What's the DNA of NICE Drama that you set up in 2009 as part of the Nordic Independent Creative Entertainment Group and what's your vision for the company?
Patrick Nebout: NICE Drama is a hybrid company, a mix between a production company and a creative agency like in the US, where there is strong focus on development, packaging, financing, setting up the rights package with a creative vision and selling them to production companies. Our vision and business idea is to create drama with a strong local heart but with a clear international potential. In terms of personnel, we collaborate with a lot of freelance producers and creators, but try to keep the core of NICE Drama quite small. Besides Henrik and I, the company's key staff members comprise of film industry veteran Hans Lönnerheden, Head of Production [hired in June] and Joshua Mehr, Associate Producer, with a background at US-based Scott Rudin Productions.
Henrik Jansson-Schweizer: Our idea is to develop a wide range of projects for TV and film. Since we invest two-three years in each project, we need to have a gut feeling for each one of them. Ideally, we want to have two-three TV series and one-two theatrical features a year in production.
In terms of budget for feature film what's the range you're looking at?
PN: The budget range would be anything between € 2-8 million. On The Centenarian for instance the budget is €7.5 million (SEK63 million).
How do you work with NICE Group's other production outfits Monster Film and Limelight Film & TV in Norway, Moskito in Finland, Titan and Baluba in Sweden and Gong in Denmark?
HJS: We're like a drama-development hub for the NICE Group.
PN: In Sweden, there was no drama production unit so we are the first Swedish drama company within the group. We co-produce with other Nordic companies, such as Moskito TV in Finland and have other projects with Norway.
Tell us about The Centenarian based on Jonas Jónasson's best-selling novel. There must have been quite many heavy competitors fighting for the rights...
HJS: Absolutely, there must have been over 20 bidders and we were one of the smallest production companies (at the time). We wanted to make this incredible story believable and joined forces with director/producer Felix Herngren, whom we felt would be perfect as director with his personal style and technical know-how.
PN: We didn't speak so much about the money but about the vision for the feature adaptation. I think this is what made the difference. Six months later when Pontas Agency decided to go with us, the book had reached 500,000 copies sold in Sweden. Today the book is also an international success. In Germany speaking territories alone, it's sold a million copies.
What's the cast and production schedule?
HJS: For the main character, Allan Karlsson, we have Robert Gustafsson, We start shooting the first part set in period in October this year. The second part set in Sweden will be shot in spring 2013.
How far are you in the financing and who are your partners?
PN: Approximately 94% of the budget is secured, which is very unique for a feature film in Sweden at this stage of production. Our main partners are the Swedish Film Institute, Disney Nordic, TV4, Film i Väst and Nordisk Film & TV Fond, Nordsvensk Filmunderhållning, and Telemunchen in Germany.
Is Disney handling rights outside of Scandinavia?
PN: We're in discussions with Disney and international sales agents.
You've also acquired rights to The Dung-beetle flies at dusk (Tordyveln som flyger i skymningen) based on a radio play by Kaj Pollack and Maria Gripe who then turned it into a book. What can you tell us about the project?
HJS: It's a fantastic iconic book. We signed with the right holders a year ago and plan to shoot it in the summer 2014, making it a period feature film set in the seventies.
What TV projects are you working on?
We've acquired rights to three novels by Swedish crime novelist Kristina Ohlsson: Unwanted, Silenced, Guardian Angels. We plan to shoot a 3x90' trilogy, with casting to be announced around MIPCOM. Kristina Ohlsson has a new way of writing crime, using her own experience in the police force to make the main character believable.
We also have a family drama set in Åland. It's a 10x60' series, written by Niklas Rockström and Morgan Jensen, co-produced with Moskito in Finland with broadcasters SVT and YLE. Then Grand Prix is an English-language 8x60' drama series set in the world of Formula One during the 1970's, co-produced with BBC Worldwide and Lookout Point.
PN: The budget for Grand Prix will be big - around £2 million per episode - and the financing will come in majority from the international market and 20-25% from Scandinavia. We're responsible for the creative co-production and co-financing from Scandinavia.
Other international projects include the crime story Midnight Sun which we're developing with Lagardère Entertainment in France for Canal Plus and SVT.
We developed the basic concept and approached Ulf Ryberg (Headhunters) to write the entire story. He has written a pilot episode and a main story for each of the eight episodes. There is a momentum around Swedish crime, and we want to take advantage of it in a smart way, by developing unique, high-concept projects.