Works in Progress
17 Works in Progress were presented at the 23rd edition of Nordic Film Market 2022
17 Works in Progress were presented at the 23rd edition of Nordic Film Market 2022
The Cake Dynasty (Denmark) directed by Christian Lollike, produced by Kim Magnusson and Maj Andersson, Tales Inc. Sales: LevelK
Middle-aged factory boss Niels is at a breaking point when his family-run cake factory is on the verge of bankruptcy. To save the business, he’s forced into producing low-calorie sweets and hiring refugees to work in the factory. Will these seismic changes cause him to fall apart, or to open his heart in new ways? The Cake Dynasty is a warm-hearted love story and a political satire.
Sales contact: Debra Liang, debra@levelk.dk
The Great Silence (Denmark) directed by Katrine Brocks, produced by Pernille Tornøe, Monolit Film. Sales: Nordic Territories sold. ROW available
29-year-old Alma lives a secluded life in a contemporary Catholic convent and is preparing to take her perpetual vows as a nun. Her quiet existence is disrupted by the unexpected arrival of her estranged brother Erik, which unearths a secret tragedy from their past. With the ceremony impending, Alma becomes increasingly haunted by resurfacing trauma and begins to lose her footing. Can she heal the family wounds and move beyond a life of guilt and shame?
Sales contact: Pernille Tornøe, pernille@monolitfilm.dk
The Kiss (Denmark) directed by Bille August, produced by Thomas Heinesen, Nordisk Film. Sales: LevelK
Period drama set in Denmark in 1913 where Anton, a noble and conscientious young man training as a cavalry officer finds himself invited to a ball where he meets a Baron daughter who has been in an accident and ended up in a wheelchair. As she falls for him he can’t figure out whether his feelings are of pity or true love.
Sales contact: Debra Liang, debra@levelk.dk
The Quite Migration (Denmark) directed by Malene Choi, produced by Maria Møller Kjeldgaard, Manna Film. Sales: TBA
Carl, 19, lives a quiet life in the Danish countryside with his adoptive parents, who expect him to take over the family farm one day and continue their traditions. But as an adopted child from South Korea, Carl carries a secret longing to explore his roots and find his own place in life. Tom between two worlds, Carl must make a choice about where he belongs.
Sales contact: Maria Møller Kjeldgaard, mmkjeldgaard@mannafilm.dk
Unruly (Denmark) directed by Malou Reymann, produced by Matilda Appelin, Nordisk Film Production. Sales: TrustNordisk
The year is 1933, and society has certain expectations of how young women should behave. 17-year-old Maren is wild and unruly and is in turn sent to the women’s institution at Sprogø to become more compliant. The stay at Sprogø has the opposite effect on Maren, and she ignites a spark in Sørine, who after six years at the institution has become accustomed to the norms of the time and the expectations of the institution. Slowly the two begin to form an unbreakable bond, which will affect the rest of their lives.
Sales contact:Susan Wendt susan@trustnordisk.com
Hit Big (Finland) directed by JP Valkeapää, produced by Daniel Kuitunen, Komeetta. Sales: Charades
Marjaleena, a 1983 vintage Miss Finland runner-up beauty queen, lives a drink-filled life on Spain’s Costa del Sol. She runs the Bar Belle, an establishment well past its prime with the help of a handyman, hustler and ex-criminal Mikko and Vili, Marjaleena’s grown-up son. One day they hear that Marjaleena’s husband Worm will be released after twenty years in prison. Worm intends to start a new life with his cell-mate lover on the stashed proceeds of a heist. Betrayed Marjaleena wants her share of the millions. A series of kidnappings, robberies, bodies, and bitter fates follows.
Sales contact: Lucie Desquiens, lucie@charades.eu
Siblings (Finland) directed by Saara Cantell, produced by Kai Nordberg & Kaarle Aho, Making Movies. Sales: TBD
Jenna and Joni, twins living in Helsinki, find out that they have a stepsister, Jóna, in Iceland. They get to know her, and gradually the siblings start shaping each other. Jenna becomes pregnant and tries to live in Iceland. Jóna has an extramarital affair and moves to Finland. Joni decides - while fighting cancer – to quit his job and do something meaningful.
The film has been shot over the course of seven years with a minimal crew combining both scripted and documentary-like elements.
Sales contact: Kaarle Aho, kaarle.aho@mamo.fi
Night (Norway) directed and produced by Mona Johanne Hoel, Freedom From Fear. Sales: TBA
Emma is a neurologist, works at the local hospital and has sole responsibility for her daughters Dina and Mathilde. Emma is diagnosed with advanced lymph node cancer and the doctor predicts that she has maximum two months left to live. Emma has never told anyone why she left her husband, with whom she is still formally married. She begs her best friend Frøydis to care of her daughters after her death. She is willing if Emma formalises the divorce. Falk is an engineer at the gas platform in Hammerfest and refuses to sign the sermon papers. If Emma does not get him convicted for violence in close relationships before she dies, he gets the care of the children.
Sales contact: Mona Johanne Hoel, freedomfromfearno@gmail.com. Åse Meyer, asemeyer@gmail.com
Norwegian Dream (Norway) directed by Leiv Igor Devold, produced by Håvard Wettland Gossé, Spætt Film. Sales: TBD
Robert (19), a Polish immigrant working at a fish factory in Norway, has come to earn money to pay off the debts of his mother. Coming froman LGBTIQ+ free zone in Poland, he struggles with his feelings for his Norwegian colleague Ivar (19), especially when it turns out Ivar is a drag queen. When a strike begins amongst the Polish workers at the factory, Robert is bribed into breaking it. Will he take the much-needed money, or stand up for love and his rights?
Sales contact: Håvard Wettland Gossé, havard@spaett.no
Storm (Norway) directed by Erika Calmeyer, produced by Finn Gjerdrum, Paradox. Sales: REinvent International Sales
Single mother Elin is off with her two kids on a fishing trip when the worst imaginable thing happens: while playing with his sister out of his mother’s sight, Ulrik (6) falls into the river and drowns in the heavy streams. Elin is left with her daughter Storm (10), struggling to get their life back on track when a classmate claims to have seen Storm deliberately push her brother into the river. The accusations quickly spread in the small community. Elin fiercely defends her daughter, but as her own narrative waivers, she is forced to face the truth about what really happened that day by the river.
Can the unconditional love between a mother and her daughter overcome all, as their world shatters?
Contact: Helene Aurø, helene.auro@reinvent.dk
Titina (Norway) directed by Kajsa Næss, produced by Tonje Skar Reiersen & Lise Fearnley, Mikrofilm. Sales, Les Films du Losange International.
Italian airship engineer Nobile lives with his beloved dog Titina, who charmed him into rescuing her from the streets of Rome. One day, Norwegian explorer superstar Amundsen orders an airship to conquer The North Pole. Nobile seizes the opportunity to go down in history. He brings Titina along, and the unlikely trio sets out on an expedition to the last undiscovered place on Earth. Their quest is successful but, in the aftermath, the two men start to quarrel over the glory …
Through the eyes of the four-legged celebrity Titina, (re)discover a true story of triumph and defeat!
Sales contact: Alice Lesort, a.lesort@filmsdulosange.fr
War Sailor (Norway) directed by Gunnar Vikene, produced by Maria Ekerhovd & Gary Cranner, MER FILM. Sales: BETA Cinema
Alfred and his childhood friend Wally are both sailors on a merchant ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean when World War II breaks out. The two men struggle for survival in a downward spiral of violence and death, where at any moment German submarines may attack their vessels, loaded with critical supplies for the Allied war effort. The War Sailors have one goal: To survive – and to return home. At home in Bergen, Alfred’s wife Cecilia struggles through the war, raising three children on her own, never knowing whether she ever will see Alfred again. When British aircraft attempt to bomb the German submarine bunker in Bergen, they instead hit the primary school at Laksevåg and civilian homes at Nøstet, resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties. When the news reaches Alfred and Wally in Canada, they wonder if they have anything left at home to return to. WAR SAILOR is based on true-life events.
Sales contact: Tassilo Hallbauer, tassilo.hallbauer@betacinema.com
Amina (Sweden) directed by Ahmed Abdullahi, produced by Veronika Öhnedal, Art & Bob. Sales, ТВА.
The young, talented woman Amina is a former MMA-fighter who is fighting to get back to her passion. With no support from her parents, she battles with raising her seven-year-old daughter. Against all odds she’s selected for the world championship, but struggle with handling her role as a mother. She’s facing her worst ultimatum – to be a successful athlete or an unsuccessful mother.
Sales contact: Veronika Öhnedal, veronika.ohnedal@artbob.se
The Andersson Brothers (Sweden) directed by Johanna Bernhardsson, produced by Erika Malmgren & Annika Hellström, Cinenic Film. Sales, TBA.
This is a film about Roy Andersson and his three brothers, depicted intimately and humorously by Roy’s niece and former co-worker, documentary filmmaker Johanna Bernhardson. The three brothers have lost contact, they rarely speak and have not met since 2012, at the funeral of Ronny, the second oldest brother, who died of drug abuse. The remaining brother’s lives have taken different paths, but they all have one thing in common –they drink too much. Their relationship is tense but Johanna is determined to unite them again before it’s too late.
Sales contact: Annika Hellström, annika@cinenicfilm.se, Erika Malmgren, erika@cinenicfilm.se
Burn All My Letters (Sweden) directed by Björn Runge, Produced by Annika Sucksdorff & Jonathan Ridings, SF Studios. Sales, REinvent International Sales
Based on the 2018 best-selling book, the film spans 70 years and several generations. After a jealous argument with his wife, Alex realizes that he must get to the bottom of the issues that plague him to save his marriage. Through books and letters left behind from his maternal grandparents, Alex discovers secrets about his family’s past that not only shed new light on his current situation but also force him to revisit memories from his own childhood.
Sales contact: Helene Aurø, helene.auro@reinvent.dk
Dogborn (Sweden) directed by Isabella Carbonell, produced by Farima Karimi, Erik Andersson & David Herdies, Momento Film. Sales: TBA
The twins are homeless, and every day is a struggle for survival. The dream of a real home leads straight into the world of illegal smuggling. Their job is simply to transport goods from point A to point B. However, a rift occurs between Brother and Sister when the goods appear in the form of two young girls. Now they’re forced to decide; how far are they willing to go in their fight for a better life? We follow the twins for two intense days where all our notions of self-evident morals are turned upside down.
Sales contact: Farima Karimi, karimi.farima@gmail.com
Exodus (Sweden) directed by Abbe Hassan, produced by Mattias Nohrborg, B-REEL FILMS. Sales, TBA
Two worlds collide when Sam, 40, a professional smuggler of people, reluctantly saves Amal, a 14-year-old girl whose whole family has gone missing in the Syrian war. Amal believes her sisters are on their way to Sweden so she sets out on a journey to find them. Sam hesitates but is troubled by the thought of leaving the girl alone in a no-mans land and gets dragged in. This will be the beginning of an unexpected, strong, warm and crazy friendship on a journey that will change their lives forever.
Sales contact: Mattias Nohrborg, mattias.nohrborg@brf.co
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