World premieres for Frida Kempff’s The Swedish Torpedo, Frederik Louis Hviid’s The Quiet Ones and Malin Ingrid Johansson’s Deck 5B. North American premieres for Erik Poppe’s Quisling – the Final Days, Thomas Vinterberg’s Families like Ours, Magnus von Horn’s The Girl with the Needle, Leonardo van Dijl’s Julia Keeps Quiet and Rúnar Rúnarsson’s O. That’s the line-up for Film i Väst’s co-productions at the Toronto International Film Festival 2024.
Five out of eight films were filmed in Region Västra Götaland at the Swedish west coast and all of them are postproduced by regional based companies.
The Swedish Torpedo
Summer of 1939. The outbreak of war in Europe is drawing ever closer, but Sally Bauer, a 30-year-old single mother, can’t tear herself away from the sea and her longing to swim the English Channel. To achieve her dream she must defy her family, society’s expectations, and risk losing her young son.
Sally Bauer is played by Josefin Neldén, and other cast members include Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, Lisa Carlehed and Cecilia Milocco.
Screenplay by Frida Kempff and Marietta von Hausswolff von Baumgarten. Produced by Erik Andersson, David Herdies and Michael Krotkiewski/Momento Film in co-production with SVT, TV4, Film i Väst and others, with funding from the Swedish Film Institute, Region Västmanland, Norrköpings Filmfond.
The Quiet Ones
As the financial crisis hits Europe in 2008, a group of Danish and European men plan to commit the largest robbery ever on Danish soil.
The Quiet Ones by Danish director Frederik Louis Hviid is a suspenseful action drama that depicts a group of extremely tenacious, ambitious, and uncompromising robbers who all share the same ambition: to succeed with the impossible – despite major obstacles, internal conflicts, secret agendas, and personal costs. It is the story of the largest and most spectacular coup in Danish history, and the long, detailed, and risky preparation it took to create a shortcut to greatness and wealth. At whatever cost.
Cast: Gustav Giese (Prisoner, Riders of Justice) and Amanda Collin (The Promised Land) alongside internationally recognized French actor Reda Kateb (The King of Algiers).
Produced by Zentropa Entertainments in Co-production with Film i Väst, Zentropa Sweden (Lizette Jonjic), Kazak Productions & Zentropa International France, with support from Danish Film Institute, Canal+, Cine+ OCS, DR, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, The Swedish Film Institute, & The MEDIA Programme of the European Union. Nordic distribution in Co-operation with Nordisk Film Distribution. French distribution in Co-operation with KMBO. International sales by TrustNordisk.
Quisling – the Final Days
From acclaimed director Erik Poppe (The Emigrants) comes the psychological drama about the infamous Vidkun Quisling, Prime Minister of Norway, a notorious Nazi collaborator and responsible for one of the greatest betrayals during World War II. The film stars Gard B. Eidsvold (Beforeigners) and Anders Danielsen Lie (The Worst Person in the World) in the leading roles as Vidkun Quisling and the priest Peder Olsen respectively.
With the story of Quisling’s last days, we get a condensed insight into a psychological and claustrophobic battle about truth and lies, faith and doubt. The Norwegian, Vidkun Quisling was so synonymous with helping the enemy that his name made it into English dictionaries. Deservedly so, as Quisling asked Hitler to occupy Norway and was functioning as Prime Minister of Norway when Hitler did just that. When the German occupation of Norway ended after five years, it was time for rebuilding and healing, but Quisling had to be held accountable for his war crimes.
Produced by Paradox Film AS in co-production with among others Film i Väst.
The Girl with the Needle
Magnus von Horn had it’s world premiere with his film The Girl with the Needle in the Official selection at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
Karoline (Vic Carmen Sonne), a young factory worker, is struggling to survive in post WW1 Copenhagen. When she finds herself unemployed, abandoned and pregnant, she meets Dagmar (Trine Dyrholm), a charismatic woman running an underground adoption agency, helping mothers to find foster homes for their unwanted children. With nowhere else to turn, Karoline takes on the role of a wet-nurse. A strong connection is formed between the two women, but Karoline’s world shatters when she stumbles upon the shocking truth behind her work.
Inspired by a true story and directed by Magnus von Horn (The Here After, Sweat) The Girl with the Needle is an unsettling tale about a woman struggling to find love and a sense of morality.
Produced by Nordisk Film Creative Alliance in co-production with Film i Väst, Lava Films & Nordisk Film Sverige (Madeleine Ekman), EC1 Lodz Lower Silesia Film Centre with support from Danish Film Institute, Polish Film Institute co-financed production Swedish Film Institute, Nordisk Film /& TV Fond, Creative Europe & Eurimages and in association with Danmarks Radio and Sveriges Television.
Families Like Ours
Thomas Vinterbergs seven part drama series Families Like Ours will have it’s world premier in Venice. Written by Vinterberg and Bo Hr. Hansen and produced by Sisse Graum Jørgensen and Kasper Dissing, Zentropa Entertainments, and shot on on location in Denmark, Sweden, France, Romania, and The Czech Republic.
The series is produced by Zentropa Entertainments for TV 2 Denmark, STUDIOCANAL and CANAL+, co-funded by The Danish Film Institute – Public Service Fund, The European Union and Nordisk Film & TV Fond in co-production with NRK, TV4, ARD Degeto, co-produced by Film i Väst, Sirena Film, Zentropa Sweden (Lizette Jonjic), Saga Film and Ginger Pictures, co-produced with the support from Czech Film Fund and BNP Paribas Fortis Film Finance in collaboration with CANAL+ Poland and M7.
Countries disappear, love remains. Denmark, in a not-too-distant future. The rising water levels can no longer be ignored and the country needs to be evacuated. As people disperse in all directions, they must bid farewell to what they love, what they know, and who they are. Slowly but steadily, everything is different. All property becomes worthless, all fortunes change, and luck favours only a few. Those who can afford it travel to affluent countries while the less well-off depend on government-funded relocation to more challenging destinations. Families, friends, and loved ones are separated. Some will be overcome by hatred and division while others will nurture love and foster new beginnings. Against this backdrop we meet Laura, a high school student in love for the first time and on the cusp of graduation. When news of the evacuation breaks, the course of Laura and her family’s lives are changed forever, and Laura is forced into the impossible dilemma of choosing between the three people she loves the most.
Julie Keeps Quiet
Belgian director Leonardo van Dijl’s fim Julie Keeps Quiet was selected for the Semaine de la Critique in Cannes.
As the star player at an elite tennis academy, Julie’s life revolves around the game she loves. When her coach falls under investigation and is suddenly suspended, all of the club’s players are encouraged to speak up. But Julie decides to keep quiet…
Starring Tessa Van den Broeck (Julie), Ruth Becquart (Liesbeth), Koen De Bouw (Tom), Claire Bodson (Sofie), Laurent Caron (Jeremy).
Producer: De Wereldvrede, Gilles De Schryver, Gilles Coulier, Wouter Sap, Roxanne Sarkozi in co-production with Les Films du Fleuve, Delphine Tomson, Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Hobab, Nima Yousefi, and Film i Väst, Kristina Börjeson, Mikael Fellenius. In association with New Europe Film Sales: Executive producers: Jan Naszewski, Marcin Łuczaj; Blue Morning Pictures Executive producers: Federica Sainte-Rose, Florian Zeller; Paradiso Films, Executive producers Martien Uyttendaele, Olivier Mortagne, Dirk De Lille, Edgar Daarnhouwer; Proximus, Associate producer, Valérie Berlemont. Sales: New Europe Film Sales, Jan Naszewski. Supported by The Flemish Audiovisual Fund, the Centre du Cinema et de l’audiovisuel of the French community in Belgium, The Belgian Tax Shelter, Proximus, New Dawn, Film i Väst.
O
Icelandic director Rúnar Rúnarsson recently opened the Un certain regard section at Cannes with When the Light Breaks; his new short film O, starring Ingvar E. Sigurðsson, is a humanistic and poetic story of a fragile man trying to achieve a simple task where his main obstacle is within himself. It will premiere in Venice International Film Festival. Produced by Compass Films; Swedish co-producer Siri Hjorton Wagner / [sic] film with SVT and Film i Väst, with support from the Swedish Film Institute.
Deck 5B
Deck 5B is about what price we pay for freedom. We meet recently divorced Mia (37), heading for the first holiday with her new love. Mia is torn between parental responsibility and a longing to surrender and let go of control. When rolling onto the ferry’s parking deck, Mia realizes that she has created an impossible situation for herself and everyone else. Deck 5B is a film about longing, passion, broken promises and dog hair. You can also say it’s a ghost story
Born and raised on a farm on the Swedish countryside, Malin Ingrid Johansson started out as a stills photographer before transitioning into to directing music videos, art films and short films. Malin’s latest short Madden premiered internationally at the Berlinale ‘23 and has been awarded multiple times, highlights are Best national short at Gothenburg Film Festival, Best National short at Uppsala Kortfilmsfestival, Special Mention for best acting at AFI Fest. The film is also eligible for the Academy run 2025.
Produced by Pine (Joel Rostmark , Adam Holmström Meinking, Andrea Gyllenskiöld) in co-production with Film i Väst.
