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Paris- based Urban Sales has hopped aboard Frida Kempff’s The Swedish Torpedo, a swimming drama set against the backdrop of the Second World War that is world premiering in Toronto’s Centrepiece section next month.

Set in the summer of 1939, the film is inspired by the true story of Sally Bauer, a Swedish single mother who wants to pursue her dream of becoming the first Scandinavian woman to swim across the English Channel amid pressure from society and her family who threaten to take her son away from her.

Josefin Neldén, whose recent roles include Ali Abbasi’s Border...

Based on the book by Magnus Montelius, Swedish series “8 Months” seemed more like a fantasy than political thriller. Not for long.

“I read this book on vacation and I was intrigued by the idea that you could use a political consultant to find a new foreign minister. The only problem was that it was about NATO. I thought: ‘Nobody cares about that,’” writer Jens Jonsson tells Variety at Series Mania.

“I was skeptical, but we decided to take a gamble. Suddenly, we were pretending that Sweden joined NATO, that they were wondering if we should have nuclear weapons as well. [Broadcaster] TV4 agreed. After the show was greenlit, Ukraine was invaded by Russia and people started to ask: ‘Should we join?’ And look at us now.”

Sweden became a full member of NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] ­on March 7, 2024. It now counts 32 countries among its members.

The producers have shared first-look photos with Variety.

“We...

Exclusive: More citizens will head to the polls this year for elections than any other in history, and the political fever has reached Series Mania.

This year’s event in Lille, France contains four political dramas in competition — not surprising given almost 50% of the world will vote for new leaders in more than 64 elections (including the European Union), according to Time magazine.

“It is all things political in 2024,” said Leona Connell, Chief Commercial Officer at Newen Connect, the sales arm of TF1 Group’ owned French sales house’s Newen Studios that will representing two of the highest profile political titles at Series Mania, In the Shadows and 8 Months.

In the Shadows (Dans L’Ombre) comes from Versailles and Rembrandt director Pierre Schoeller, who adapted a novel from former French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and Gilles Boyer, a political insider who served as Philippe’s advisor.

The series stars Swann Arlaud as...

“Kingdom of the Blind,” “Little Trouble Girls” and “Wind, Talk To Me” were among the projects which won prizes at the milestone 15th edition of Les Arcs Film Festival‘s Industry Village.

The event, held in a popular French Alps resort, was attended by more than 700 professionals, including top sales agents, distributors and festival programmers, on top of high profile talent, such as two-time Palme d’Or winning Ruben Ostlund (“Triangle of Sadness”) who was the festival’s guest of honor.

The growing popularity of Les Arcs’s industry sidebar underscores “the resilience of the independent European film market and the continued interest in original stories along with feature debuts,” said Jeremy Zelnik, an indie producer (“Kubrick by Kubrick”) who heads the Industry Village and co-founded the festival with Pierre-Emmanuel Fleurantin, Guillaume Calop and Fabienne Silvestre.

This year, the Coproduction Village and Work in Progress section received a record 680 projects...

Les Arcs Film Festival, the European equivalent to the Sundance Film Festival, has unveiled the list of projects which will be presented during its competitive Work-in-Progress showcase.

Curated by Tribeca and Les Arcs’ artistic director Frederic Boyer and Lison Hervé, the selection will present a broad range of movies in post-production seeking a sales agent, festival slots and international distribution.

This year’s roster includes several titles from Scandinavia, including “Acts of Love,” a Danish-language film directed by Jeppe Rønde, and “The Swedish Torpedo,” a period epic directed by Frida Kempff (“Winter Buoy”). Josefin Neldén stars in “The Swedish Torpedo” as Sally Bauer, the first Scandinavian to swim across the English Channel in 1939. The film is produced by Momento Film, with Amrion, Inland Film Company, and Velvet Films.

“Acts of Love,” meanwhile, tells the story of a young woman living in a religious community and stars Jonas Holst Schmidt (“Copenhagen Does Not Exist...

Momento Film, the leading Swedish banner founded by David Herdies (“Winter Buoy”) and Michael Krotkiewski (“Bellum — The Daemon Of War”), is boasting a slate of projects including the documentaries “Leaving Jesus” and “The Underdog,” as well as Simón Mesa Soto’s “A Poet.”

While at Cannes, the banner also started teasing one of its biggest project so far, “The Swedish Torpedo,” Frida Kempff (“Winter Buoy”)’s period film inspired by the life of Sally Bauer, the first Scandinavian to swim across the English Channel in 1939. “The Swedish Torpedo” will start shooting in August with a topnotch cast led by Josefin Neldén, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, as well as Lisa Carlehed (“The Emigrants”).

Co-produced by Sweden, Estonia, Belgium and England, the film opens in 1939, as Europe is on the brink of war. Sally, a 30-year-old single mom, dreams of being the first European woman to cross the English Channel. While society and...

Frida Kempff (“Winter Buoy”) is set to direct “The Swedish Torpedo,” a period film inspired by the life of Sally Bauer, the first Scandinavian to swim across the English Channel in 1939. The prominent Nordic cast is led by Josefin Neldén, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, as well as Lisa Carlehed (“The Emigrants”).

Produced by David Herdies and Erik Andersson at Momento Film, the film will start shooting in August in Sweden, Estonia, Belgium and England.

“Five years ago I didn’t know who Sally Bauer was and even less what she had achieved. Five days ahead of the outbreak of WWII she swam across the English Channel,” said Kempff I feel this is a story that needs to be told, about a woman who accomplished the impossible and shattered both social norms and world records.”

Neldén, who will play Bauer, said she feels “such a strong connection to Sally’s dreams, life and ambitions.

HBO Max is set to premiere in exclusivity “The Head” Season 2 in Spain on Dec. 22.

As a preview, on Nov. 1, HBO Max will release the first full season of “The Head,” which was originally bowed in Spain by Orange. The second season will be made available in a marathon format, HBO Max and The Mediapro Studio announced Thursday.

HBO Max has already released “The Head” Season 1 in the U.S. and Latin America.

The biggest hit to date from The Mediapro Studio, opening in over 90 territories worldwide, “The Head” Season 2 sees Season 1’s two survivors – renowned biologist Arthur Wilde (John Lynch), head of Polaris VI’s scientific mission, and Maggie (Katharine O’Donnelly), the station’s young doctor – now on board the Alexandria, a massive scientific freighter that houses a major laboratory, where Wilde, who has escaped from jail, carries out a crucial mission in the fight against climate change, to...

Madrid-based The Mediapro Studio, one of Europe’s super-indies, is re-teaming with Hulu Japan to produce Season 2 of thriller “The Head,” the studio’s hit drama series whose Season 1 was broadcast in more than 90 countries.

The English-language shoot has got underway in Tenerife, in Spain’s The Canary Islands, helmed by Jorge Dorado, who directed Season 1.

“The Head” Season 2 boasts an extensive international cast led once again by John Lynch and Katharine O’Donnelly.

Joining them for Season 2, the series features Hovik Keuchkerian, Moe Dunford (“Texas Chainsaw Massacre”), Josefin Nelden (“The Restaurant”) and Olivia Morris (“Hotel Portofino”).

Season 2’s newest additions in leading roles take in Enrique Arce, Nora Ríos and Tania Watson, Thierry Godard and the special collaboration of Japan’s Sota Fukushi (“Bleach”).

If Season 1 was set at a remote polar research station, the principal setting for “The Head” Season 2 will once again be an isolated and inaccessible location,...

The Rome Film Festival (October 17-27) has unveiled its 2019 official selection, which includes Downton Abbey, Waves, Judy, The Aeronauts, Hustlers and Werner Herzog documentary Nomad[/link] about writer Bruce Chatwin.

A total of 33 films and documentaries will play in the official lineup (full list below). As previously announced, the fest will open with Edward Norton’s Motherless Brooklyn while Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman will have a centerpiece screening. Only two Italian movies are included in the main selection.

The festival also revealed a pre-opening October 16 world premiere for John Turturro’s anticipated The Big Lebowski spinoff, The Jesus Rolls, which follows Lebowski character Jesus Quintana.

The impressive lineup of onstage interviews includes Bill Murray and Viola Davis – both of whom will receive lifetime achievement awards – Fanny Ardant, Olivier Assayas, Ethan Coen, Benicio Del Toro, Bret Easton Ellis, Ron Howard, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Edward Norton, Bertrand Tavernier, John Travolta and Jia Zhangke.

"I took an enormous risk... Me, and my colleagues, we take those risks every day because we believe that journalism is a force for good." Screen Daily has released the first teaser trailer for a film titled 438 Days, which is still in production but still looking for international attention. The film is based on the true story of two Swedish journalists who were locked up for 438 days in Ethiopia inside the notorious Kality prison in Addis Ababa, after being tried as terrorists even though they were just there as journalists trying to report on the hunt for oil effecting the local population. Gustaf Skarsgård and Matias Varela star as Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson, who later wrote a book about this. The full cast also includes Fredrik Evers, Josefin Neldén, Philip Zandén, Faysal Ahmed, and Jesper Ganslandt. This is only a teaser with a tiny bit of footage, but it...

Per Fly’s biopic leads Swedish film award nominations with 11 nods, followed by Shed No Tears, The Reunion and Hotell.Scroll down for full nominations

Waltz With Monica (Monica Z), from Danish director Per Fly, leads the race for the Guldbagge (Golden Beetle) – the Swedish national film awards, now in its 50th year – with 11 nominations.

The story of legendary Swedish singer-actress Monica Zetterlund stars Edda Magnason in her first film role.

The biopic has been nominated for best film, best director, best cinematography and best actress for Magnason. Its other nominations include two of the three slots in the best supporting actor category for Kjell Bergqvist and Sverrir Gudnason.

Shed No Tears (Känn ingen sorg), about a man who dreams of success in the music world, has secured nine nominations. The film is directed by Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein, back from Hollywood after directing action sequel Underworld: Awakening.

The duo have been nominated for best director...