WRITTEN BY: Annika Pham
The hybrid Nordic drama summit set under the theme ‘Navigating disruption and cultivating talent’ has invited 79 speakers including keynote guests Julie Andem and Josef Fares.
More than 540 delegates - of which 40 online visitors - have signed up for the must-attend Göteborg Film Festival parallel TV drama showcase, to be staged both online and on-site at the 19th century Stora teatern, February 1-2.
“It’s about making all sessions available to as many industry people as possible. It’s natural for us to still offer the online version for those who can’t physically attend,” said Josef Kullengård, Head of Industry at the Göteborg Film Festival.
Göteborg’s esteemed industry executive Cia Edström, Head of TV Drama Vision, says that for this year’s programme, she has travelled extensively and interviewed “more industry people than ever”, on top the regular brainstorming with her board members.
”It’s been a challenge to set the core of this year’s program, considering the drastic changes in the drama industry, fuelled by the macroeconomic uncertainties, streaming wars and changing strategies. But our top industry guests will offer inspiring best-practices on how to navigate these changing times, cultivate talent and innovate in storytelling. Because good storytelling remains key to success in our industry,” she said.
This year’s keynotes will be delivered by SKAM creator/writer and director Julie Andem and top Swedish director turned gaming guru Josef Fares (Jalla! Jalla! It Takes Two), founder of Hazelight Studios. “Josef has had a fascinating career. We want to inspire our guests with concrete examples of cross-border storytelling,” Edström said.
The burning topics of fast-changing business models and the streamers strategies will be debated on stage by Nebojša Taraba (Drugi plan, Croatia), Gudny Hummelvoll (Rubicon Norway), Karoline Leth (Zentropa, Denmark) and Jan Blomgren (Art & Bob, Sweden).
Other prestigious guests invited to discuss ‘Future-Proofing Financing’ and more specifically innovating financing models include Karin Lindström, Head of Originals Nordics Amazon Studios, Petri Kemppinen, CEO, Aurora Studios, Fredrik af Malmborg, Managing Director, Eccho Rights, Dr. Simone Emmelius, SVP International Fiction - Coproduction & Acquisition, ZDF.
The topic will be further explored from an institutional and European angle with Film i Väst’s Head of Analysis Tomas Eskilsson who will give a sneak-peek of his upcoming report ‘Public Film Funding II’, while Eurimages’ policy advisor Alex Trăilă will update us on the Council of Europe’s Pilot Programme for Series Co-production.
One of TV Drama Vision’s highpoints - the ‘Meet the Broadcasters and Streamers’ will feature the recently appointed new heads of drama at NRK Marianne Furevold-Bolund and TV 2 Denmark Mette Nelund.
They will discuss their strategies and upcoming drama slate, together with their counterparts from SVT Anna Croneman, Yle Jarmo Lampela, TV 2 Norway Alice Sommer, and on the streaming side Netflix’s Jenny Stjernströmer Björk, Viaplay’s Camilla Rydbacken, Amazon Studios’ Lindström, Elisa Viihde’s Ani Korpela, TV4/C More’s Piodor Gustafsson and Dunja Vujovic.
After Finland last year, Norway will be the country in Focus with local commissioners and streamers unlocking the Norwegian key to drama success, to be analysed as well by Aftenposten culture editor and Oslo Seriedagene co-founder Cecilie Asker.
Another country in focus is Ukraine, with heavyweight player Kateryna Vyschnevska, Head of development and co-founder of Film UA, invited to present the non-profit organisation Ukraine Content Club, set up to provide a bridge between Ukrainian and international professionals.
The Nordic perspective will be given by Liselott Forsman, CEO at Nordisk Film & TV Fond who will present the Fund’s Nordic Green Year 2023 at a follow up session from TV Drama Vision’s last year’s focus on sustainability.
The Fund is also key partner to Göteborg in the organisation of the Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize, (CLICK HERE) to be handed out Wednesday February 1st to the writers of one of the five nominated series: Denmark’s Carmen Curlers, Finland’s The Invincibles, Iceland’s As Long as We Live, Norway’s Kids in Crime and Sweden’s Black Water.
Another Nordisk Film & TV Fond initiative: the writing lab Nordic Script will be highlighted at the session ‘Nordic Script: Keeping the Writer’s Voice’, to be discussed by Norwegian seasoned writing coach and Nordic Script mentor Margrete Soug Kåset, as well as writer Lew David.
Further examples of fruitful writing collaborations in Europe will be given by SVT’s Croneman, and Snabba Cash writer Mona Masri, who will share their experience as participants of the recently launched European Writers Club.
The theme of future-proofing the drama industry through talent training and nurturing will be at the core of the Nostradamus & impACT session ‘Game Change: Embracing Talent Sustainability for Success’, Friday February 3rd, which will serve as appetiser to the full presentation of the Nostradamus report, to be published in May during the Cannes Marché du Film.
The panel moderated by Nostradamus author Johanna Koljonen will include the Marché du Film’s Executive Director Guillaume Esmiol and Head of Programmes & Training Aleksandra Zacharchenko, the EFA’s Fatih Abay, the DFI’s New Danish Screen’s Mette Damgaard-Sørensen and London Film School’s Neil Peplow.
Josef Kullengård, the Goteborg Film Festival’s head of industry says “nurturing talent, moving away from ‘safe bets’ to bring systematic sustainability in the value chain” are key to future-proofing the industry.
SERIES HIGHLIGHTS
Besides its sought-after conference programme, TV Drama Vision is the place to preview the hottest drama series coming from the Nordics.
Three series have been selected for the works in progress, of which two are supported by Nordisk Film & TV Fond:
Iceland’s sports drama Balls ((Afturelding) starring Ingvar Sigurðsson is directed and co-written by Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson (Either Way, Under the Tree) for ZikZak Filmworks. The series will premiere on RÚV April 9, 2023.
Sweden’s Painkiller, from writer/director Gabriela Pichler will launch in 2024. The Garagefilm production is sold by REinvent.
Finland’s Dance Brothers produced by Endemol Shine Finland for co-production partners Netflix and Yle, is due to premiere this year. Endemol Shine Finland’s Head of Scripted Max Malka is creator and co-writer with Reeta Ruotsalainen.
Six series will be pitched in the Series in Development:
- Alchevsky’s Mystery, period crime produced by LLC Ideas Bank for 1+1 Channel
- Brothers (Luxembourg, Greece, Germany) produced by Deal productions, Blonde s.a, and Hager Moss Film
- E14 (Norway) spy thriller produced by Rubicon for TV 2 Norway
- Rent (Estonia), produced by POINT Productions for Elisa Estonia.
- The Wedding Party (Norway), Sámi-focused series produced by Mer Film for NRK.
- Those Who Stayed (Ukraine) produced by Film. UA Production.
This year’s moderators of TV Drama Vision are Johanna Nunnu Karppinen, Marike Muselears, Andrea Reuter and Johanna Koljonen.
For further information, check https://goteborgfilmfestival.se/tv-drama-vision/
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