Göteborg’s Nordic Film Market selects 21 pitch projects

More than 400 participants have already signed up for the Göteborg Film Festival’s 23rd Nordic Film Market set to unspool online February 4-7 due to the pandemic.

Teasers and first images of 13 works in progress, as well as eight Discovery films in development will be presented in dynamic streaming sessions to industry delegates on February 5.

Speaking about her 2021 Nordic Film Market programme, Cia Edström, head of industry told nordicfilmandtvnews.com: “When it was clear that we would hold a digital market due to the pandemic, we’ve been aiming to have a smaller but very strong line up, with a few surprises and experimental titles to attract world attendees."

“As always”, adds Edström, “we do our best to present a width of genres and stories from the five Nordic countries. The selection this year includes historical dramas such as The Emigrants and Margrete-Queen of the North, as well as exciting debut features, horror and action.”

Twelve out of 21 projects are directed by women and 11 are feature debuts.

Among the WORKS IN PROGRESS are three heavyweight Nordic tiles produced by SF Studios, sold by REInvent Studios.

• The Emigrants is Erik Poppe’s new take on Vilhelm Moberg’s classic eponymous novel starring Lisa Carlehed, Gustaf Skarsgård, Sofia Helin and pop star turned-actress Tove Lo.

• Margrete Queen of the North is directed and co-written by Charlotte Sieling (The Bridge, The Killing). Trine Dyrholm plays the illustrious Nordic monarch.

• The Pact by Bille August, stars Birthe Neuman as legendary author Karen Blixen who falls for a young poet, played by Simon Bennebjerg.

• Another sweeping period drama based on a literary classic - Kjell Westö’s Yellow Sulfur Sky, will be looking for a sales agent in Göteborg. The Finnish love story shot in Swedish language, is directed by Claes Olsson for Solar Films.

The forementioned four mega-Nordic projects were backed by Nordisk Film & TV Fond, alongside the Finnish documentary Golden Land to be pitched by seasoned director Inka Achté (The Wait).

Two works in progress are sold by TrustNordisk: the Danish thriller Speak No Evil by Christian Tafdrup, produced by Profile Pictures, and the Norwegian drama Nothing to Laugh About by Elling director Petter Næss, produced by Hummelfilm and REinvent.

Four feature debuts to watch are directed by women:

• Denmark’s The Night of the Dead by Tea Lindeburg (Netflix’s Equinox),produced by MOTOR,
• The Venus Effect by Anna Emma Christensen (Doggystyle), produced by MOTOR, with
Sofie Gråbøl, Lars Mikkelsen among others.
• the Swedish/Costa-Rican coming-of-age Clara Sola directed by Nathalie Álvarez Mesén for Hob AB,
• Swedish film The Schoolmaster Games by Ylva Former, sold by LevelK.

Rounding out the works in progress are the Icelandic/Polish crime drama Wolka directed by  Árni Ólafur Ásgeirsson for Sagafilm, and the action drama Cop Secret by Iceland’s Hannes Þór Halldórsson, most famous internationally as the professional goalkeeper of Iceland’s national football team, who blocked a penalty shot from Argentina’s star player Lionel Messi at the 2018 World Cup. Halldórsson’s debut film is produced by Lilja Ósk Snorradóttir of Pegasus Pictures (Echo).

DISCOVERY - WORKS IN DEVELOPMENT
Eight works in development will also be pitched online:

• Baby Pyramid (Working title) by Cecilie McNair (Nordisk Film, Denmark)
• Stranger by Mads Hedegaard (Motor, Denmark)
• Mummola by Tia Kouvo (Aamu Film Company, Finland)
• Árru by Elle Sofie Sara (Mer Film, Norway)
• One Day This Will Be All Yours by Andreas Öhman (Granslam, Breidablick and Naïve Fiction, Sweden)
• Twilight of the Gods by Morgane Dziurla-Petit (Vilda Bomben, Sweden)
• Hypnosis by Ernst de Geer (Garagefilm International, Sweden)
• The Swedish-Finn by Johanna Pyykkö (Verket, Sweden).

The works in progress and Discovery presentations will be available to watch after the live webcast and special one-on-one meetings between the project creators and industry delegates will be booked by Nordic Film Market.

The full line-up of market screenings -for accredited programmers, buyers and sales agents only - will be unveiled February 4.

For further information on WORKS IN PROGRESS AND DISCOVERY section; CLICK HERE