The Swedish film directed by Maria Blom will be represented in Cannes by sales outfit Picture Tree International. The family adventure Monky backed by Nordisk Film & TV Fond is the first animation/live action feature project produced by Patrick Ryborn of Unlimited Stories.

The script written by Anders Weidemann (30° in February) tells the story of Frank (11) and his friendship with a mysterious gibbon ape that unexpectedly shows up in his home. It soon becomes clear that this is no ordinary animal and in the search for answers Frank and his family embarks on a thrilling adventure that will take them from a small Swedish village to the deepest jungles of Thailand.

The innovative film use cutting-edge animation techniques similar to Disney’s The Jungle Book, under the expert supervision of Hollywood/Stockholm-based Henrik Tamm (Shrek, The Chronicles of Narnia), concept designer and creator for the CGI animated central character Monky.

Andreas Rothbauer, Picture Tree International CEO said: “This dramatic, deeply touching and hugely entertaining story is an exciting match with Maria [Blom]’s strong, original voice as director. It’s a film that manages to deal with serious themes with insight and humour, and we are immensely proud to help bring it to an international audience.”

Monky was produced by Unlimited Stories, in co-production with Chimney Group’s Swedish and German offices, Film i Väst, Nouvago Capital, SVT, with support from the Fund and the Swedish Film Institute. The Swedish theatrical release is set for Christmas 2017, courtesy of Nordisk Film.