered, and they are used to cross-border collaboration.,” noted Kuulasmaa. Nordic Horror Masters is a fresh way to develop series, and we hope that it will inspire others to similar creative joint ventures in the future,” she said.

Meanwhile Helsinki-L.A. based Snapper Films, behind the recent family film Vinski and the Invisible Powder will present the sci-fi project Valhalla Project, ordered by Elisa Viihde.

The company’s CEO, director/producer Juha Wuolijoki, has already strong TV credentials, having directed the English-language TV Movie Gourmet Club, winner of a Golden Nymph-Best Script at Monte-Carlo TV Festival 2005.

Other standout projects include Raspberry Hill, a horror/thriller based on author Eva Frantz’s successful 2018 youth novel, co-written by Martin Jern and Emil Stark. Saara Cantel (Devil’s Bride) is directing. The show produced by Söder Films for Yle and the N12 partners is backed by Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

Solar Republic -TV division of Solar Films, Finland’s biggest producers of local hits - will be pitching the female-led cross country drama thriller Guts commissioned by Yle; Take Two Studios will present Elisa Viihde’s procedural crime drama Crash Plan, co-produced by Germany Splendid Film, while Warner Bros TV Production Finland will bring the period thriller about twin sisters Lempi, her name is Love. Man in Room 301’s exec producer and WBITVF’s Head of Scripted Seija-Liisa Eskola is producing.

The Coming Next from Finland session will be moderated by Marike Muselaers, Co-CEO of Lumière Group.

To read about the seven Finnish TV projects to be pitched and another eight in development, check the catalogue: CLICK HERE.