Sanna Lenken’s new film Comedy Queen has been invited to the Berlinale’s children and young people’s section, Generation Kplus. Comedy Queen tells the story of 13-year old Sasha who refuses to cry despite suffering from immeasurable sorrow. She decides to become a stand-up comedian. Her goal is to make everyone laugh again, especially her father. The film is produced by FLX in co-production with Film i Väst.
The film is Sanna Lenken’s second feature. Her first, My Skinny Sister (Min lilla syster, 2015), screened in the same section and won the Crystal Bear – the world’s leading award for children’s and teenagers’ films. However, she debuted in Berlin in 2013 with the short Eating lunch (Äta lunch, 2012). With three Guldbagge Awards nominees to her name, in the last year Sanna Lenken has directed several episodes of popular Swedish TV series Thin Blue Line (Tunna blå linjen) and Thunder in My Heart.
The film is based on the Jenny Jägerfeld novel of the same name, and the screenwriter is Linn Gottfridsson. The film is produced by Anna Anthony and Rebecka Lafrenz, FLX in co-production with Film i Väst, SF Studios and SVT, and with with support from Nordisk Film & TV Fond. The film has received funding from the Swedish Film Institute. SF Studios is the Swedish distributor, and the film will be released in Sweden on 11 February 2022. International Sales: REInvent.
Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson‘s, Beautiful Beings, is selected for the Panorama section of the festival which is described as a traditional audience favorite and screens edgy and daring cinema. The film was written and directed by Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson, and is his second feature film. His debut film, Heartstone, premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2016 and went on to win over 50 awards worldwide.
The film tells the story of Addi, a boy raised by a clairvoyant mother, who decides to adopt a bullied misfit into his gang of outsiders. Left to their own devices, the boys explore aggression and violence but also learn about loyalty and love. As their behavior escalates towards life-threatening situations, Addi begins to experience a series of dreamlike visions. Can his newfound intuition guide him and his friends back to a safer path, or will they dive irrevocably into further violence?
Beautiful Beings was produced by Anton Máni Svansson at Join Motion Pictures in Iceland, in coproduction with Motor Productions (Denmark), Hobab and Film i Väst (Sweden), Bastide Films (The Netherlands) and Negativ (Czech Republic). The film was supported by the Icelandic Film Centre, Iceland’s Ministry of Industries and Innovation, the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service RÚV, Sena, Danish Film Institute, DR, Scanbox, Swedish Film Institute, Film i Väst, Netherlands Film Fund, Netherlands Film Production Incentive, Czech Film Fund, Nordisk Film & TV fond, and Eurimages. International sales are being handled by New Europe Film Sales.
