Latest news with #TrustNordisk
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
TrustNordisk's ‘The Last Viking' Adds Buyers, Unveils First-Look Image (EXCLUSIVE)
Copenhagen-based TrustNordisk has inked further deals and unveiled the first-look image to the dark comedy 'The Last Viking' written and directed by Anders Thomas Jensen ('Riders of Justice'). Toplining the cast are his usual 'partners in crime' Mads Mikkelsen ('Another Round,' 'Fantastic Beasts') and Nikolaj Lie Kaas ('Britannia,' 'Families Like Ours'), as well as Sofie Gråbøl ('The Killing,' 'The House that Jack Built'). More from Variety The Mediapro Studio to Adapt 'Beauty and the Beast' Writer Evan Spiliotopoulos' First Novel (EXCLUSIVE) International Emmy Winner Aokbab Chutimon to Star in Thai Horror 'Fortune Seekers' as Night Edge Pictures Debuts Sales in Cannes (EXCLUSIVE) Saudi Arabian Film Pioneer Faisal Baltyuor Appointed Red Sea Film Foundation CEO One of the hottest Danish titles lined up for launch later this year, the Zentropa pic has added Spain (Avalon), Greece (Videorama) and Bulgaria (Beta Film). Earlier pre-sales were closed with Neue Visionen for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, September Film for Benelux, Plaion for Italy, Estinfilm for the Baltics, Vertigo Media for Hungary, Best Film for Poland, Film Europe for Czech Republic and Slovakia, September Film Rights for Singapore and Starcat Cable Network Co. for Japan. TrustNordisk will unveil fresh scenes of the pic at a promo-reel slate presentation at Cannes market. 'It's incredibly rewarding to see 'The Last Viking' continue to attract such strong international interest and we are happy to be working with our friends at Avalon once again,' said TrustNordisk' sales director Nicolai Korsgaard, ahead of the Cannes market. 'These latest sales are a testament to the film's broad appeal and the outstanding creative team behind it.' Jensen's previous pic 'Riders of Justice,' also repped by TrustNordisk sold nearly worldwide including to Magnolia Pictures' genre label Magnet Releasing for the U.S. Billed as a 'humorous, intriguing and devious tale about identity,' Jensen's sixth pic turns on Anker (Kaas) who comes out of jail after a 15 year-sentence for robbery. Only one person knows where the money from the heist was buried – his brother Manfred (Mikkelsen) Unfortunately, the latter has no clue where it is, having since developed a mental illness, affecting his memory. Together, the brothers embark on an unexpected journey to locate the money and discover who they really are. 'The core of the film is that every human being is more than one thing,' says Jensen, famed for his zany storytelling with heart-felt existential thread. 'We sometimes tend to forget this, both when defining who we are ourselves, and when passing judgement on others. It is so much easier to forgive and harder to get offended if you remember this.' Talking Mikkelsen for whom he created some of the star actor's most unhinged roles and striking physical transformations, Jensen says his delivery in the pic covers 'literally many characters' and 'depending on how you interpret the movie, Mikkelsen could [even] be the last Viking, but I hope not the last of the last!' he quips, adding. 'Aside from their notorious barbaric traits and the pillaging, you are actually left with some great Viking-virtues, like accepting what you are, taking responsibility for your own actions, never succumbing to self-pity and the belief that the truth, the spoken word, is sacred and unbreakable.' 'The Last Viking' was produced by Sisse Graum Jørgensen and Sidsel Hybschmann for Zentropa Entertainment4, in co-production with Zentropa Sweden and Film i Väst, with support from The Danish Film Institute, FilmFyn, Eurimages, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, The Swedish Film Institute and Creative Europe Media Programme, in collaboration with TV2 and Nordisk Film Distribution. The local release is set for Oct. 9, 2025. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How French Artisans Blend Expertise and Flexibility to Boost Films Like ‘The Substance,' ‘Emilia Pérez,' ‘Romería'
Alongside physical infrastructure, improving and augmenting the local workforce is a key pillar of French president Emmanuel Macron's France 2030 plan, his 30 billion euro ($34 billion) roadmap for investment and innovation. 'Top-tier technicians are the foundation of the entire French ecosystem,' says Arnaud Roland, who oversees the France 2030 project for the national film agency CNC. 'That's why professional training programs are integrated into every aspect of our modernization efforts. Our competitive edge goes beyond locations; it lies in the combination of diverse landscapes, modern infrastructure, and, most importantly, highly adaptable crews.' More from Variety Cannes Films 'Alpha,' 'Nouvelle Vague,' 'Colors of Time' and 'The Great Arch' Showcase Growing Maturity of French VFX Sector TrustNordisk Adds 'Unraveled' by 'Becoming Astrid''s Pernille Fischer Christensen, Reveals First Image Ahead of Cannes Market (EXCLUSIVE) Chechen Documentary 'Imago' Debuts Clip Ahead of Cannes Premiere, Rediance Handles Sales (EXCLUSIVE) As France 2030 targets doubling the workforce in animation and VFX, public investment covers every stage of the creative process — from scriptwriting and costume design to construction and compositing. A recent beneficiary of this funding, the Paris film school La Fémis, will soon launch a new course teaching designers to blend traditional techniques with the LED-wall technologies required for virtual production. Indeed, as recognition of French expertise reaches new heights — highlighted by the recent Oscar wins for the music of 'Emilia Pérez' and the makeup of 'The Substance' — reverence for local talent is keeping pace. Hélène Louvart is one illustrative example. After graduating from the prestigious Louis-Lumière film school, the cinematographer honed her eye shooting projects for Christophe Honoré, Agnès Varda and Sandrine Veysset. In 2011, after garnering local esteem and industry attention, Louvart stepped into the international spotlight following the one-two punch of Wim Wenders' 'Pina' and Alice Rohrwacher's 'Corpo Celeste,' setting the DP on a path that since spanned the globe. Today, as an in-demand creative voice in contemporary American, Brazilian and Italian cinema — and DP behind Scarlett Johansson's 'Eleanor the Great' and Carla Simón's 'Romería,' both of which will premiere in Cannes — Louvart frequently travels with key hometown colleagues while advocating for the inclusion of French technicians. 'International teams appreciate our behavior as much as our expertise,' says Louvart. 'While working abroad, I've often heard French technicians praised for their pleasantness and decency. We're skilled professionals, of course, but we also know how to be polite and respectful — traits that make a big difference.' 'Directors often look for collaborators who can bring something new — a different culture and a different perspective,' Louvart continues. 'And the feeling is reciprocal; by mixing influences you create something unique.' Visiting projects might also benefit from labor laws that ensure maximum agility, adds Studio de Paris president Brigitte Segal. 'Our crews aren't unionized, but there is a 60-hour weekly cap,' Segal says. 'That makes them far more flexible than in labor markets where unions restrict crew members to specific roles. And since there's no overtime, everything gets done efficiently within the standard workday.' For director Coralie Fargeat, that flexibility was one of the most 'important and meaningful' reasons she chose to shoot 'The Substance' in France. 'It allowed for an extended shoot, with the ability to scale the crew based on the needs of each scene,' she says. 'For example, we could work with a smaller team for makeup effects, special effects, and extreme close-ups — elements that are central to my directing style and that take time to execute properly. At the same time, department heads had room to experiment. We tested countless techniques — like how to make backs open or how to project blood. That kind of creative freedom and time would've been hard to come by in a more rigid system.' 'I knew that the local technicians, their expertise, and above all their artisanal approach would give the film the level of quality and dedication it needed,' Fargeat continues. 'So I would encourage other filmmakers to aim high. French talent and technique no longer need to prove themselves — and working with new partners or filming in different countries can bring real depth and richness to a project.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
TrustNordisk Adds ‘Unraveled' by ‘Becoming Astrid's' Pernille Fischer Christensen, Reveals First Image Ahead of Cannes Market (EXCLUSIVE)
Ahead of Cannes market, Scandinavia's leading sales agent TrustNordisk has released a fresh still from Pernille Fischer Christensen's drama 'Unraveled' ('Vores Løfte') which just wrapped filming for Nordisk Film Production Denmark. A Berlinale regular, from her 2006 breakthrough prize-winning debut 'A Soap' to the Astrid Lindgren biopic 'Becoming Astrid' (2018), picked up by Music Box for the U.S., Christensen's 'Unraveled' marks her anticipated return to the silver screen after her TV drama immersion that notably took in co-directing DR's acclaimed 'Cry Wolf.' More from Variety Chechen Documentary 'Imago' Debuts Clip Ahead of Cannes Premiere, Rediance Handles Sales (EXCLUSIVE) Spanish Comedy Icon Fernando Colomo's 'The Delights of the Garden' Swooped on by Latido Films in the Run-up to Cannes (EXCLUSIVE) How Trump's Tariffs Could Derail the Cannes Film Festival The upcoming Danish pic stars Danica Curcic ('The Chestnut Man,' 'Out Stealing Horses') as Maria, a former elite swimmer and famous sports commentator whose life unravels when her beloved husband Mikael (Lars Ranthe from 'Another Round'), her former coach and father of their daughter, is suddenly suspected of sexual abuse. Sparking the scandal and media interest is the revelation in an upcoming book, of a young girl's misguided infatuation for her swimming coach, with rumors suggesting that Mikael is the man in question. What fuelled Christensen's interest for the subject a few years back, was #MeToo, 'one of the greatest things that ever happened to us women since free abortion and our right to vote' says Christensen. 'But, I'm also a person with a lot of empathy, so I started to wonder how it would feel for the man accused of sexual harassment, what it would be like to be his wife and kids.' For the director who's often put family at the core of her work, her sixth feature is first and foremost 'a drama about a woman who is forced to re-examine her marriage, the deep love for her husband, as she tries to keep together her family and protect her daughter from the media frenzy that arises,' explains the helmer who for the first time penned her script fully on her own, without co-writer Kim Fupz Aakeson. 'Because of the subject matter, which deals with a woman reflecting on her couple, on herself and regaining control of her narrative, I felt I had to take full control over the material.' As Christensen tells Variety, key elements that helped her build and refine the script were thorough research, interviews with men who had been accused of sexual harassment and their families, and discussions with the key cast to capture the authenticity in their performance. Christensen said she is currently fine-tuning the tone and 'thriller-ish' element around the sexual allegations – with editor My Thordal ('Families Like Ours,' 'The Kingdom'), actress-turned composer Rebekka Karijord ('Songs of Earth,' 'All the Old Knives') and cinematographer Joe Maples ('Blackwater,' 'The Hunt for a Killer'). TrustNordisk's managing director Susan Wendt said: 'The film touches on a variety of subjects through a single storyline, telling a gripping and emotional but also universal and timely story. 'Unraveled' is a very character-driven film, which is one of Pernille's big strengths and I'm sure that she with this film once again will captivate audiences around the world.' The pic, produced by Mette Høst Hansen & Tomas Radoor for Nordisk Film Production, is set to launch in Denmark in spring 2026. For Cannes, TrustNordisk's strong slate also takes in Anders Thomas Jensen's highly-anticipated 'The Last Viking' starring Mads Mikkelsen, with fresh scenes to be unveiled at a promo-reel presentation, with half a dozen upcoming titles. Two films will screen at the market: the Swiss-German hospital drama 'Late Shift,' which collected solid reviews on the back of its Berlinale Special Gala presentation and Norwegian doc feature and series 'Fighter,' showcased at CPH:DOX and Series Mania. Commenting on the state of the market ahead of Cannes kick off, seasoned sales agent Wendt said: 'It is hard to say what the market will be like. The buyers are surely more selective and careful, but if you have the right projects, they are still there, paying good prices. The question is always what they are looking for. But TrustNordisk comes to Cannes with a range of exciting new projects and a very diverse line-up with features and series from both new and established filmmakers ranging from major dramas, crime, feel-good dramedies to monster action and animation and we look forward to presenting all of them to the international market.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Nicole Kidman's Kering Honor; TrustNordisk Boards Drama ‘The Murder Of Benjamin' — Global Briefs
Nicole Kidman To Receive Women In Motion 2025 Award At Cannes Kering and the Festival de Cannes will hand their 2025 Women In Motion Award to Nicole Kidman. The Oscar winner will receive the award during a ceremony at this year's Cannes Film Festival. The ceremony will mark Kidman's first return to the festival since 2017, when she was honored with the Cannes Film Festival's 70th Anniversary Prize. 'It's a true honor to receive this award from Francois, Thierry, Iris, my friends at the Kering Group as well as the Cannes Film Festival,' Kidman said in a statement. 'I am proud to join this list of extraordinary women who've received this honor before me—artists and trailblazers I deeply admire. The Cannes Film Festival has been a part of my life for over 30 years, and I am thrilled to add this incredible recognition to the many memories I've made here.' More from Deadline BBC Behind 'P Diddy: The Rise And Fall' Doc; Channel 4 AI Trailer; SXSW London Premieres; Rudi Völler Sky Show; Karlovy Vary's John Garfield Tribute - Global Briefs Disney+ Korean Drama 'A Shop For Killers' Renewed For Season 2; Indian Film Festival Of Los Angeles; ProSieben Extends Habets Contract - Global Briefs Jimmy Carr Hosting 'Am I The A**hole?' Gameshow Based On Famous Subreddit; Netflix Wales Boom; WildBrain Sale Stalls; Bodhitree Launches Digital IP Division, 'Barbie' Animated Series Go FAST; Freely Adds Channels - Global Briefs TrustNordisk Boards Norwegian Drama 'The Murder Of Benjamin' TrustNordisk has boarded the feature pic The Murder of Benjamin. The film is described as 'a moving and timely drama based on the real-life murder of Benjamin Hermansen, a 15-year-old boy from Norway whose death in 2001 shocked a nation and sent reverberations around the world.' The film is directed by Ingvild Søderlind, who also co-wrote the script with Helena Johanne Nielsen, and is produced by Thomas Robsahm (The Worst Person In The World). The film stars Norwegian actors Elikem Leon Akpan as Benjamin Hermansen and Magnús Blöndal Jóhannsson as Joe Erling, alongside Laila Goody (The Wave) as Benjamin's mother. Best of Deadline 'The Last Of Us': Differences Between HBO Series & Video Game Across Seasons 1 And 2 'The Last Of Us' Season 2 New Characters: Who's Who? Everything We Know About The 'Reminders of Him' Movie So Far
