Notícias

Finnish director Zaida Bergroth (“Tove”) is set to direct a Marianne Faithfull biopic titled “Faithfull” with “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” star Freya Allan playing the swinging London pop star who passed away in January.

British actor and musician Jojo Macari is attached to star as Mick Jagger.

The project, now in pre-production, is being pitched to buyers by the U.K.’s Altitude Film Sales at the European Film Market in Berlin.

“From angel-innocent pop icon, actress of stage and screen and long-time muse and girlfriend of Mick Jagger, to homelessness, addiction, and ignominy,” says the synopsis for the film. “Faithfull” will depict Marianne Faithfull’s rollercoaster ride from the brightest lights of the wild 1960s of her youth, to fallen golden girl and then her remarkable phoenix-like rise and resurgence” that “establishes her as one of the great icons and true artists of our time,” it goes on to add.

A lovely intergenerational moment toward the end of Charlie McDowell’s The Summer Book captures the restorative magic of its atmospheric setting on a tiny island in the Gulf of Finland.

Glenn Close, playing a grandmother nearing the end of her life, acknowledges that once-vivid memories are slipping away from her when she can no longer recall the feeling of sleeping in a tent under the stars as a girl. Her 9-year-old granddaughter describes the experience for her, bringing a smile to the old woman’s face: “I remember that … It’s like the whole island shrinks up around you until you and it are like a raft in the sea.”

Adapted by Robert Jones from the novel by Tove Jansson — the beloved Finnish writer and illustrator of the enduringly popular Moomin books and comic strips — McDowell’s screen version remains true to the source material by sharing its attention...

Italy’s TorinoFilmLab, the international film and TV series incubator linked to the Torino Film Festival, has unveiled the nine projects selected for its 2024 SeriesLab workshop dedicated to fostering production of innovative TV shows from around the world.

The projects, which are in the early development stage, hail from 13 different countries: Australia, Belgium, Croatia, Egypt, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Mexico, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States.

For the second year in a row, SeriesLab is being led by Hungarian screenwriter and former HBO Hungary development executive Eszter Angyalosy.

“This year, once again, we selected nine original TV series ideas from passionate creatives with unique points of view,” Angyalosy said in a statement. She added that the projects aim to challenge preconceived notions pertaining to “genre, storytelling tradition and the mindset of their future audiences.”

Angyalosy will be working with tutors Filip Kasperaszek (Poland), Kirsten Ittershagen (Germany), Cyril Tysz...

Aki Kaurismäki’s 20th film keeps his signature humor and style. Fallen Leaves, starring Alma Pöysti and Jussi Vatanen as lonely, meant-to-be lovers, finds the Finnish director at one of the peaks of his career, with his most recent film coming six years ago. In that time, the world has missed the droll comedy, dry warmth, and simplicity of Kaurismäki.

Fallen Leaves features everything one might want from a romcom in 2023: a cute dog, a one-liner about Jim Jarmusch’s The Dead Don’t Die, and a singular karaoke scene in which neither of the main characters get on stage. Both Pöysti and Vatanen are wonderful, each of their characters existing in a state of hyperextended loneliness, finding one another through initial circumstance, then thrust together even when everything else seems intent on keeping them apart. Ansa (Pöysti) and Holappa (Vatanen), in many ways, need one another. Their lives are...

SkyShowtime, the European streaming joint venture of Comcast and Paramount Global has unveiled a teaser trailer for six-part original crime drama series Codename: Annika at the Stockholm International Film Festival outdoor cinema, Sommarbio.

The Finnish-Swedish production, which originally had the working title ID, was part of a deal that the streamer struck early this year with Warner Bros. Discovery for exclusive rights across all of Europe to 21 HBO Max European originals. Codename: Annika will launch on SkyShowtime in September.

Created by Mia Ylönen and Aleksi Bardy of production company Helsinki-Filmi (Tove, Ladies of Steel, Tom of Finland, Heart of a Lion, Lapland Odyssey) and directed by Finnish director Aj Annila (Peacemaker), the show promises to take audiences behind the scenes of the world of high-class art fraud, while also exploring “the reality of navigating a double identity.”

The series stars Sannah Nedergård (Yellow Sulphur Sky) as Finnish art fraud investigator Emma/Annika.

Finnish actors Alma Pöysti and Jussi Vatanen have been making names for each other for a while now. But playing leads in Aki Kaurismäki’s latest film, “Fallen Leaves,” was a whole different story.

“He has always been that household name, even when I was growing up on a farm in the 1980s, kicking a ball against our cowhouse. It’s crazy that now, we are here together. Also, he is really just a regular guy. Funny and he actually talks a lot,” Vatanen tells Variety in Cannes.

A household name himself thanks to the “Lapland Odyssey” franchise, he has been exploring dramatic roles in “Forest Giant” or “The Man Who Died.”

“As a Finn, you are very, very familiar with his style. We have seen all his movies and it’s just in our blood, I guess. I actually thought that [entering this universe] was quite easy.”

Pöysti, celebrated for her turn...

Malou Reymann’s “Unruly” won the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film at Göteborg on Saturday. At Sek 400 000, the Award’s cash prize is one of the largest prizes in the world.

Jurors Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Sofie Gråbøl, Antonio Lukich and Matti Bye praised the film for telling a “universal story about human spirit against the oppressive system” with “great sensitivity and power.”

“Although it is rooted in the past, it transcends time and borders, and speaks strongly to our time, our minds and hearts,” they stated.

The Danish director – also behind semi-autobiographical “A Perfectly Normal Family” – decided to go all the way to the 1930s in her sophomore feature, unravelling dark secrets about the real-life Sprogø Women’s Home.

“I am very pregnant and very out of breath, and very touched” said Reymann, accepting her award.

“This film is based on an actual place for women who were seen...

As the industry starts paying closer attention to Finnish films and talent – following the Cannes success of Juho Kuosmanen’s “Compartment No. 6” and Zaida Bergroth’s crowd-pleasing “Tove” – Finnish TV drama is next in line, argued the participants of the Berlinale Series Market Focus on Finland drama showcase. Kuosmanen premiered short-form series “Zone B,” which he co-created, at the Red Sea International Film Festival in December.

“We have seen a rise in Finnish stories, because as content creators and writers, we got to be a little bit braver,” said Minna Panjanen, now behind “Next of Kin”. “The truth is, everyone needs content right now. It’s almost a mathematical impossibility to say what would be the next big thing – we all saw it with ‘Squid Game’. But we need to be braver in order to stand out.”

In “Next of Kin”, set in the near future – the series is...

Versatile Finnish helmer A.J. Annila is on board to direct the thriller series with a working title of “ID” which marks HBO Max’s first commission of a Finnish premium TV show.

Set in the art fraud world, the six-part series is co-created by seasoned writer Aleksi Bardy and Mia Ylönen for Finnish production powerhouse Helsinki-Filmi, a subsidiary of Finland’s Aurora Studios.

“ID” revolves around art fraud investigator Emma who goes undercover to infiltrate an auction house in Stockholm in order to investigate the firm’s connection to a notorious money launderer known as Blanko. Under her new identity, the quiet Emma morphs into a different person, the party animal and hot-headed socialite Annika. Her change of persona triggers long-hidden memories to resurface, forcing Emma to confront her past.

Annila, who contributed earlier to HBO Nordic’s anthology series of short films “At Home” (Eristyksissä), said he is thrilled...

The Sundance Film Festival doesn’t kick off until next week, but that’s not slowing the dealmaking.

Juno Films has acquired North American rights to the feature-length documentary “Calendar Girls,” a look at a dance team comprised of Florida women over 60. The film will have its world premiere at this year’s festival in the World Cinema Documentary Competition Category. Before Sundance went virtual due to rising Covid cases, the dance team had planned to make the trek up the mountain to Park City to perform.

Juno Films plans to release the film in theaters in the early summer.

“We are delighted to collaborate with Juno Films to bring ‘Calendar Girls’ to North American audiences,” says filmmakers Maria Loohufvud and Love Martinsen. “We believe that it will appeal to audiences across the spectrum and will prompt viewers to reconsider what it means to be ‘old.'”

“Calendar Girls” is...

Exclusive: Juno Films has claimed North America rights to The Pact, a film from Oscar and Palme d’Or-winning director Bille August, which is based on the true story of Out of Africa author Karen Blixen, planning to release it in U.S. and Canadian theaters in early 2022, followed by a digital release later in the year.

The Pact catches up with Blixen (Birthe Neumann) at age 63, finding her at the pinnacle of her fame and next in line to win the Nobel Prize for literature. It has been 17 years since she gave up her famous farm in Africa, only to return to Denmark with her life in ruins. Devastated by syphilis and having lost the love of her life, she has reinvented herself as a literary sensation. She is an isolated genius, however, until the day she meets talented 30-year-old poet Thorkild Bjørnvig...

Including previews, the film set a new record opening for a film this year.

RankFilm (Distributor)Three-day gross (July 9-11)Total gross to dateWeek 1 Black Widow (Disney) £4.6m £6.9m 1 2 Fast And Furious 9 (Universal) £1.1m £13m 3 3 Peter Rabbit 2 (Sony) £510,000 £18.2m 8 4 In The Heights (Warner Bros) £232,000 £3.8m 6 5 Cruella (Disney) £232,000 £8.9m 4

Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.39

Disney’s Marvel title Black Widow stormed the UK-Ireland box office this weekend, opening in top spot with a £4.6m Friday to Sunday session.

This was the second-highest opening of the year behind the £4.8m of Fast And Furious 9 last month. Including two days of previews,...

Disney to give Marvel superhero film the widest release since UK cinemas reopened in May.

After a delay of more than a year, Disney has finally released Marvel superhero adventure Black Widow in the UK and Ireland, and will deliver the territory’s widest theatrical release since cinemas began reopening in May.

The comic book adaptation, starring Scarlett Johansson and directed by Cate Shortland, opened in 622 venues in the UK on Wednesday (July 7) – two days ahead of the US – and generated £1.2m of its first day of release. The takings were impacted by England’s win over Denmark in the...

Helsinki-filmi also produced ’Tom Of Finland and ’Heart Of A Lion’.

Finland’s Aurora Studios has acquired independent production company Helsinki-filmi, which has credits including Tom Of Finland and Tove.

Helsinki-filmi will continue its operations independently while becoming a subsidiary of Aurora.

Aleksi Bardy, the majority owner of Helsinki-filmi, will become a partner at Aurora and join its executive board while continuing to serve as CEO of the production company. No redundancies will be made as a result of the acquisition.

Previous Helsinki-filmi shareholders Annika Sucksdorff and Dome Karukoski will no longer be part-owners of the company after the acquisition.

Tove director Zaida Bergroth: “We had a wonderful production designer [Catharina Nyqvist Ehrnrooth] who studied every little detail and she was able to build this wonderful place for us.” Photo: Sami Kuokkanen

Zaida Bergroth’s Tove (Finland’s 2021 Oscar submission), screenplay by Eeva Putro, stars Alma Pöysti (Xavier Picard and Hanna Hemilä’s Moomins On The Riviera) as Tove Jansson, the creator of Moomins and Krista Kosonen (in Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 with Carla Juri and in Bergroth’s Miami) as theatre director Vivica Bandler with Shanti Roney, Joanna Haartti, Robert Enckell, Kajsa Ernst, Jakob Öhrman, Eeva Putro, Liisi Tandefelt, Wilhelm Enckell.

During our conversation Zaida brings up a scene in Tove that she calls Aki Kaurismaki’s Paris, I remark that Lars von Trier’s Melancholia may have been influenced by the Moomins, and Alma Pöysti is quoted as saying “we are Moomin-marinated children.” We also...

Art, love, jealousy and freedom are themes at the heart of Tove, the biopic of Swedish-Finnish Moomins creator Tove Jansson (Alma Pöysti). Her drawings of the hippo-like Moomintrolls became world famous, graduating from books and comic strips to theater, TV series, movies and even a theme park. But the Tove we meet in 1944 Helsinki is struggling to pay the rent with her paintings, little knowing that her fortune will be made by the cartoons her sculptor father mocks.

Written by Eeva Putro and directed by Zaida Bergroth, and releasing domestically via Juno Films on June 3 and in the UK on July 9 through Blue Finch Film, the story explores evolving definitions of art through this father-daughter tension. But its deeper focus is on Tove Jansson as a person, and the fascinating milieu in which she lives.

This is liberal, post-war Helsinki, where artists mingle with politicians at illegal parties, sipping cocktails and swapping partners.

Finland’s official submission for the ‘Best International Feature’ category at the 93rd Academy Awards in 2021 is Tove, the fifth film from Zaida Bergroth, which premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival. Together with actress Alma Poysti, who stars as one of Finland’s most notable writers and artists, Tove Jansson, they spoke with me on the making of the film. A warm and intimate portrait of Jansson post WWII as she began to channel the creative energies which she would become known for (including the impetus for her beloved Moomins cartoon strip), Bergroth and Poysti share their thoughts on and connections to Jansson as well as the process of bringing this subject to life.…...

Tove Juno Films Reviewed for Shockya.com & BigAppleReviews.net linked from Rotten Tomatoes by: Harvey Karten Director: Zaida Bergroth Writer: Eeva Putro Cast: Alma Pöysti, Krista Kosonen, Shanti Roney, Joanna Haartii, Robert Enckell Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 5/25/21 Opens: June 3, 2021 Few scenes are as bracing as a winter’s plunge into Lake Isojärvi following […]

The post Tove Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

The hit BBC drama “The Replacement” is set for a Finnish adaptation produced by Helsinki-filmi (“Tove”) for local streamer Elisa Viihde.

The Elisa Viihde original series has started filming in the metropolitan area of Helsinki under the helm of filmmaker Jyri Kähönen. It will launch on Elisa Viihde Viaplay streaming service in 2022, and is being represented in international markets by Sony Pictures Television.

Created by Joe Ahearne and Nicole Cauverien, “The Replacement” is an intense psychological thriller about the fear of losing one’s professional and personal life.

The Finnish adaptation is a three-part series penned by Mia Ylönen (“Tom of Finland”) and Tuuli Hostikka (“Tove”). The cast includes Maria Ylipää (“Arctic Circle”), Pamela Tola (“Ladies of Steel”) and Olavi Uusivirta (“The Sixth Time”). Sara Paavolainen and Eero Saarinen feature in other key roles.

The series will follow Ella, an architect who is about to get the greatest opportunity of her career,...

New York-based boutique distributor Juno Films has acquired North American rights to the intimate and compelling Norwegian documentary “Seyran Ates: Sex, Revolution and Islam,” featuring Turkish-German feminist lawyer and one of the first female imams in Europe. The deal was brokered by Dr Sales ahead of the film’s world premiere at the San Francisco Intl. Film Festival, running April 9-18.

The film brings together in front and behind the camera two strong female activists fighting for human rights, LGBTQ people and gender equality within Islam. Oslo-based Turkish/Norwegian helmer Nefise Özkal Lorentzen was nominated for the History Makers Award in New York City for her film “A Balloon for Allah,” and has been named one of the top 10 immigrant role models in Norway. The film’s main protagonist, Ates, founder of the liberal and LGBTQ-friendly Ibn Ruschd-Goethe mosque in Berlin, has been championing for years sexual revolution within Islam,...

Rotterdam Winners

This year’s virtual International Film Festival Rotterdam has crowned the winners from its film program. Southern India-set Pebbles by Vinothraj P.S won the Tiger Award, while I Comete – A Corsican Summer by French filmmaker Pascal Tagnati and Looking for Venera by Norika Sefa from Kosovo both won Special Jury Awards. The Vpro Big Screen Award went to El perro que no calla by Ana Katz from Argentina and Quo Vadis, Aida? by Bosnian filmmaker Jasmila Žbanić won the BankGiro Loterij Audience Award. The festival named its industry winners last week. “In these most challenging of times, we are incredibly proud to have brought an outstanding selection of titles in our reimagined festival format,” said festival director Vanja Kaludjercic.

Goteborg Fest Awards

Tigers, directed by Ronnie Sandahl, won the 2021 Dragon Award Best Nordic Film as this year’s Goteborg Film Festival came to a close over the weekend.

Swedish helmer-writer Ronnie Sandahl’s “Tigers” – a rare glimpse inside the world of professional soccer following a protagonist who struggles with the pressures of success – came away the biggest winner at Sweden’s 43rd Göteborg Film Festival, scoring the best Nordic film kudo, this year worth approximately $48,000.

The film’s lead actor, Erik Enge, also nabbed the fest’s award for best actor for his subtle, nuanced performance as a 17-year-old professional player hired by the Italian club Inter Milan.

The Golden Globe-nominated Danish film “Another Round,” from director Thomas Vinterberg, claimed the audience choice award for a film in the Nordic competition. Meanwhile, the critics’ jury opted for director-writer Ninja Thyberg’s feature debut, “Pleasure,” a bold and daring documentary-like descent into the subterranean world of the L.A. porn industry, with a tour de force performance from newcomer Sofia Kappel.

Swedish-born, Denmark-based Dp Linda Wassberg claimed the Sven...

In many parts of the world, you would never need to explain that Tove Jansson was the creator of the lovable hippo-like creatures named the Moomins. In Jansson’s native Finland and neighboring Sweden, she is as well-known as Walt Disney and her characters as beloved as Mickey Mouse. And her influence extends well beyond the borders of her home country, with the Moomins universe exists in nearly 50 languages and as many cultures.

Jansson lived from 1914 to 2001, her fascinating life spanning almost the entirely of the 20th century. But the new biopic “Tove” (her name is pronounced Tu-vey) focuses on a 10-year period, beginning as World War II was drawing to a close in 1945. The film, the fifth feature by Finish director Zaida Bergroth, depicts Jansson’s romantic relationships with men and women, and the unexpected personal and creative endeavors that led to her ultimate success as an artist.

Classically...

Biopic of Moomins creator Tove Jansson is Finland’s submission for the Oscar.

LevelK has closed a slew of new deals on Tove, the biopic of artist and Moomins creator Tove Jansson, which Finland has submitted for the international feature Oscar.

The deals are led by Juno Films, which has acquired US rights, Films We Like for Canada, and Blue Finch Film Releasing for the UK and Ireland.

Further deals include to Switzerland (Dcm), Benelux (Remain in Light), Austria (Polyfilm Verleih), Israel (Dbs Satellite) and Thailand (Movies Matter).

Previously announced sales include to Russia/Cis (Russian World Vision), Baltics (Estin...

The festival’s 44th edition runs online (due to the pandemic) Jan 29-Feb 8.

The Goteborg Film Festival has unveiled its slimmed-down lineup of 70 films from 39 countries (compared to the usual size of about 400 films); the festival’s 44th edition runs online (due to the pandemic) Jan 29-Feb 8.

Goteborg will open with the Swedish premiere of Zaida Bergroth’s Tove, a biopic of Finnish artist and Moomins creator Tove Jansson; and will close with the European premiere of Frida Kempff’s Knocking, an unnerving psychological drama about a woman hearing strange noises in her new house. Knocking premieres at Sundance and is sold by Bankside.

Rolling off a strong year for Scandinavian filmmaking, the virtual 44rd edition of the Goteborg Film Festival will kick off with Zaida Bergroth’s “Tove,” which will compete alongside Thomas Vinterberg’s “Another Round” and Ninja Thyberg’s “Pleasure,” among other Nordic pics.

Telling the story of one of Finland’s most beloved and inspiring artists, “Tove” broke box office records in Finland last year in spite of the pandemic, and now ranks as the highest grossing Finnish film in the last 40 years.

“Tove,” which is also Finland’s Oscar candidate, will be one of the seven films vying for the Dragon Award Best Nordic Film. The lineup comprises “Another Round,” one of the most prominent titles in Cannes 2020’s official selection, and “Pleasure,” which is set to world premiere at Sundance, as well as Ronnie Sandahl’s “Tigers,” Lisa Jespersen’s “Persona Non Grata,” Itonje Søimer Guttormsen’s “Gritt...

The Academy on Friday unveiled to its voters a record 93 films will compete in the Best International Feature Film category — which will no doubt leading to a busy four weeks of viewing before first-round voting begins on Feb. 1.

Helped by Covid-inspired rules that relaxed the usual entry requirements, the films topped the record of 92 entries set in 2017, as TheWrap suggested they likely would in December. The films include a record 34 female directors, seven more than the previous high of 27 set last year.

This is not the official list of qualifying films, which is expected to be released by the Academy later in January. But these 93 films are all in the members-only online screening room devoted to the category, and each of them has been put on a “required viewing” list for one-fourth of the voters. It is unlikely that any of the films will be disqualified at this point, although...

An interview with the director Zaida Bergroth about Tove, a captivating drama about the creative energy of an iconic talent and her…

Continue reading on SydneysBuzz The Blog »...

For non-Nordic viewers who only know of Tove Jansson as a name attached to the cuddly, dumpling-shaped creatures called the Moomins — mid-20th-century comic strip trolls resembling hippopotami, composed of negative space and living in some kind of tundra-adjacent landscape — the engaging biopic Tove will offer some interesting surprises. Not only was Moomins creator Jansson, played with moxie by theater actor Alma Poysti, the libidinous and unconventional black sheep of an already bohemian artistic family, but she also was bisexual. Covering Jansson’s formative adult years, from just before the end of World War II to the 1950s, Tove tracks her ...

In today’s Global Bulletin, WarnerMedia appoints Vanessa Brookman as head of kids for Emea, Discovery commissions two new unscripted series while Channel 5 gets a pair of dramas and the Göteborg Film Festival selects “Tove” as its opening film.

Appointment

WarnerMedia has announced that Vanessa Brookman will be promoted to the newly created position of head of kids for Emea, effective immediately.

The move brings, for the first time, all WarnerMedia’s operational, editorial and creative responsibilities for kids’ content and channel brands in the region under a single remit. The consolidated portfolio includes Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Boing and Cartoonito as well as digital properties on third-party and WarnerMedia streaming platforms.

Brookman will collaborate closely with Johannes Larcher and Christina Sulebakk at HBO Max to improve the platform’s offerings for kids before it launches across Emea markets.

A near-six-year vet at WarnerMedia, Brookman has worked in senior content,...

The Moomins, with their hippo-like silhouettes, are beloved cartoon characters familiar to readers around the globe. But less is known about their creator, the bisexual, Swedish-speaking, Finnish visual artist and author Tove Jansson and her surprisingly unconventional life. The engaging biopic “Tove,” from Finnish helmer Zaida Bergroth, goes a long way toward remedying that knowledge gap. Featuring a mesmerizing lead performance by Alma Pöysti, the sensuously textured film, shot on 16mm, concentrates on a formative decade in Tove’s life (from the mid-1940s to mid-’50s) and explores her artistic and personal passions, and the challenges they entail. With multiple hooks, sales and festival interest should be strong.

Born in 1914 and raised in an artistic, bohemian family in Helsinki, Tove is the eldest child of a prominent sculptor father (Robert Enckel) and a supportive graphic-artist mother (Kajsa Ernst). Although a student of painting, she, like her mother, also creates illustrations,...

International sales outfit LevelK has acquired the uplifting female-led Danish drama “The Food Club,” directed by Barbara Topsøe-Rothenborg (“One-Two-Three Now!”).

LevelK will be handling world sales rights to “The Food Club” outside of the Nordics. Set in the lush countryside, “The Food Club” is headlined by three well-known Scandinavian actresses, Kirsten Olesen (“The Bridge”), Stina Ekblad (“Wallander”) and Kirsten Lehfeldt (“Men & Chicken”).

The film revolves around three longtime girlfriends from elementary school who are coming into their prime and are finding a new lease on life after participating in a cooking course in Italy.

Marie (Olesen) is abandoned by her husband on Christmas Eve, leading her identity as part of a happy family to crumble; while Berling (Ekblad) is the eternal bachelor who lives the sweet life but has a complicated relationship with her daughter; and Vanja (Lehfeldt) lives with the memories of her late husband and has difficulty moving on.

Samuel Goldwyn in North America and Telepool in Germany are some of the major buyers lured by “H is for Happiness,” the acclaimed feature debut of seasoned Australian theater director John Sheedy.

The Australian heartwarming comedy drama is represented in international markets by LevelK. It opened the Generation Kplus section at this year’s Berlinale, where it received the Children’s Jury Special Mention.

LevelK has scored deals for North America (Samuel Goldwyn), Germany (Telepool), the Middle East and North Africa (Front Row), the Nordics excluding Iceland (Angel Films/FilmCentrum), Estonia (Estin Film) Poland (New Horizons Assoc.), Eastern Europe Israel (yes Dbs) and Holland (Npo Holland).

Based on Australian author Barry Jonsberg’s popular young adult novel “My Life as an Alphabet,” the film follows Candice Phee, an optimistic 12-year-old girl from a small coastal town who is determined to bring her family back from the brink while facing the trials of adolescence.

20 new projects, including Juho Kuosmanen’s Compartment Number 6 and Zaida Bergroth’s Tove, have received production support in March. Amid the current coronavirus scare, the Finnish Film Foundation has cemented its belief in a brighter future by granting production support to 20 projects – backing that amounts to almost €6.5 million. A total of €750,000 have gone to Juho Kuosmanen’s Compartment Number 6, currently shooting in Russia under the watchful eye of Aamu Film Company, following the international success of his debut feature, The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki. Furthermore, €850,000 went to Zaida Bergroth’s Tove, a biopic of Moomin creator Tove Jansson, produced by Helsinki-filmi and scheduled to premiere domestically in October. Tove wasn’t the only title marking the presence of Helsinki-filmi, with Marja Pyykkö’s Wedding of the Century getting €484,999. This was followed by the features Love on the Spot, to be directed by Reetta...

LevelK is not only planning to back films with MGs but also to offer finance from private investors, financiers and hedge funds.

Denmark-based sales company and digital aggregator LevelK is moving into financing.

As part of this move, LevelK has boarded the animated feature #nofilter both as a financier and world sales company.

Michael Hegner and Tor Lubich Fruergaard (Venus) direct #nofilter, now in development. Irene Sparre (Lego Star Wars) produces for Copenhagen-based Sparre Production. The feature will be pitched at Cartoon Movie this week; the story is about a 60-year-old eccentric teacher who offers an alternative sexual education to a bunch of nine-graders.

The former took best film with the latter winning best director.

Levan Akin’s Cannes 2019 title And Then We Danced and Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja’s Toronto 2018 film Aniara led the winners at the 2020 Guldbagge Awards, held on January 20 in Stockholm, Sweden.

Both films picked up four awards each. And Then We Danced took best film, best actor for Levan Gelbakhiani, best screenplay for Akin, and best cinematography for Lisabi Fridell; while Aniara received best director, best actress for Emelie Garbers, best supporting actress for Bianca Cruzeiro, and best visual effects for Arild Andersson, Per Jonsson and Andreas Wicklund.