Göteborg’s hybrid TV Drama Vision focuses on sustainability, healthy working

A favoured trendsetting meeting point for Nordic TV creators, financiers and international partners, the sold-out TV Drama Vision event in Göteborg has set as dynamic conference theme ‘Being a part of the solution’ with sustainability and healthy working conditions as focal points.

How to make changes in a drama industry under intense pressure due to the pandemic and the streaming war, how to support individuals and the industry with renewed capacity, will be addressed by media analyst Johanna Koljonen in the Nostradamus Report, which acts as backbone to the TV event.

The programme was put together by the drama industry, for the drama industry, as explained by the Göteborg Film Festival's Head of Industry Cia Edström.

Sustainability and how to coordinate pan-Nordic initiatives to create a responsible green film & TV industry will be discussed by Nordisk Film & TV Fond CEO Liselott Forsman, with expert Ronny Fritsche, producer at Avokadofilm. The duo will give a preview of a new partnership between the Fund and the Nordic Eco Media Alliance (NEMA), to be officially launched in March

Other panels will address ‘championing sustainable creativity’ - with Banijay’s Lars Blomgren as keynote, ‘Future-proofing the industry, with panellists Kjartan Thor Thordarsson (Sagafilm), Filippa Wallestam (Nent Group), Rikke Ennis (REinvent) and Martina Österling (Albatross Agency).

‘Sustaining Nordic series storytelling’ will be tackled by Ivar Køhn (NRK), Elli Toivoniemi (Tuffi Films) and Ronny Fritsche. Steering the debate will be writer/creative producer Valeria Richter and producer Helene Granqvist, initiators of the New Nordic Narratives think tank, developed in collaboration with Göteborg’s Nordic Film Market, Haugesund’s New Nordic Films and Industry@Tallinn Baltic Event.

Finally ‘new ways for creative producers’ will be discussed by Gudny Hummelvoll (Hummelfilm/Yellow Bird Norge), Gábor Krigler (Joyrider), Josefine Tengblad (Nordic Drama Queens) and Nicklas Wikström Nicastro (Strive Stories).

Nordic Commissioners
As always, one of the high-points of Nordic TV Drama Vision will be the ‘Meet the Nordic Commissioners’ session, with some of the region’s most powerful drama green-lighters invited to unveil their slate and strategy.

This year’s speakers are:

• Netflix’s Head of Nordic Original SeriesJenny Stjernströmer Björk,
• NENT Group’s Camilla Rydbacken,
• C More/TV4’s Piodor Gustafsson and Nathalie Drago and their Finnish colleague Jani Hartikainen at C More/MTV3,
• DR’s Henriette Marienlund,
• TV2 Denmark’s Katrine Vogelsang,
• NRK’s Ivar Køhn,
• SVT’s Anna Croneman, and Malin Nevander,
• Yle’s Jarmo Lampela
• Elisa Viihde’s Ani Korpela.
  

Finland which has joined Sweden and Denmark as international providers of high-end drama in the last few years, together with Norway, will be under the spotlight as Country Focus, while Russia will be profiled via local streamer START and its drama division.

“We always try to bring international drama from Europe in focus. So far we haven’t really looked at Russia, so this is an opportunity,” said Edström.

Meanwhile a dozen titles from the Nordics, Europe and Latin America will be sneak-peeked.

Next series to watch
This year’s high-profile Works in Progress -Blackwater and Trom- two crime dramas based on landmark literary works, are both supported by Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

Based on Kerstin Ekman’s novel, Blackwater is written by Queen of Hearts’ Maren Louise Käehn with Karin Ahrrenius (The Girl, Rebecka Martinsson). The intertwined story of four individuals whose lives are impacted by the random killing of two tourists, is due to premiere on SVT early 2023. Apple Tree Productions’ Piv Bernth is producing. ITV Studios handle sales.

Trom is the buzzed-about Faroe-Islands-set drama produced and sold by Reinvent. Creator and co-writer Torfinnur Jákupsson recently discussed the show with us (CLICK HERE). Viaplay will launch it February 13.

Nordic Talents
For the first time, Nordisk Film & TV Fond will be collaborating with TV Drama Vision in a special Nordic Talents showcase.

Three upcoming writers/directors who first pitched their project online at the annual Nordic Talents, have a chance to present them to a live audience.

The Nordic Talents projects in development are:

• Feud by Marlon Saares (Finland).
  The time-travel series follows two students and dedicated fencers, who go back to 1661 to save a student, sentenced to death for learning Arabic.
• Inside Your Border (Inom din gräns) by Simon Elvås (Sweden).
  Real-inspired drama about three different families, as they get messed up in world politics, at a time (2013) when Sweden is signing a weapon deal with Thailand.
• The Great Unknown (Min ljusa stad) by Inka Rusi, produced by Onerva Pictures’ Tanja Rusi.
  Untold story of internationally renowned Finnish/Swedish author Sally Salminen, who wrote a novel while working as a housemaid in 1930s New York City and becomes famous overnight.

You can follow the on-site and online pitches February 3, 10.25-10.45.

Hot Icelandic Series
Two Iceland premium shows will be pitched for the first time:

• As Long as We Live (Svo lengi sem við lifum) is the debut as writer/creator of actress Aníta Breim (The Minister, The Tudors). Glassriver is producing for Channel 2 Iceland.
  
  Beta, a former queen of pop, now a struggling mom is in a stale marriage and misses the thrills of her past life. When a young man becomes a part of her and her husband’s household and starts introducing them to flirting games, their marriage is reignited, but for how long?
  The 6x45’ series is handled internationally by Eccho Rights.
• Home is Where the Heart Is (Heima er best) is created and directed by Tinna Hrafnsdóttir (Quake). Polarama and Freyja Filmwork are producing for Síminn.
  
  Three middle-aged sisters fighting over a legacy are suddenly faced with old wounds and unsolved issues that end up having dire consequences.

The TV Drama Vision will also pay tribute to prominent Italian writer/director/producer Luca Guadagnino (Call Me by Your Name), set to receive an Honorary Dragon Award February 4, 2022.