Swedish production outfit Right2Screen is in full swing with the filming of Jens Assur's feature debut Ravens (Korparna) starring Reine Brynolfsson and Maria Heiskanen.

Ravens is among several high profile films and TV projects produced by Right2Screen, headed by veteran producers Lars Weiss (former chairman of Yellow Bird and Head of TV4 Sweden) and Jan Marnell (Midnight Sun, Arn the Knight Templar) 

The film is based on Tomas Bannerhed’s August Prize winning novel of the same name, that sold more than 120,000 copies in Sweden and was licensed to a dozen world territories. Behind the camera is the established photographer and multi-awarded filmmaker Jens Assur (Killing the Chickens to Scare the Monkeys).  

Set in Småland in the 1970s, the story focuses on the small farmer Agne (Brynolfsson) who struggles to make a living and is obsessed with the idea that his eldest son must take over and run the family farm. In his longing for freedom, the boy finds an escape in his interest in birds and with the new arrival of Veronica. The stellar Scandinavian cast also includes Valter Skarsgård, Peter Dalle and Jens Jørn Spottag.

The €3.4M (SEK35M) film is produced by Film and Art Affairs II (run by Assur and producer Tom Persson), in collaboration with Right2Screen, with co-financing from SVT and support from the Swedish Film Institute. TriArt handles domestic distribution. Delivery is set for March 2017. 

Executive producer Lars Weiss says several sales agent approached in Cannes were impressed by the film’s strong imagery assembled by Assur with cinematographer Jonas Alarik [Follow the Money, Hamilton-In the Nation’s Interest].

Also on Right2Screen production slate is the biopic of Sydney Opera House architect Jørn Utzon scripted by Petter Skavlan (Kon-Tiki).

“The film will tell the extraordinary story of this man, with streaks of megalomania and genius, who took his family to the other side of the world to work on this amazing project. But despite his architectural genius, Utzon became an outcast and was outmanoeuvred for political reasons. There are many moving and fascinating aspects to the Utzon story that perfectly lend themselves to movie material,” said Weiss to nordicfilmandtvnews.com. Danish producer Ole Søndberg of The Good Company will act as Danish co-producer. Filming is not expected to start before 2018.

Premium TV dramas in development include Bad Standing (10x1h) scripted by UK writer Ben Harris (Marcella). Based on a true story, the story tells of a charismatic drifter who becomes a civilian infiltrator in a notorious Motorcycle Club. He finds himself at the centre of a web of police corruption, organised crime and violent turf wars.