Copenhagen-based REinvent International Sales has closed Spain and Portugal with AMC Networks International Southern Europe, on the Finnish suspense disaster drama “Seconds”, Variety has learned exclusively.
One of REinvent’s MipTV highlights, “Seconds,” made a strong debut on Finnish pubcaster Yle this week, according to head of drama, Jarmo Lampela. “It will easily go over the average viewing target,” he said. German co-production partner Ndr is due to launch it later this year.
Created by screenwriter Laura Suhonen (“Hooked”) alongside Fire Monkey co-founders Mikko Pöllä and Roope Lehtinen, the six-part series chronicles the aftermath of a horrific train disaster in a small Finnish town that claimed the lives of more than 60 people.
Accident investigator Marita Kail (Leena Pöysti) and her team are put in charge of the case and start digging into the events that led to the tragedy. The whole nation is rocked by the event, as is Marita’s psyche.
One of REinvent’s MipTV highlights, “Seconds,” made a strong debut on Finnish pubcaster Yle this week, according to head of drama, Jarmo Lampela. “It will easily go over the average viewing target,” he said. German co-production partner Ndr is due to launch it later this year.
Created by screenwriter Laura Suhonen (“Hooked”) alongside Fire Monkey co-founders Mikko Pöllä and Roope Lehtinen, the six-part series chronicles the aftermath of a horrific train disaster in a small Finnish town that claimed the lives of more than 60 people.
Accident investigator Marita Kail (Leena Pöysti) and her team are put in charge of the case and start digging into the events that led to the tragedy. The whole nation is rocked by the event, as is Marita’s psyche.
- 4/10/2024
- by Annika Pham
- Variety Film + TV
Finnish series creators are ready to laugh – also at themselves.
“While cultures vary, a fish-out-of-water experience is universal,” says writer Beata Harju, behind “Lay Low and Don’t Be Fabulous” about a woman who just can’t let go of her ex. Or of her Finnish roots.
“Finland is the perfect setting for a culture-clash comedy, because our networking events are so silent, you can hear the crunch of a cucumber.”
The show, set to bow in the Focus on Finland showcase at Mipcom, won’t be the only one led by complex female protagonists. In “True North,” three women fight for power after Egyptian refugee, Layla, joins a catering company with a secret.
“Through placing the story in [Spain’s] Marbella, where international jet-setters and social media celebrities live next to refugees and locals struggling to get by, we create a unique story around some of the inequalities of today’s society,...
“While cultures vary, a fish-out-of-water experience is universal,” says writer Beata Harju, behind “Lay Low and Don’t Be Fabulous” about a woman who just can’t let go of her ex. Or of her Finnish roots.
“Finland is the perfect setting for a culture-clash comedy, because our networking events are so silent, you can hear the crunch of a cucumber.”
The show, set to bow in the Focus on Finland showcase at Mipcom, won’t be the only one led by complex female protagonists. In “True North,” three women fight for power after Egyptian refugee, Layla, joins a catering company with a secret.
“Through placing the story in [Spain’s] Marbella, where international jet-setters and social media celebrities live next to refugees and locals struggling to get by, we create a unique story around some of the inequalities of today’s society,...
- 10/12/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Copenhagen-based REInvent International Sales has boarded Finnish crime series “Deception,” produced by Fire Monkey, Variety has found out exclusively.
It sees Riku, a kid from a bad part of town, deciding to infiltrate a rich young elite in order to rob them. When he falls in love with an heiress, he starts to enjoy his new luxurious lifestyle. But his old friends, and creditors, want to see money and results.
Created by Mikko Pöllä, who also serves as one of the writers, “Deception” (“Kerma”) is produced by Saara Kankaanpää. Daniel Virtanen, Marketta Tikkanen, Elias Gould, Pihla Maalismaa and Karim Rapatti star, while Mikko Kuparinen will direct.
Currently in production, the show will premiere in 2023 on C More in the Nordics.
“Fire Monkey produces high-profile series, and has a proven track record that there is a great audience for them. We are sure ‘Deception’ is in this league,” says sales and marketing director Helene Aurø.
It sees Riku, a kid from a bad part of town, deciding to infiltrate a rich young elite in order to rob them. When he falls in love with an heiress, he starts to enjoy his new luxurious lifestyle. But his old friends, and creditors, want to see money and results.
Created by Mikko Pöllä, who also serves as one of the writers, “Deception” (“Kerma”) is produced by Saara Kankaanpää. Daniel Virtanen, Marketta Tikkanen, Elias Gould, Pihla Maalismaa and Karim Rapatti star, while Mikko Kuparinen will direct.
Currently in production, the show will premiere in 2023 on C More in the Nordics.
“Fire Monkey produces high-profile series, and has a proven track record that there is a great audience for them. We are sure ‘Deception’ is in this league,” says sales and marketing director Helene Aurø.
- 10/11/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Mikko Pöllä and Roope Lehtinen, seasoned Finnish showrunners and co-founders of Fire Monkey, are bringing to market a handful of premium dramas in post and development.
Headlining their production slate under REinvent’s sales banner is the thriller “Enemy of the People,” from “Man in Room 301” helmer Mikko Kuparinen, currently in post.
Co-created by Lehtinen and Timo Varpio (“Easy Living”), the eight-part TV show boasts a stellar cast, including Kreeta Salminen, Mikko Nousiainen (“Peacemaker”), Tobias Zilliacus (“Beartown”), and Johannes Holopainen (“All the Sins”).
Co-penned by Varpio and Fire Monkey’s in-house writer Laura Suhonen, the thriller explores investigative reporting in an era of trolls and fake news. After writing a critical piece about the local town’s soccer star and biggest celebrity, involved in a dubious business scheme, reporter Katja Salonen finds herself drawn into a whirlpool of lies, deceit and abuse of power, in the middle of which...
Headlining their production slate under REinvent’s sales banner is the thriller “Enemy of the People,” from “Man in Room 301” helmer Mikko Kuparinen, currently in post.
Co-created by Lehtinen and Timo Varpio (“Easy Living”), the eight-part TV show boasts a stellar cast, including Kreeta Salminen, Mikko Nousiainen (“Peacemaker”), Tobias Zilliacus (“Beartown”), and Johannes Holopainen (“All the Sins”).
Co-penned by Varpio and Fire Monkey’s in-house writer Laura Suhonen, the thriller explores investigative reporting in an era of trolls and fake news. After writing a critical piece about the local town’s soccer star and biggest celebrity, involved in a dubious business scheme, reporter Katja Salonen finds herself drawn into a whirlpool of lies, deceit and abuse of power, in the middle of which...
- 10/10/2021
- by Annika Pham
- Variety Film + TV
A new “Angry Birds” animated series is flying to Netflix.
The cartoon-bird franchise, which began as a smartphone app game in 2009 and quickly grew to massive popularity, has set a new animated series called “Angry Birds: Summer Madness” at the streaming service.
The 40-episode kids’ show comes from Netflix and Cake in partnership with Rovio Entertainment, who developed the original game.
Coming in 2021, each episode will be 11 minutes long, and will follow the humor and tone cultivated in the world of the “Angry Birds Movie” franchise.
In the meantime, three seasons of the Finnish “Angry Birds” cartoon series from creators Mikael Hed, Lauri Konttori, and Mikko Pöllä are currently streaming on the service.
Here is Netflix’s the official logline for “Angry Birds: Summer Madness.”
“‘Angry Birds: Summer Madness’ sees much-loved birds Red, Bomb and Chuck, as well as a cast of brand new feathered friends, as tween birds at...
The cartoon-bird franchise, which began as a smartphone app game in 2009 and quickly grew to massive popularity, has set a new animated series called “Angry Birds: Summer Madness” at the streaming service.
The 40-episode kids’ show comes from Netflix and Cake in partnership with Rovio Entertainment, who developed the original game.
Coming in 2021, each episode will be 11 minutes long, and will follow the humor and tone cultivated in the world of the “Angry Birds Movie” franchise.
In the meantime, three seasons of the Finnish “Angry Birds” cartoon series from creators Mikael Hed, Lauri Konttori, and Mikko Pöllä are currently streaming on the service.
Here is Netflix’s the official logline for “Angry Birds: Summer Madness.”
“‘Angry Birds: Summer Madness’ sees much-loved birds Red, Bomb and Chuck, as well as a cast of brand new feathered friends, as tween birds at...
- 3/25/2020
- by Margeaux Sippell
- The Wrap
For the first time ever, a record number of 13 talent scouts -including U.S. reps from Wiip, CAA, Gersh- will set foot at Göteborg’s sold-out Nordic TV Drama Vision (Jan.29-30), where around 50 series in progress and in development will play to 420 industry delegates.
“This is the first time ever we have such a large presence of talent agents in Göteborg, but mirrors the worldwide trend of people trying to uncover and snap up the next big talent and stories, of which the Nordics abound,” said head of industry Cia Edström.
Heading the works in progress is HBO’s Swedish original “Beartown,” to be discussed by HBO Nordic’s commissioning editor & VP Original Programming, Hanne Palmquist, director Peter Grönlund, and Filmlance International’s producers Bonnie Skoog Feeney and Mattias Arehn. The adaptation of Fredrik Backman’s best-selling novel will bow on HBO later this year.
The dramedy “Dreaming of England,...
“This is the first time ever we have such a large presence of talent agents in Göteborg, but mirrors the worldwide trend of people trying to uncover and snap up the next big talent and stories, of which the Nordics abound,” said head of industry Cia Edström.
Heading the works in progress is HBO’s Swedish original “Beartown,” to be discussed by HBO Nordic’s commissioning editor & VP Original Programming, Hanne Palmquist, director Peter Grönlund, and Filmlance International’s producers Bonnie Skoog Feeney and Mattias Arehn. The adaptation of Fredrik Backman’s best-selling novel will bow on HBO later this year.
The dramedy “Dreaming of England,...
- 1/20/2020
- by Annika Pham
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Zac & Mia star Kian Lawley and My Dead Ex star Katherine C. Hughes are set to front Finnish comedy drama Perfect Commando for Svod service Elisa Viihde.
The U.S. teen stars, familiar to Awesomeness TV viewers, will feature alongside a cast of Finnish actors in the 10-part comedy.
The English and Finnish-language comedy follows two young characters; Van and Rachel who have led carefree lives in their home of California. However, Van’s first ever trip to his mother’s home country of Finland takes an unexpected wrong turn as soon as he steps off the plane when due to Van’s dual American-Finnish citizenship he is thrown into Military service. Forced out of his comfort zone, will this privileged kid from La survive this tough new life in the army barracks with a bunch of oddballs and rise to the challenge of Army Commando?
Johannes Holopainen (Heavy...
The U.S. teen stars, familiar to Awesomeness TV viewers, will feature alongside a cast of Finnish actors in the 10-part comedy.
The English and Finnish-language comedy follows two young characters; Van and Rachel who have led carefree lives in their home of California. However, Van’s first ever trip to his mother’s home country of Finland takes an unexpected wrong turn as soon as he steps off the plane when due to Van’s dual American-Finnish citizenship he is thrown into Military service. Forced out of his comfort zone, will this privileged kid from La survive this tough new life in the army barracks with a bunch of oddballs and rise to the challenge of Army Commando?
Johannes Holopainen (Heavy...
- 7/18/2019
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Ambitious Finnish drama The White Wall is to travel globally after distributor Drg boarded the series for international sales. The eight-part sci-fi drama is about a mysterious white wall found deep underground at the mining site of the world’s largest nuclear waste depository and is produced by Finland’s Fire Monkey and Sweden’s Nice Drama for Yle and Sweden’s Svt. Drg will distribute the series, which co-created by Angry Birds writer Mikko Pöllä and A Man’s Job’s Aleksi Salmenperä, starting at Natpe. Dave Clarke, Drg’s Evp of content, said, “The White Wall is set to be one of the most exciting and ambitious scripted series to come out of Scandinavia in recent years. Its unique storyline, containing universal themes about relationships and human curiosity, high production values and superb cast will definitely get the series noticed. It will also surprise those who assume that...
- 1/16/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman and Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Scandinavian sci-fi series “The White Wall” is coming to the international market, starting at Natpe, after Drg picked up international rights to the upcoming project. Finland’s Fire Monkey and Nice Drama, part of the Nordic Entertainment Group, are making “The White Wall” for Swedish pubcaster Svt and its Finnish counterpart, Yle.
It will feature a roster of well-known Scandi talent, including Aksel Hennie (“Headhunters”), Vera Vitali (“Arne Dahl”), Ardalan Esmaili (“Greyzone”), and Eva Melander (“The Bridge”). It was created by Aleksi Salmenperä (“A Man’s Job”), Mikko Pöllä (“Easy Living”), and Roope Lehtinen (“Black Widows”).
The series follows events after a mysterious white wall is discovered at the site of the world’s largest nuclear waste depository. It becomes clear that the wall is not made of any material known to man, and the team at the nuclear waste center must decide how to deal with it.
Drg is...
It will feature a roster of well-known Scandi talent, including Aksel Hennie (“Headhunters”), Vera Vitali (“Arne Dahl”), Ardalan Esmaili (“Greyzone”), and Eva Melander (“The Bridge”). It was created by Aleksi Salmenperä (“A Man’s Job”), Mikko Pöllä (“Easy Living”), and Roope Lehtinen (“Black Widows”).
The series follows events after a mysterious white wall is discovered at the site of the world’s largest nuclear waste depository. It becomes clear that the wall is not made of any material known to man, and the team at the nuclear waste center must decide how to deal with it.
Drg is...
- 1/16/2019
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
Finland has a reputation as a curious country filled with lakes, saunas and forests as well as the home of Santa Claus. Now it is hoping to be known for its ambitious television series with a swathe of big-budget dramas interesting international buyers and will be front and center at Mipcom in Cannes to demonstrate this.
Scandinavia has long been known for producing cutting edge scripted series such as Danish hits The Killing and The Bridge, Norway’s Lilyhammer and Skam and Sweden’s Wallander and Humans. However, despite many considering Finland a member of this gang, it is not actually part of Scandinavia, but rather part of the Nordic bloc with more in common with Iceland.
Finnish local producers are hoping that high-profile projects including a local Sherlock Holmes original, Sky-backed crime drama Bullets, sci-fi epic The White Wall and climate change thriller Sands of Sarasvati can replicate...
Scandinavia has long been known for producing cutting edge scripted series such as Danish hits The Killing and The Bridge, Norway’s Lilyhammer and Skam and Sweden’s Wallander and Humans. However, despite many considering Finland a member of this gang, it is not actually part of Scandinavia, but rather part of the Nordic bloc with more in common with Iceland.
Finnish local producers are hoping that high-profile projects including a local Sherlock Holmes original, Sky-backed crime drama Bullets, sci-fi epic The White Wall and climate change thriller Sands of Sarasvati can replicate...
- 10/11/2018
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
The latest trailer for The Angry Birds Movie doesn't contain very much new footage, so my opinion of it hasn't changed very much since the last trailer finally made me understand why the film exists. The biggest revelation for me was in the credits at the very end: I knew that Jason Sudeikis, Bill Hader, Maya Rudolph, and Patton Oswalt were in the film, but Sean Penn? I had no clue he was in this! I must have completely missed that announcement. (So did his IMDb page, apparently.)
The Angry Birds Movie hits theaters on May 20th.
In the 3D animated comedy, The Angry Birds Movie, we'll finally find out why the birds are so angry.
The movie takes us to an island populated entirely by happy, flightless birds – or almost entirely. In this paradise, Red (Jason Sudeikis, We're the Millers, Horrible Bosses), a bird with a temper problem, speedy...
The Angry Birds Movie hits theaters on May 20th.
In the 3D animated comedy, The Angry Birds Movie, we'll finally find out why the birds are so angry.
The movie takes us to an island populated entirely by happy, flightless birds – or almost entirely. In this paradise, Red (Jason Sudeikis, We're the Millers, Horrible Bosses), a bird with a temper problem, speedy...
- 4/13/2016
- by Ben Pearson
- GeekTyrant
Power to the Pixel event to include a major Nordic delegation.Scroll down for full list of projects
Power to the Pixel (PttP) has announced the 32 cross-media projects from across Europe, the Us, Canada, the Middle East, Australia and South America selected to participate in The Pixel Market (Oct 8-9).
The two-day finance and co-production market is run as part of 8th Power to the Pixel: The Cross-Media Forum (Oct 7-10), held in association with the 58th BFI London Film Festival (Oct 8-19).
From the 32 teams, PttP has selected the top eight to compete for the Arte International Prize for The Pixel Market, a €6,000 ($7,800) award sponsored by the French/German broadcaster.
The producers and creators will present to a panel of international commissioning executives, financiers and experts who will use these projects as a backdrop to discuss successful finance strategies, sustainable business models and the companies actively investing in new media.
The winning team will be...
Power to the Pixel (PttP) has announced the 32 cross-media projects from across Europe, the Us, Canada, the Middle East, Australia and South America selected to participate in The Pixel Market (Oct 8-9).
The two-day finance and co-production market is run as part of 8th Power to the Pixel: The Cross-Media Forum (Oct 7-10), held in association with the 58th BFI London Film Festival (Oct 8-19).
From the 32 teams, PttP has selected the top eight to compete for the Arte International Prize for The Pixel Market, a €6,000 ($7,800) award sponsored by the French/German broadcaster.
The producers and creators will present to a panel of international commissioning executives, financiers and experts who will use these projects as a backdrop to discuss successful finance strategies, sustainable business models and the companies actively investing in new media.
The winning team will be...
- 9/17/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Buzzfeed’s John Johnson among the line-up at Power to the Pixel’s Cross-Media Forum.
Power to the Pixel: The Cross-Media Forum (Oct 7-10) is to be headlined this year by John Johnson, co-founder of social news website Buzzfeed, who will speak publicly in the UK for the first time.
As keynote speaker, Johnson will share thoughts and experiences of media impact measurement that point to new ways of funding and creating new projects as well as engaging audiences.
It was revealed earlier this week that Buzzfeed is to launch a dedicated feature film arm after receiving $50m in investment from venture capitalist firm Andreessen Horowitz.
BuzzFeed Motion Pictures will produce content ranging from six-second videos to episodic series and feature films, while Pulp Fiction and Django Unchained exec Michael Shamberg has been attached as an advisor.
The company, which generates more than 200 million monthly views, will look to work with Hollywood studios and distribute the content...
Power to the Pixel: The Cross-Media Forum (Oct 7-10) is to be headlined this year by John Johnson, co-founder of social news website Buzzfeed, who will speak publicly in the UK for the first time.
As keynote speaker, Johnson will share thoughts and experiences of media impact measurement that point to new ways of funding and creating new projects as well as engaging audiences.
It was revealed earlier this week that Buzzfeed is to launch a dedicated feature film arm after receiving $50m in investment from venture capitalist firm Andreessen Horowitz.
BuzzFeed Motion Pictures will produce content ranging from six-second videos to episodic series and feature films, while Pulp Fiction and Django Unchained exec Michael Shamberg has been attached as an advisor.
The company, which generates more than 200 million monthly views, will look to work with Hollywood studios and distribute the content...
- 8/14/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
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