News

REinvent International Sales has boarded “Second Victims,” a psychological drama directed by Zinnini Elkington which shot on location at Denmark’s Herlev Hospital.

Set against the backdrop of an understaffed stroke unit, the film follows skilled neurologist Alexandra whose unwavering confidence is put to the ultimate test when a routine case spirals into tragedy. Blame and guilt ripple through the hospital, pushing Alexandra to confront her own fallibility and the profound repercussions of medical errors. Currently in post, the film is produced by Johannes Rothaus Nørregaard for Meta Film. Sf Studios will release it in the Nordics.

“Second Victims” is led by a duo of Scandinavian stars, Özlem Saglanmak, whose credits include “Borgen,” and Trine Dyrholm, who previously starred in Susanne Bier’s Oscar winning “In A Better World” and Sundance’s Audience Award winner “Queen of Hearts.” The cast is completed by Anders Matthesen, the creator of hit franchise “Checkered Ninja,...

Rapper and comedian Anders Matthesen will play Tommy Seebach, a Danish pop culture icon, in Sf Studios’ new movie, “Under the Stars in the Sky.”

The film will be directed by Kasper Gaardsøe with a screenplay by Jannik Tai Mosholt and Stefan Jaworski. “Under the Stars in the Sky” is produced by Tall and Small, and Sf Studios is co-producing and distributing the film in the Nordics. The movie will start shooting in spring 2024 and have its theatrical release in Denmark in February 2025.

“Under the Stars in the Sky” will chart Seebach’s rise to fame after participating in the Danish Song Grand Prix with the cult hit “Disco Tango” in 1979. The song became a huge hit in Denmark, ranking sixth in the Eurovision Song Contest, at which Seebach represented Denmark three times.

The film also tells a family story, about a father whose addiction got so bad that he...

The first two films were released in 2018 and 2021 and set box-office records in Denmark.

Just in time for AFM, LevelK has boarded international sales for Checkered Ninja 3, the third film in the hit animation franchise.

The team is reunited from the first two films: Anders Matthesen (The Trouble With Terkel) and Thorbjørn Christoffersen (Ronal The Barbarian) directing from a screenplay by Anders Matthesen.

Producers are Trine Heidegaard and Anders Mastrup (The Incredible Story Of The Giant Pear) for Pop Up Production, A. Film Production and Sudoku.

Nordisk plans to release in Denmark in August 2025.

For the third installment, the story...

Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s animated documentary won the best documentary, best editing, best score and best sound design prizes.

Flee made history at the Danish Film Academy Robert Awards, which took place on Saturday (February 5) in Copenhagen, as the first documentary to win all four awards it was nominated for, scooping the best documentary, best editing, best score and best sound design prizes.

Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s animated documentary focuses on a man, on the cusp of marriage to his boyfriend, revealing the secrets of his journey from Afghanistan to Denmark as a child refugee. Last week, the title was...

2021 was another annus horribilis for cinemagoing in the Nordics, due to on-going and strict Covid restrictions that halved admissions compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Released late September/early October when cinemas for once ran at full capacity, “No Time to Die” literally saved the film year, and even ranked No. 1 among all James Bond movies ever released in Denmark.

Aside from Sweden, strong homegrown offers such as “Checkered Ninja 2” in Denmark, “Class Reunion 3” in Finland, “Cop Secret” in Iceland, “Three Wishes for Cinderella” in Norway enabled the Nordic nations to secure bullish market shares.

Denmark

In 2021, “No Time to Die” smashed all B.O. records for a James Bond movie in Denmark. That, however, didn’t prevent overall ticket sales from plummeting 45% from 2019, due to the pandemic.

The Danish film year opened and ended with closed cinemas, and faced a record 138 days of full cinema lockdown, according to the cinema association Danske biografer.

Sf Studios has boarded “Ellen,” an inspirational period drama about an unsung Danish woman who saved Jews during WW II. It will be directed by Mehdi Avaz (“Collision”) and executive produced by Niels Juul, whose credits include “Ferrari,” “Silence” and “The Irishman.”

Written by James Wyllie, the English-language movie will tell the true story of Ellen Nielsen, a fishmonger and single mother of six kids, who initiated the dangerous transport of Danish Jews on fishing boats to safety in Sweden during the Nazi occupation of Denmark. Ellen’s tiny house, which was located in a fishing village on the outskirts of Copenhagen, became the central point of the Danish resistance movement and harbored a complex system of secret communication and transport.

Juul, who previously headed Cecchi Gori Pictures where he worked on “Life Is Beautiful,” “Il Postino” and “Shawshank Redemption,” is passionate about the project.

“When I first got into the film business,...

LevelK has closed a flurry of major pre-sales on “Checkered Ninja 2,” the sequel to the 2018 blockbuster animated feature that broke a 35-year record at the Danish B.O. for a local film with 950,000 admissions. Directed by Anders Matthesen (“Terkel In Trouble”) and Thorbjørn Christoffersen (“Ronal the Barbarian”), the film also traveled to more than 50 territories.

Now in post-production, “Checkered Ninja 2” has pre-sold to Koba Films for France, Splendid for Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Poland. LevelK also pre-sold the feature to Spain and Colombia (Cinemaran).

The sales company is currently negotiating further deals at the EFM. The film’s producer, Trine Heidegaard (“Ronal the Barbarian”) from Pop Up Production, and animation director Thorbjørn Christoffersen will next week pitch the sequel at Cartoon Movie, the co-production market dedicated to animation.

“Checkered Ninja 2,” which is scheduled to have its local release in the fall, is the film version of Matthesen’s bestselling children...

LevelK has boarded “Checkered Ninja 2,” the sequel to the hit animated feature co-directed by Anders Matthesen (“Terkel In Trouble”) and Thorbjørn Christoffersen (“Ronal the Barbarian”).

The sales company has acquired world rights excluding the Nordics on “Checkered Ninja 2,” which is the film adaptation of Matthesen’s bestselling eponymous children’s book. The plot revolves around Alex and the Checkered Ninja who embark on a frantic hunt for the villain Phillip Eppermint, who has evaded a prison sentence in Thailand.

“Checkered Ninja” broke Danish box-office records in 2018, selling 950,000 admissions, and traveled to more than 50 territories. In France, it was widely released on 500 screens after playing at the Annecy festival.

Matthesen, who penned the movie, said “the ambitions for this new film are even higher than on the first one.”

“Thorbjørn Christoffersen and I feel that we have a really good and funny story and that everything will look five to six...

Sf Studios has boarded “Toscana,” Mehdi Avaz’s upcoming romantic drama starring Anders Matthesen that just started filming.

A tribute to love and food, “Toscana” also stars Christiana Dell’Anna (“Gomorra”) and Andrea Bosca (“Quantico”), as well as Ghita Nørby (“Silent Heart”), Lærke Winther (“Dicte”) and the singer Christopher. Matthesen, one of Denmark’s most popular actors, previously starred in the award-winning film “Out of Tune” and in the local hit movie “Ternet Ninja.”

Sf Studios is planning to release “Toscana” in theaters across the Nordics in December 2021. It marks the third feature film by Avaz, who made his feature debut with “While We Live” in 2017 and his sophomore outing with the 2019 drama “Collision.” The filmmaker also produced the critically acclaimed TV show “Alfa,” which recently bowed on TV2 Zulu.

“In a very short time I have become the father of two lovely boys, which has greatly changed my focus on life.

GÖTEBORG, Sweden — Home to the most dynamic streaming markets in Western Europe, the Nordic region still posted solid box office returns in 2019, especially from Hollywood tentpoles “The Lion King,” “Avengers: Endgame” and “Joker,” which ruled on all top ten charts, except in Denmark. Local fare, however, lost ground in all five territories.

Denmark

Denmark enjoyed another strong cinemagoing year in 2019, with overall revenues up 4% to Nok 1.18 billion ($175.1 million). After a record 2018, when Danish films punched a 30% market share, home-grown titles still retained 26% of the market – above the 25% average of the last decade, according to the Danish Distributors’ Assn., Fafid.

Boosted by the local animated sensation “Checkered Ninja,” total admissions for local fare reached 3.5 million. Created by comedian-turned director Anders Matthesen, a late 2018 kid’s movie release, sailed to the top of the 2019 Danish box office, earning $8.2 million and accounting for 17.7% of all tickets sold for Danish pics. Three other Danish...

Not your average ninja, nor your average kids movie about ninjas, the Danish animated feature Checkered Ninja (Ternet Ninja) lies somewhere between a clever coming-of-age cartoon and a racy comedy more suitable for a slot on Adult Swim.

The brainchild of comedian, writer and co-director Anders Matthesen (The Trouble With Terkel), who adapted from his best-selling book, this well-conceived sophomore effort has been a whopping success in Denmark, where it has scored the most admissions for a homegrown movie since the mid-1980s. Overseas sales have been brisk, although the film isn't entirely appropriate for the PG-and-under set.

Any cartoon whose ...

Not your average ninja, nor your average kids movie about ninjas, the Danish animated feature Checkered Ninja (Ternet Ninja) lies somewhere between a clever coming-of-age cartoon and a racy comedy more suitable for a slot on Adult Swim.

The brainchild of comedian, writer and co-director Anders Matthesen (The Trouble With Terkel), who adapted from his best-selling book, this well-conceived sophomore effort has been a whopping success in Denmark, where it has scored the most admissions for a homegrown movie since the mid-1980s. Overseas sales have been brisk, although the film isn't entirely appropriate for the PG-and-under set.

Any cartoon whose ...

The animation festival has also launched the Contrechamp competition.

Anders Matthesen and Thorbjørn Christoffersen’s Checkered Ninja, which has taken the Danish box office by storm, will be one of eight features showcased in the Annecy Festival’s new-look Features competition section for animated films later this year (June 10-15).

The Features line-up also includes three titles from Japan – Masaaki Yuasa’s Ride Your Wave, Yuhei Sakuragi’s The Relative Worlds and Keiichi Hara’s The Wonderland.

Annecy has also introduced a parallel competition called Contrechamp, ’for the most unique feature films, as well as those that create more challenges...

The animation festival has also launched the Contrechamp competition.

Anders Matthesen and Thorbjørn Christoffersen’s Checkered Ninja, which has taken the Danish box office by storm, will be one of eight features showcased in the Annecy Festival’s new-look Features competition section for animated films later this year (June 10-15).

The Features line-up also includes three titles from Japan – Masaaki Yuasa’s Ride Your Wave, Yuhei Sakuragi’s The Relative Worlds and Keiichi Hara’s The Wonderland.

Annecy has also introduced a parallel competition called Contrechamp, ’for the most unique feature films, as well as those that create more challenges...

Deals done in more than 50 territories.

LevelK has sold hit Danish animated feature Checkered Ninja to more than 50 territories.

Deals include for France (Koba Films); Benelux (Just4Kids); Portugal (Outsider); Russia (Kinoland); South Korea (Challan); the Middle East (Prime Pictures); Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (Estin Film); Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, The Former Yugoslav Republic Of Macedonia, Kosovo and Montenegro (Radar).

Checkered Ninja is based on a book by Danish comedian Anders Matthesen, who also directed the film alongside Thorbjørn Christoffersen.

Nordisk released the film in Denmark on Christmas Day and it has broken local box-office records including the best first-week...

Comedy and tragedy go hand-in-hand in the ironically titled “Out of Tune,” a cleverly executed, perfectly performed Danish dramedy about an absurdist power struggle taking place in a remand penitentiary from talented helmer Frederikke Aspöck. Filled with flawed characters who are both lovable and despicable, this nuanced portrait of universally recognizable human behavior seems ripe for a remake in any country that welcomes social critique. Aided by notable production and sound design and a spot-on score, Aspöck achieves a tricky balance of tone and sets a snappy pace. After well-received screenings in Rotterdam and Göteborg, further festivals and boutique distributors will be singing the praises of this provocative crowdpleaser.

The film’s musical elements are woven into the narrative from the very beginning, as charming but manipulative celebrity entrepreneur Markus Føns (Jacob Hauberg Lohman) enters remand custody for financial fraud while he awaits trial. His off-shore fortune and glamorous Indian...

Claude Barras’ “Savages!,” Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli’s “Tales of the Hedgehog” and Peter Dodd’s “King of the Swamp” are among the sixty-six projects –a 10% increase from last year– to be pitched at the 21st Cartoon Movie, Europe’s leading animated movie co-production event, which will take place in the French port city of Bordeaux, kicking off March 5.

Projects will be offered to buyers and potential partners in different stages: 28 in concept, 24 in development, seven in production and seven sneak previews.

“Savages!” is the much-awaited sophomore project from Switzerland’s Barras, following his multi-awarded and foreign-language Oscar nominated “My Life as a Zucchini.” A stop-motion feature, “Savages!” is produced by France’s Prélude in co-production with Switzerland’s Helium Films. It tells the story of the friendship between 11-year-old Kéria and a Bornean orangutan baby. They will be forced to flee from Kéria’s father who wants to...

Last year, Danish, Icelandic and Norwegian films triumphed with local audiences, fueling general attendance. In Sweden, local fare also upped their share of an overall sluggish market, while Finland had a quieter year after a record 2017. Everywhere “Mamma Mia-Here We Go Again” was number one except in Denmark where local films were back in favor.

Denmark

After two years of slide, Danish films were back in favour with local crowds, and boosted general admissions to 13 million (up 4.6%) and box office to Dkk 1.1 billion ($173 million). With 3.8 million admissions (up 34.2% from 2017), representing Dkk 290.9 million ($44.5 million) in revenue, local titles claimed a 29% market share, the success target just set in new Danish Film Agreement for 2019-2023.

“In a country like Denmark with a relatively small feature film production [21 films in 2018], the box office will inevitably vary from one year to the next,” commented Claus Ladegaard, CEO at the Danish Film Institute. The latter welcomed the...

Director Anders Matthesen’s family adventure opened on Christmas day.

Family film Checkered Ninja has set a new record for a Danish film’s opening week at local box office, selling 345, 947 tickets in its first eight days of release (including sneak previews). Excluding sneak previews, the seven-day opening week figure was 305,429. Nordisk released the film on Christmas Day.

It also had the best four-day opening for a Danish movie ever – 222,760 tickets, surpassing last year’s record-setter The Purity of Vengeance which was on 215,910.

Checkered Ninja also had the best-ever opening for any animated feature (including studio films) in Danish cinemas.

California-based High Octane Pictures has acquired U.S. rights to Ukrainian sci-fi family film “The Bobot” from LevelK.

High Octane Pictures (Hop) is planning to release the film during the second quarter of 2019.

“The Bobot, ” which has been described as the first Ukrainian sci-fi action-adventure film for family audiences, takes place in a near future and follows a 12-year-old dreamer, Vlad, who gets caught in a conflict between two alien forces. Forced to overcome his fears, Vlad joins forces with Bobot, an electric transformer box, to prevent a global disaster.

Like most science fiction films, “The Bobot” raises various issues such as the impact of technological progress on the environment.

“‘The Bobot’ is nothing short of incredible. This is a film we’ve been tracking since we first heard of its development and could not be happier to be working with the wonderful team over at LevelK in addition to...

Dark comedy also stars Christopher Læssø and Anders Matthesen.

Frederikke Aspöck has started filming on her dark comedy De Frivillige, which stars Jacob Lohmann, Søren Malling, Christopher Læssø and Anders Matthesen in the lead roles.

The film, written by debutant Lars Husum, follows a celebrity financier and jet-setter who is taken into custody. Following a brutal assault at the hands of a gang of bikers, he ops for voluntary solitary confinement, during which he joins a pirson choir and sets his mind to reaching the top of its hierarchy.

Director Aspöck’s previous credits include 2015 romantic drama Rosita and 2011 drama Labrador,...

Animation directed by Terkel In Trouble’s Anders Matthesen.

LevelK has boarded world sales rights to animated feature Checkered Ninja, directed by Denmark’s Anders Matthesen (Terkel In Trouble).

Thorbjørn Christoffersen (Ronal the Barbarian, The Journey To Saturn) serves as animation director.

The story, adapted from Matthesen’s 2016 debut novel, is about a boy, Aske, whose uncle gives him a Ninja doll after a trip to Thailand. The doll turns out to be alive and can help Aske with his problems at school, Aske wants to return the favour but the ninja is possessed and wants revenge.

The film is in production now,...