Almost three weeks after Denmark and Norway’s near total shutdowns and Sweden’s slowing down of all activities, Fremantle-owned Miso Film is assessing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on its productions and workforce. 

Speaking to nordicfilmandtvnews.com, Miso Film Co-CEO and producer Peter Bose said his company has “worked 24/7 to deal with the Covid-19 situation” and was forced to take “heavy decisions” to protect cast & crew, permanent staff and their families. These include a ‘work from home’ policy, implemented in Denmark, Sweden and Norway since March 12.

“We are grateful that no persons employed by Miso Film have been diagnosed with COVID-19,” stresses Bose who employs 14 producers across Scandinavia, with co-partner Jonas Allen.

However, on the production front, all projects from the Scandinavian powerhouse have been impacted. 

• Filming of NENT Group/Viaplay’s Danish crime drama Those Who Kill season 2 has been paused halfway through. 
• A new Netflix series (not yet officially announced) due to start filming last Monday, was postponed. 

“Both productions will be suspended until we have a clear instruction and recommendation from the Danish Government,” noted Bose.

Three other series have been pushed back: 

• Face to Face season 2 (Viaplay), the Danish drama created/directed by Christoffer Boe, was originally set to start filming in June, but has now been delayed to August/September 2020. 
• Cell 8 (Viaplay), the second season of the Swedish crime series in the Roslund & Hellström franchise due to start principal photography mid-May in Poland, has also been pushed back to the fall.
• a new HBO Nordic series due to start principal photography is also pushed to late summer 2020.  

Productions that are 'slightly affected' according to Bose, but whose delivery will most probably be delayed include:

• Tobias Lindholm’s Danish drama The Investigation (TV2 Denmark/SVT) currently in post-production.
• Ole Bornedal’s major feature film project Shadows in My Eyes which started filming last November. The WW2 drama featuring the British Royal Air Force’s accidental and catastrophic bombing of a French school in 1945 Copenhagen, was set to premiere in Denmark in the fall 2020 via SF Studios, before a global roll out on Netflix.

Asked if he was expecting some financial compensations from insurances, or from the Danish government, Bose said: “We don't know yet if we have any insurance coverage and sadly, so far, none of the rescue measures from the government fits into our industry.”

Emergency lock down measures are expected to last until April 13 in Denmark and Norway, while Sweden has just implemented on Sunday all banning of public gatherings of more than 50 people.

In a separate announcement, Miso Film said in-house Danish producer Christian Potalivo (The Rain) has just left the company to set up his own shingle. He will be replaced by newly hired Caroline Schlüter Bingestam (Follow the Money 3) who joins Miso Film from DR.