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Norwegian actor turned TV writer-director Henriette Steenstrup says she “adooores” “Ted Lasso,” and it’s easy to see why. Her first gig as showrunner “Pørni,” the Viaplay comedy hit, recommissioned by Netflix for Seasons 4-5, displays similar qualities: a rare ability to mix comedy with heart-warming drama, without shying away from serious issues.

With her upcoming shows “Nepobaby” and “Triage,” commissioned by TV2 Norway, the versatile Norwegian talent named one of Variety’s 10 European TV creators to watch in 2022, will stick to her working formula while exploring new settings. “I love mixing genres,” says the star of “Ragnarok” and “Lilyhammer,” ahead of Göteborg’s TV Drama Vision showcase, where she will deliver a talk later this month and serve as jury president of the Nordic Series Script Award.

Currently in development, “Triage” is set in Oslo at a hospital’s ER department, where nurses are forced to make tough decisions,...

Superindie Banijay Entertainment, the France-headquartered international content production and distribution giant with more than 130 production companies across 23 territories, has a catalog of over 185,000 hours of original programming, including such hits as Survivor, Black Mirror, Marie Antoinette, Peaky Blinders, MasterChef, and Big Brother. And it has an executive role that is unlike most others.

In early 2023, the company hired HBO Europe veteran Steve Matthews as an addition to its central scripted department. The former executive of Octagon Films in Dublin (Love/Hate) and consulting producer on all three seasons of Showtime’s The Borgias, starring Jeremy Irons, has since then worked as content partnerships executive at Banijay. He is tasked with contributing to the production development process, “supporting in driving co-production opportunities across the Nordics, Spain and beyond, and generally building out the business’ pipeline and creative partnerships primarily across drama.”

Matthews will be speaking at MIPCOM 2024 on Tuesday during a “Drama...

Netflix has unveiled three new Nordic originals as part of its 2025 slate, including the Swedish crime series “Synden,” the Danish fertility dramedy “Sult,” and season 3 of Norwegian romantic comedy series “Home for Christmas,” confirming its ambition to keep investing in Scandinavian content.

The Nordic market has gone through a rough patch in the last few years after the fallout of negotiations between the Danish producers guild and streamers; and the major restructuring at Viaplay which has put the brakes on local originals and is now partly owned by France’s Canal+.

All three Nordic originals greenlighted by Netflix are backed by renowned creatives and producers.

“Synden” is written and directed by Peter Grönlund whose credits include “Goliat” and “Beartown.” The series follows the perpetually angry, odd but highly intelligent investigator Dani (Krista Kosonen) who is teamed up with newly graduated police colleague Malik (Mohammed Nour Oklah) to investigate the murder...

From Aug. 17-23, the charming coastal town of Haugesund, Norway, will showcase 76 films and 21 shorts in the newly renovated Edda film hub, offering two extra screening rooms, bringing the total halls to seven.

“We are looking forward to using the two new luxury halls and giving both the films and the audience a quality experience,” said festival honcho Tonje Hardersen.

Many of the high-quality features will screen in the festival’s main program, including several Cannes entries making their Norwegian premiere, such as “All We Imagine as Light,” “The Substance,” “Wild Diamond,” “The Girl with the Needle” and “When the Light Breaks.”

Among the four world premieres, three hail from Norway, a nation that boasts an enviable list of 2024 fest winners, such as Sundance’s “A New Kind of Wilderness,” “Handling the Undead,” Berlin’s “Sex” and Karlovy Vary’s “Loveable,” all lined up for Haugesund as well.

“Once again,...

One of the Nordic region’s biggest providers of premium series, Copenhagen-based REinvent International Sales, will make a splash at this week’s Canneseries festival and MipTV market.

For the second consecutive year, the sales, financing and packaging banner has two titles in competition: the Danish drama thriller “Dark Horse”, due to world premiere in the main competition, and the short form Swedish dramedy entry “Painkiller”, which initially bowed at the Göteborg Film Festival.

“Last year we had the Norwegian political drama “Power Play” which won best series, and the Swedish romantic dramedy “Out of Touch” in the short form section. Canneseries is a great platform to get the hype going on your series,” commented Helene Aurø, REinvent sales and marketing director.

Turning on this year’s competition candidates, Aurø points out that both “Dark Horse” and “Painkiller” deal with mother/daughter relationships.

The Danish drama thriller “Dark Horse,” ordered by TV2,...

Harking back to those erotic thrillers of yore, especially from the 1980s and 90s, writer-director Joy Wilkinson’s 7 Keys, her debut feature, starts out full of promise and potential — much like the impromptu hook-up that gets the plot rolling. Unfortunately, like many an ill-starred love match, what follows is disappointing as things evolve in a lurid and yet strangely predictable direction. But while it all goes sour and south in the last act, there are definitely sparks of originality in the early running, supported by a brace of strong performances from Emma McDonald and Billy Postlethwaite, who deserve better than what the script gives them to work with.

Premiering in the Visions section at SXSW, this low-budget striver of a feature may find berths with streamers, and ought to at least attract attention from casting directors looking for new talents.

McDonald and Postlethwaite aren’t entirely unknown quantities. The...

Banijay Rights has scored a first batch of sales on “Fallen,” a crime drama reuniting “The Bridge” showrunner Camilla Ahlgren and star Sofia Helini. The series is produced by Banijay-owned Filmlance, a leading Scandinavian outfit.

Unveiled at the Goteborg Film Festival’s TV Drama Vision conference, deals on “Fallen” include Canal+’s channel Polar+ in France, MHz Choice in the U.S., Npo in the Netherlands, Sbs in Australia, Ert in Greece and Syn Hf in Iceland.

Created and written by Ahlgren along with Martin Asphaug and Alex Haridi, the six-part series stars Helin (“Atlantic Crossing”) and Hedda Stiernstedt. The show is co-produced by TV4, Film i Skåne and Filmlance, in collaboration with Zdf.

In “Fallen,” Helin plays Iris Broman, the new head of Kalla Fall, a group solving cold cases in Malmö. Iris has just left Stockholm following a tragedy and moved to the small southern town of Ystad,...

Christian Wikander is out as global head of scripted at indie TV giant Banijay, a year after taking up the job, Banijay confirmed on Thursday.

A Banijay spokeswoman said Wikander will be leaving the group on Feb. 2, 2024 and that his role will now be reviewed. In the interim, Banijay’s global scripted team will temporarily report to chief business Officer Frédéric Balmary.

Wikander joined Banijay in 2022 after he was laid off from Warner Bros. Discovery’s HBO Max Nordic (now Max) when Warners shut down its original production operations in Scandinavia. Wikander had been commissioning editor and vp of original programming in the Nordic region for two years, delivering such series as the Swedish comedy Lust starring The Bridge actor Sofia Helin.

Banijay owns more than 60 scripted production companies around the world, including Sweden’s Yellow Bird, producers of Nordic noir drama Wallander, Norway’s Rubicon TV (Beforeigners) and British...

At its latest edition, which takes place parallel to the Helsinki Intl. Film Festival — Love & Anarchy, the Finnish Film Affair will again host its well-received Nordic Flair training program, an initiative designed to offer career development for film professionals from across the Nordic region.

After a 2022 edition that focused on sales agents, distributors, buyers and broadcast commissioners, this year’s event will host actors working in one or more of the Nordic countries. Maria Pirkkalainen-Barber, head of Finnish Film Affair and Nordic Flair, says the goal in Helsinki is to offer a launching pad for rising talents looking to take the next step in their careers.

“The opportunities for actors to develop their own chances for an international breakthrough can be challenging, and access to agents and casting directors is competitive. Not to mention how the pandemic years made it more difficult for actors to build international networks,” Pirkkalainen-Barber says.

The following contains spoilers for The Righteous Gemstones Season 3, Episode 9, "Wonders That Cannot Be Fathomed, Miracles That Cannot Be Counted," now streaming on Max.

When it comes to male nudity, HBO definitely pushes the boundary. Even South Park pointed it out, with shows like Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, Big Little Lies, Minx and Beforeigners often seeking to break the mold. Of course, Euphoria must be mentioned, as it embraces sexuality with a Gen Z edge.

In Season 3 of The Righteous Gemstones, male nudity gets kicked up a notch. In this case, it's not about romance or anything sexy. Full-frontal nudity is instead used to terrifying effect in one of the show's scariest scenes, reminding fans how the series loves mixing dark comedy and action.

Related: Why Angus Cloud's Fezco Will Always Be the Heart of Euphoria

The Righteous Gemstones Unleashed Naked Stephen

The Righteous Gemstones' sixth episode,...

“We are sending a message that our content doesn’t have to cost a fortune to watch,” said the CEO of fledgling streamer SkyShowtime, who said there could be more bundling in the future.

Monty Sarhan took the reins of the Comcast/Paramount Global Jv last year and has since overseen the hiring of 180 staff across seven offices, a rollout to more than 20 European territories in which Comcast’s Peacock and Now TV, and Paramount+ aren’t present, and the commissioning of a number of original series.

Speaking to Deadline before a Nem keynote in Dubrovnik, he said SkyShowtime’s pricing structure had been forged in response to “double digit inflation, a cost-of-living crisis and with war raging in Ukraine.”

Monty Sarhan: “One of the important ways we can create value is by bundling”. Image: Nem

“We are leaning into a consumer value proposition that puts consumers at the forefront,...

Netflix is set to reteam with Anne Bjørnstad and Eilif Skodvin, the creators of the popular crime comedy series “Lilyhammer,” on a new Norwegian program, with the working title “Salmon Island.”

The series is set up at leading Norwegian production banner Rubicon and will be helmed by Marit Moum Aune (“Made in Oslo”), who also serves as a conceptual director on the series.

“Salmon Island” takes place in a small coastal community in Norway and revolves around two families who are sworn enemies in the global salmon industry. The contemporary series delivers a portrait of the fish farming business, weaving together comedy and drama.

“Over the last few decades, fish farming has changed both the Norwegian coast and international food culture,” said Bjørnstad and Skodvin, who also penned the series.

“The time feels right for a television drama about the operators in the industry. It’s amazing that a global...

HBO Europe veteran Antony Root is set to leave Warner Bros. Discovery at the end of March after 11 years spearheading original programming across the continent.

Root has commissioned and overseen more than 1,000 episodes of original premium programming across scripted, documentaries and unscripted for HBO Europe and HBO Max streaming services. The executive was a champion of European originals long before pushing into local production became in vogue among studios and streamers.

Some of his top local originals include “The Pack” and “Blinded by the Lights” in Poland; “Burning Bush” and “Wasteland” in Czechia; “Golden Life” in Hungary; the Oscar-nominated documentary “Collective” in Romania; “Patria” and “30 Coins” in Spain; and “Beartown,” “Beforeigners” and “Kamikaze” in the Nordics.

While there has been extensive restructuring of Warner Bros. Discovery operations since the Warner Bros. and Discovery merger last year — including a significant rejig of international — Variety understands that Root had long-standing plans to retire from Wbd,...

Antony Root, the long-serving HBO Max Emea original programming chief, is to exit his role at Warner Bros. Discovery (Wbd) and retire from the industry.

Root will leave his post at the end of March ahead of the launch of the merged HBO Max and Discovery+ streaming service.

Root has spent 11 years as Executive Vice President of HBO Europe and later HBO Max Emea after joining from Sony Pictures Television.

Last year, his originals team were halted in their tracks when Wbd decided HBO Max would stop ordering shows in most of Europe – a decision one source described as “the end of an era.”

Most of Root’s European commissioning and production team were later let go, as Deadline revealed in August, but he stayed on. Deadline hears he has been travelling extensively in recent months to visit the remaining local staff. Wbd did not discuss succession plans.

Long Career...

Television production giant Banijay has named Steve Mathews to its scripted division, appointing the ex-HBO Europe alumni to the newly-created role of content partnerships executive. Starting from Feb. 1, Matthews will help coordinate co-productions at Banijay’s European scripted operations, focusing on opportunities across the Nordic territories and Spain.

“Scripted very much remains an area in which we want to grow our business,” noted Banijay CEO Marco Bassetti. “Through organic growth and M&a, we will continue to strengthen our capabilities in this arena and in Steve, we have vast amounts of knowledge, and hands-on experience, which will be invaluable as we continue to expand our portfolio.”

Banijay is the world’s largest international content producer and distributor with over 120 production companies across 22 territories, including Endemol Shine (MasterChef, The Office), Castaway Television Productions (Survivor) and Brit group Kudos (Broadchurch, Spooks).

Matthews joins Banijay from HBO Europe, where he was a VP,...

Europe-focused streamer SkyShowtime has acquired exclusive European rights for 21 local series from Warner Bros. Discovery, including some of HBO Max’s shows from the region, following a competitive process.

The deal gives SkyShowtime 168 episodes, or over 150 hours, of new and previously aired original programming. Financial terms were not disclosed.

New shows as part of the deal, which will be branded as SkyShowtime Originals, include “ID” (Finland and Sweden), “The Winner” (Czechia and Slovakia) and “Warszawianka” (Poland). SkyShowtime will also premiere the second season of “Por H o Por B,” (Spain), the first season of which will also be on the service.

Other shows that recently premiered on HBO Max and are now moving to SkyShowtime include “Beartown” (Sweden), “Beforeigners” (Norway), “Kamikaze” (Denmark), “Lust” (Sweden) and “The Informant” (Hungary). SkyShowtime will have the option to acquire worldwide rights on any renewed shows as well as the option to order new seasons for several shows.

SkyShowtime has struck its first major content deal, picking up exclusive rights to 21 HBO Max Europe originals.

The move from the Comcast/Paramount Jv comes after HBO Max pulled commissioning from the majority of European territories and removed originals from its platform, which left numerous scripted shows up for grabs. Following Warner Bros and Discovery’s merger, the window for HBO to benefit from this content has now passed, although the newly-merged Wbd has stressed it remains committed to European content.

SkyShowtime, which launched recently in 12 markets in which Paramount+ and Comcast-owned Peacock aren’t active, has picked up critically-acclaimed shows including Norway’s Beforeigners, Sweden’s Lust and Denmark’s Kamikaze.

Shows that were yet to air include Finland and Sweden’s ID, Czechia and Slovakia’s The Winner and Poland’s Warszawjanka.

All in all, SkyShowtime has picked up 168 episodes of original scripted, a big boost to a...

SkyShowtime, the European streaming joint venture of Comcast and Paramount Global, has struck a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery for exclusive rights across all of Europe to 21 HBO Max European originals.

The agreement covers 168 episodes, or more than 150 hours, of local original scripted programming, including three series previously not available anywhere that will get their world premiere as SkyShowtime originals in 2023. SkyShowtime said this will “significantly” accelerate its entry into original programming.

The deal, financial terms of which weren’t disclosed, also bolsters the joint venture service’s local content offering across all of its territories.

The shows, including recently premiered Beartown (Sweden), Beforeigners (Norway), Kamikaze (Denmark), Lust (Sweden) and The Informant (Hungary), were part of programming that Warner Bros. Discovery decided to remove from HBO Max last year and for which the company took writedowns. Sources at the time said the moves were taken for financial and strategic reasons...

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The global television scene offered up an embarrassment of riches this year, with a seemingly endless supply of phenomenal dramas, comedies and crime procedurals as good as, or often better, than the best on offer Stateside.

The international expansion of Netflix, Amazon, AppleTV+ and others has meant many global talents now have the financial means to make their dream originals, while series from more traditional local broadcasters have access to global platforms, and a worldwide audience, on a scale never seen before.

Ahead of the winter break, The Hollywood Reporter continues its holiday tradition in picking out the best international series to binge-watch over the holiday season. Our favorite 2022 series stocking stuffers include a feminist spy thriller from Germany, a Korean take on a British romantic classic and a deep dive into the French hip-hop scene of the 1980s. (Check out our list...

Media Res, the independent studio behind such productions as “The Morning Show” and “Scenes From A Marriage,” will expand into the international TV market by hiring veteran producer Lars Blomgren to oversee Media Res International.

The company’s new international division, to be called Media Res International. will develop premium TV series from a range of genres by combining talent and material from outside the U.S. with the company’s eye for production value and narrative expertise.

“Audiences have never been more engaged and excited to explore stories and cultures different from their own,” said Michael Ellenberg, CEO of Media Res, in a prepared statement. “Our goal in launching this new division is to collaborate with international creators, filmmakers and producers on innovative, daring and arresting series for global audiences. Lars’ exceptional taste, experience, and perspective make him the ideal person to lead our efforts as we expand in this vital space.

Norwegian director Jens Lien is set to direct “The Nation’s Gambit,” a feature film adaptation of up-and-coming author Johan Høst’s bestselling debut novel “En nasjon i sjakk.”

The action thriller will be produced by the Norwegian production company Stig og Stein Studio. Sf Studios will distribute the film in the Nordics, while Reinvent Studios handles international sales.

Høst’s novel, published by Vigmostad & Bjørke, has recently been nominated for the Norwegian Boksellers Award 2022 and a sequel novel is on the way.

The story of “The Nation’s Gambit” kicks off as Norway’s prime minister is kidnapped by a terrorist and disappears without a trace. The terrorist demands that the politicians in power play a game of chess over the prime minister’s life. The chess pieces represent people who work for the state or as leaders in society. If the politicians win the game, the prime minister will live,...

“She Wolf” director Tamae Garateguy, one of the most exciting talents on Latin America’s burgeoning genre scene, is set to direct “Fuckin’ Sexy,” a sex doll horror movie set up at Argentina’s Machaco Films, producer of Damien Rugna’s “Terrified” and “When Evil Lurks.”

A bold swing, which is what Garateguy’s fans love about her, “Fuckin’g Sexy” is set on the Argentina-Paraguay-Brazil triple frontier where laborer Juan stumbles on a life-size latex sex doll. It proves “a device of death” but, in a long journey through the jungle, Juan comes to recognises its “noble heart.”

“Fuckin’g Sexy” looks like one undisputed highlight of Blood Window Fant.Latina, a new section at Ventana Sur’s Blood Window dedicated to six new projects by female horror/fantastic film directors, taking in other highly respected established talents such as Argentina’s Jimena Monteoliva (“To Kill the the Dragon...

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Just over a decade after Netflix created the international SVOD market — with the launch of regional versions of its streaming platform, first in Canada, then worldwide — the battle over the future of global streaming has entered a new phase.

According to an Oct. 12 report from Wall Street firm MoffettNathanson, streaming’s penetration in America has hit the saturation point for “nearly every individual service” with the exception of Peacock and Paramount+. If platforms are going to find new customers, they are going to have to come from outside the States. London-based researchers Ampere Analysis noted in a recent report that Netflix commissioned 130 new international first-run shows and 62 features between April and September of this year. Over the same period, Amazon greenlit 92 new shows and 23 features; Disney+, 45 shows and four feature films.

“The overall trend we see is for global platforms leveraging the advantages the international,...

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Rubicon TV, the Norwegian production house behind such cross-over drama successes as Lilyhammer, and Beforeigners, is getting into the spy business with its new series E14 Unit for Special Intel.

The show, which Rubicon is presenting to potential co-production partners at the international TV market MIPCOM in Cannes this week, looks at the untold story of how Norwegian officers from the country’s elite E14 unit played a key role as NATO’s frontline spies for NATO in the 1990 Yugoslav War. When the country’s brutal civil war erupted, a small group of E14 spies were sent to the Balkans to collect intelligence as part of the NATO intervention. The often ruthless and morally-questionable mission stood in start contrast to Norway’s public-facing image as a peace-loving nation.

Sebastian Torngren Wartin and Erik Ivar Sæther will co-write the series, which Gudny Hummelvoll (Occupied, Headhunters) will produce.

Following the Venice Film Festival premiere of her Biennale College Cinema title “Palimpsest” – about two people that start to age backwards – Finnish helmer Hanna Västinsalo will continue to play with sci-fi elements in “Space Hobos: How to Bum a Ride from Sector B12 to Module C9.”

“It’s about workers like plumbers, welders or cleaners, trying to make their way in the world of space travel,” Västinsalo explains to Variety in Italy.

“The core of the story is drawn from my own experience of being a starving artist and trying to make it. Not always knowing how to pay rent or having money to buy groceries.”

Västinsalo is also eyeing longer formats, developing “Heaven”: a series about a nun who, after being estranged from her father, inherits his male brothel.

“I would love to explore the world that revolves around female pleasure and the bonds of a family that ends up working together,...

Exclusive: Warner Bros. Discovery is letting go of 29 staff in Europe, including key programming execs, as it moves to phase out HBO Max European originals and shift towards a new local commissioning model, Deadline can reveal.

Among the top level execs leaving the business are HBO Max Emea VP Original Programming and Production Cee Johnathan Young; VP and Commissioning Editor of Original Programming, Nordics Christian Wikander; and Head of Unscripted Original Production Annelies Sitvast. Mia Edde, who joined last year as Executive Director, Content Acquisitions in Turkey has already left.

In total, 29 will depart over the next 15 months, with the other departures coming from the teams of the exiting executives.

Deadline understands Wbd will continue to invest in local commissions and acquisitions in Europe, but that original programming responsibilities will now be handled by the company’s local linear and streaming teams, and no commissions will be made purely for streaming.

At a time when global streamers have been pushing local originals overseas, Warner Bros. Discovery’s decision to cease all new local fare for HBO Max in the Nordics, Central Europe, Holland and Turkey has come as a rude shock to the international industry.

Variety revealed last week that HBO Max, which began its international rollout in June 2021, is halting all development of originals in the aforementioned territories and removing some locally produced shows from the platform in order to relicense the titles elsewhere. Markets where originals have been spared are Spain and France — the latter where HBO Max has yet to launch.

The pivot, which Warner Bros. Discovery attributes to a companywide 3 billion cost-savings measure, has astonished the industry, mainly because HBO Nordic has been an entrenched and respected brand in Europe for 10 years. What’s more, recent HBO Max international hits such as “Lust” and “Kamikaze” (pictured) originated from Denmark and Sweden,...

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Netflix on Tuesday unveiled plans for new Swedish comedy film One More Time, directed by Student Academy Award winner Jonatan Etzler and starring Hedda Stiernstedt (Beforeigners, The Restaurant).

Miriam Ingrid (Beartown), Elinor Silfversparre Fahlén and Maxwell Cunningham are also part of the cast.

The news of the project comes a day after Warner Bros. Discovery said that its streaming service HBO Max would no longer produce originals in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Central Europe and Turkey.

Stiernstedt plays Amelia, 40, who is hit by a bus the night of her birthday and wakes up back in 2002, on her 18th birthday, “with the chance to relive her best day and make her life the perfect vision of what she’d intended it to be,” according to a plot description. “But when she starts to wake up again and again on this same day, she has...

Netflix has greenlit Swedish comedy film “One More Time” with Hedda Stiernstedt (“Beforeigners”) in the leading role.

Jonatan Etzler will make his directorial feature debut with the film, which is set to hit Netflix in 2023.

In “One More Time,” Stiernstedt plays 40-year-old Amelia who is hit by a bus on her birthday. When she wakes up, she suddenly finds the year is 2002 and Amelia is 18 again – allowing her to right all the mistakes she made the first time round.

But as she finds herself stuck in a “Groundhog Day” time loop – waking up every morning on her 18th birthday – she realizes there’s something else going on that will need to be fixed before she can leave the past behind forever.

“I am so excited for this project to come alive,” said Stiernstedt. “The timing for a retrospect lookback on the early 2000s feels right and diving into that era...

Ivar Køhn, head of drama at Norwegian public broadcaster Nrk since 2013, will be joining Banijay Nordic’s scripted label Rubicon as its Chief Executive Officer.

Announced by Banijay Nordic on Monday, the appointment marks big news for Scandinavia’s TV sector as it prepares to gather tomorrow at Sweden’s Göteborg Festival for its annual TV Drama Vision confab.

Under Kohn’s leadership, Nrk emerged from the shadow of Denmarks’s Dr by producing a string of international hits such as, just recently, International Emmy winner “Atlantic Crossing,” Canneseries 2018 laureate “State of Happiness” and “22 July,” which won a Nordisk Film and TV Fond Prize in 2020.

Most recently for Nrk, Izer Aliu’s “Countrymen,” a Rubicon production, picked up a Canneseries award last October for its ensemble cast, plus a nomination for this week’s Nordisk Film and TV Fond Prize.

An institution in Norway, Køhn spent six years before joining...

At the end of its first season, “Beforeigners” had a choice to make: treat the time-traveling premise of the show as a single massive difference between the world of the show and ours or use the possibility of hopping centuries as a starting point to go even bigger. Heavily inferring that the one of the series’ main characters once went backwards a millennium or so as a child was the first big sign that the HBO Max series was always going to go with the second option for Season 2.

From the outset of the series, “Beforeigners” proved it was willing to be expedient in the name of showing the most interesting parts of the world it made for itself. We see a “trans-temporal” group of people mysteriously appearing in an Oslo-area harbor. Within minutes, the show skips to a near future where an entire infrastructure is in place to help...

WarnerMedia International has appointed Arte France executive Clémentine Bobin as senior creative executive for HBO Max in France. Bobin will be working across development and creative production for Max Originals that are commissioned and produced in France.

She will work alongside former Canal Plus executive Vera Peltekian, who joined the company in October and is responsible for all Max Originals commissioned and produced in France for HBO Max.

“I’m excited to welcome Clémentine to the team. She brings a wealth of experience in producing world-class stories which resonate in France and beyond,” said Peltekian, adding that “Clémentine’s appointment is a major milestone in building our development capability in France.”

Bobin said she was “honored and delighted to be joining HBO Max, and to work with Vera Peltekian to help develop a slate of French original programming that is bold, talent-driven, distinctive and exciting.”

Prior to joining HBO Max,...

Showrun by Oscar-nominated Danish director Lone Sherfig, “The Shift” will battle it out with Series Mania top winner “Blackport” and Canneseries winner “Countrymen” for 2022’s 6th Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize.

Also in contention are Finnish crime drama “Transport” and psychological thriller “Vi y Villa,” an early show from Sweden’s Discovery Plus.

All five titles, however diverse, underscore the strong social issue drive of much upscale Nordic and indeed European drama, affording a snapshot of larger tensions coursing society at large.

Winners of the Nordic TV Drama Screenplay Award, which goes to a show’s main writer, will receive a €20,000 cash prize, announced during the Göteborg Film Festival’s TV Drama Vision, a highlight of the festival, on Feb. 2.

“Good scripts form the basis of our strong Nordic drama series,. Writing talents should be cherished every day and celebrated through script honours and awards,” commented Liselott Forsman, CEO of...

[This post originally appeared as part of Recommendation Machine, IndieWire’s daily TV picks feature.]

Where to Watch ‘Beforeigners’: HBO Max

TV is littered with “what if” stories — worlds that take our own and add one huge change. Often, that means organizing a show around one massive mystery or event and following the people left to parse the aftermath.

The main thing that separates “Beforeigners” from other shows like it is the massive time jump it takes in its very first episode. After introducing its inherently hook-y premise — groups of people from centuries, and even millennia, past pop up in the water outside present-day Oslo — the show immediately chooses to spend its time in a world where that new reality isn’t as unfamiliar. Tensions still run high in certain corners, but the intervening years have brought new institutional changes for daily life in the Norwegian capital. Runes appear on public signage, new terms (both preferred and derogatory) emerge to describe the newcomers,...

Exclusive: Here’s a trailer for the second season of Beforeigners, HBO Max’s debut original from Norway.

The sci-fi drama from Lilyhammer’s Eilif Skodvin and Anne Bjørnstad is introducing a wealth of new international cast members for the second season, including Paul Kaye (Game of Thrones) Ann Akin (I May Destroy You), Jade Anouka (His Dark Materials), Billy Postlethwaite (Chernobyl), Hedda Stiernstedt (The Restaurant) and Philip Rosch (The Alienist). Krista Kosonen and Nicolai Cleve Broch will reprise their roles as main characters Alfhildr and Lars and Tobias Santelmann (The Last Kingdom) will return as Olav the Holy.

The series starts with Oslo shaken by a brutal murder. Lars and Alfhildr are brought back together in an investigation with ties to several countries and centuries which raises the question: could Jack the Ripper have ‘timeigrated’ to the present? Police detectives, Lars and Alfhildr soon realize that if they are to capture the killer,...

It’s a once in a lifetime offer, literally. From today through to Nov. 30, HBO Max will offer new subscribers in parts of Europe the chance to sign up for the lifetime of their subscription at half the monthly retail price, for as long as they don’t unsubscribe.

The offer is being made as HBO Max launches on Oct. 26 in its first six European territories: Spain and Andorra and the four Nordic countries of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark.

It’s a highly aggressive offer, undercutting Netflix and Disney Plus for new subscribers. In Spain and Finland, for example, where the monthly subscription fee is tabbed at €8.99 ($10.40), new subscribers now have the chance to sign up for HBO Max for just €4.49 ($5.20) a month.

That compares to €7.99 ($9.30) a month for a basic one-screen Netflix subscription in Spain and €7.50 ($8.70) per month for customers paying an annual Disney Plus subscription, with up to 10 devices.

Two half-hour gems, Finland’s “Mister 8” and Germany’s “The Allegation,” took top-honors on Wednesday night at this year’s Canneseries, now fully consolidated as one of Europe’s major TV festivals.

The prizes are obvious recognition for the two series creators, Finland’s Teemu Nikki and Jani Pösö and Germany’s Ferdinand von Schirach, and underscore the spirit of innovation at major TV companies across Europe.

“Mister 8” is backed by Finnish SVOD operator Elisa Viihde, “The Allegation” by Germany’s Rtl Group, which is currently in the throes of a high-end scripted drama revolution as it preps its lineup for its relaunched SVOD service, now called Rtl Plus, which goes live on Nov. 4.

Sold by France’s Federation Entertainment and co-written by director Nikki and producer Pösö, Canneseries best series winner “Mister 8” was described to Variety by Nikki as “a thriller with a comedy plot.”

Shot in black and white,...

One of the top drama decision-makers in the Nordics, Ivar Køhn has been heading Norwegian pubcaster Nrk’s drama department since 2013. Under his helm, some of Norway’s most international lauded TV shows have been produced or co-produced, from “Nobel”, “Mammon 2”, “Home Ground”, “State of Happiness”, to “22 July” (Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize for Best Nordic Screenplay).

Nrk’s lavish historical drama “Atlantic Crossing,” starring Sofie Helin and Kyle MacLachlan, is currently running for Best TV Movie/Miniseries at New York’s upcoming International Emmy Awards, while “Countrymen,” co-created by Anne Bjørnstad (“Beforeigners”) is world premiering this week in competition at Canneseries.

Køhn tells Variety about his vision for public service broadcasting in the age of streaming.

“Countrymen” is competing at Canneseries and “Atlantic Crossing” for an International Emmy. What does it mean for you and in what way do these premium dramas stand for Nrk’s DNA?

It’s...

WarnerMedia’s burgeoning streaming platform will launch in first European territories on October 26.

HBO Max has announced that Warner Bros films will be available on its new European services just 45 days after their theatrical release.

WarnerMedia’s burgeoning streaming platform unveiled the release strategy at a virtual event on Tuesday (Oct 5) marking its launch in its first six European territories of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Spain and Andorra on October 26.

“I have another amazing piece of news to drop. For the first time, in the Nordics at launch, and next year in Spain, Portugal and central and eastern Europe, HBO...

WarnerMedia’s burgeoning streaming platform will launch in first European territories on October 26.

HBO Max will make Warner Bros films available on its new European services just 45 days after their theatrical release, the platform announced on Tuesday (October 5).

WarnerMedia’s burgeoning streaming platform unveiled the release strategy at a virtual event marking its launch in its first six European territories of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Spain and Andorra on October 26.

“For the first time in the Nordics at launch, and next year in Spain, Portugal and central and eastern Europe, will make Warner Bros films available on the platform just 45 days after their theatrical release,...

Banijay has boarded “Countrymen,” a new drama series produced by its Norwegian label, Rubicon, with a cast of Scandinavian stars, including Nader Khademi (“Ninjababy”), Ayaz Hussain (“Kasim Bæder”), Jonas Strand Gravli (“Ragnarok”) Arben Bala (“Lilyhammer”) and Erika Strand Mamelund.

The show will world premiere at Cannes Series and has been commissioned by the public broadcaster Nrk, in co-production with Arte France. Banijay Rights will handle world sales on the eight-part series.

“Countrymen” follows four men who move to a farm in the rural Norwegian countryside and end up founding Norway’s first halal cheesemaking business more or less against their will.

Award-winning director and screenwriter Izer Aliu (“Hunting Files”), created and penned the series along with Rubicon’s Anne Bjørnstad.

“This metaphoric concept will get people talking here in Norway, and also resonate with global audiences,” said Anne Bjørnstad, Rubicon’s creative director (with Eilif Skodvin). “This high-quality series has...

Keshet International (Ki) has closed its first international pre-sale for Zdf and Viaplay’s upcoming nationalist domestic terrorism thriller “Furia” to Australian broadcaster Sbs, announcing the sale on the occasion of the show’s world premiere at Lille’s Series Mania.

“Furia (“The Furies”)” was inspired by, but not based on, real events of domestic terrorism in Norway and across Europe, most notably the 2011 attacks carried out by right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik.

The series follows Ragna, played by Ine Marie Willmann (“Exit”), who crosses paths with Asgeir, played by Pål Sverre Hagen (“Beforeigners”), a former special ops officer who has started a new, tranquil life in Norway after escaping the Russian criminal underworld. After a tense meeting in which both are lucky to survive, the two must combine forces to prevent the right-wing group from committing their unthinkable act in Berlin, the heart of European government.

“Every now and then,...

It’s been nearly a year since Lars Blomgren was named Banijay’s head of scripted for the company and, according to the veteran TV exec, it’s been a fruitful start. He’s no stranger to the role, having previously been head of scripted Emea at Endemol Shine Group, before Banijay seized control of that company in a mega $2.2Bn deal last year. There, he led the company’s non-English scripted production division. He’s been behind productions such as Danish hit series Bron (The Bridge), Dutch drama Penoza, religious fundamentalist story Caliphate, Norwegian mystery Beforeigners and Israeli drama Queens, the latter of which is being developed for a U.S. remake with Gal Gadot.

Blomgren, who previously headed Esg-owned Swedish producer Filmlance, is experienced in building local content that has potential to break out globally and it’s his wealth of experience and building partnerships and broadening business...

After a stellar year picking up awards at Berlin, South by Southwest, Edinburgh and Melbourne, “Ninjababy” continued its prize-winning streak at Norway’s top plaudits for national movies, the Amanda Awards. Their prize ceremony kicked off the Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund on Saturday night.

The second feature from TV-film director Yngvild Sve Flikke (“Women in Oversized Men’s Shirts”), the ebullient comedy-drama film won out in four major categories: director, actress (Kristine Kujath Thorp), supporting actor (Nader Khademi) and screenplay.

Flikke’s sophomore feature is based on the graphic novel by Sætre, The Art of Falling,” which itself won numerous youth literature awards in 2012 for the Norwegian illustrator. The film follows aspiring artist Rakel, 23, who unexpectedly discovers she is six months pregnant and that the father is not her boyfriend, The story then pursues a series of comedic, yet grounded, twists and turns.

“I’m a restless person,...

MK2 Films has sold Cannes buzz pic The Worst Person In The World to Mubi following an auction for UK/Ire rights. The buyers has also taken Indian rights.

The anticipated third film in Joachim Trier’s ‘Oslo’ trilogy, following Reprise and Oslo, August 31st, was one of the best-reviewed films on the Croisette this past week.

Produced by Thomas Robsahm at Oslo Picture, the comedy-drama chronicles four years in the life of Julie, a young woman who navigates the troubled waters of her love life and struggles to find her career path, leading her to take a realistic look at who she really is.

Trier wrote the script together with Eskil Vogt. Cast includes Renate Reinsve (Oslo August 31st), who garnered rave reviews, Anders Danielsen Lie (Oslo August 31st) and Herbert Nordrum (Beforeigners).

As we revealed earlier today, the film has also been newly picked up by Parasite distributor Neon for North America.

Mk2 Films has sold Cannes buzz pic The Worst Person In The World to Parasite distributor Neon following a tussle for North American rights, we can reveal.

The anticipated third film in Joachim Trier’s ‘Oslo’ trilogy, following Reprise and Oslo, August 31st, was one of the best-reviewed films on the Croisette this past week.

The Norwegian-language romantic-dramedy chronicles four years in the life of Julie, a young woman who navigates the troubled waters of her love life and struggles to find her career path, leading her to take a realistic look at who she really is.

Trier wrote the script together with Eskil Vogt. Cast includes Renate Reinsve (Oslo August 31st), who garnered rave reviews, Anders Danielsen Lie (Oslo August 31st) and Herbert Nordrum (Beforeigners).

Jeff Deutchman negotiated the deal for Neon with Fionnuala Jamison from mk2 Films. The French seller has seen significant interest in the movie in...

MK2 Films has scored a raft of strong pre-sales on “The Worst Person In The World,” the anticipated third film in Joachim Trier’s “Oslo” trilogy, following “Reprise” and “Oslo, August 31st.” The company has also unveiled a first look still of the film ahead of the virtual EFM, where it will present a promo-reel to buyers.

The Paris-based banner, whose sales team is spearheaded by Fionnuala Jamison, has already sold the film to France (Memento), Benelux (Cineart), Russia (Russian World Vision), Poland (M2 Films), Former Yugoslavia (Mega Com Film) and The Baltics (Kino Pavasaris).

Now in post, the movie’s shoot was initially delayed at the start of the pandemic and was eventually completed in two phases, in August and November 2020. The film is expected to world premiere this summer.

Produced by Thomas Robsahm at Oslo Picture, the film is a comedy drama about love in our times and...

Disney Appoints Apac Chief

Disney has named Luke Kang as President, Asia Pacific, following the departure of Uday Shankar, which was announced in October and becomes effective from December 31. Kang will not, however, be taking on Shankar’s responsibilities in India, with a separate appointment set to be made for the territory by Rebecca Campbell, Chairman, International Operations and Direct-to-Consumer for Disney. Kang will oversee the studio’s business in Australia/New Zealand, Greater China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia.

‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Heads To Amazon

Animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks will premiere on Amazon Prime Video in numerous international regions including the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Japan, and India. All 10 episodes of the first season, which is produced by CBS, will launch on January 22, 2021. Directed by Mike McMahan, the show focuses on the supporting crew serving on one of Starfleet’s least important ships; Tawny Newsome,...

‘Dancing With The Stars’ Heads To Mongolia

Dancing With The Stars is waltzing into its 60th territory after BBC Studios sold the dance competition format to Mongolia’s Mongol TV. The 13-part series goes into pre-production this month and is set to air in early 2021. Dancing With The Stars’ first international sale was to Australia’s Channel 7 in 2004 and there have now been 350 series and 4,000 episodes of the show made worldwide. Dancing With The Stars airs on ABC in the U.S.

HBO Europe Commissions Romanian & Polish Series

HBO Europe has commenced shooting on two new series in Central Europe: Ruxx in Romania and Still Here in Poland. Eight-part Ruxx is a modern relationship drama that examines a young generation of Romanians who live in a country caught between the past and the future. It is written by Vera Ion and stars Raluca Aprodu and Alec Secăreanu. Poland’s...

Banijay has appointed Lars Blomgren as head of scripted for Europe, the Middle East and Asia (Emea), where he will focus on non-English-language content.

Blomgren will report into Banijay CEO Marco Bassetti.

At Endemol Shine Group (Esg), before it was taken over by Banijay, Blomgren spearheaded the business’ non-English scripted production. Under his watch, in 2019 the company was responsible for 69 productions, including “Bron,” “Penoza,” “Caliphate,” “Beforeigners” and “Queens” along with new series, “Vinterviken 2021,” “The Idhun Memories” and “Bombay Begums.”

In his new role, Blomgren will drive collaboration across the non-English-language scripted footprint, identifying new prospects and forging co-production opportunities between English-speaking markets and Emea-based labels.

Bassetti said: “Lars is a great addition to our evolving global team. Having been at the forefront of the non-English-language scripted operations at Esg, he is well-versed in building partnerships and maximizing on investments in this arena and now, with an even broader portfolio of businesses,...