Abbe Hassan’s ‘Exodus’ filming in Greece
Exodus, directed by Abbe Hassan and written by Kristoffer Cras and Abbe Hassan, is currently filming in Greece.
A warm-hearted story of survival and friendship, Exodus is inspired by Hassan’s experience as a refugee who left war-torn Beirut for Sweden as a child. In the feature film, we meet the young Amal fleeing Syria. In a Turkish harbour, she meets the refugee smuggler Sam. Amal wants to travel to Greece where her sisters are, and then join her parents in Sweden. The quick-wittedbut traumatised young girl and the older, jaded Sam travel together through Europe in search offreedom, gradually developing a father-daughter relationship that will mean both their survival and awakening.
In the lead roles are Israeli Ashraf Barhom (Clash of the Titans) and the young Jwan Algatami. Exodus is produced by B-Reel Films (Midsommar), and is slated for domestic release in March 2022.
Sofi Oksanen’s ‘Stalin’s Cows’ to be adapted into TV series
Today it was announced that production company Tuffi Films has acquired the rights to adapt Sofi Oksanen’s bestselling debut novel Stalin’s Cows into a TV series.
The six-episode series will be written by Finnish scriptwriter Aino Kivi and Estonian scriptwriter Andra Teede, who give their thoughts on the novel and project below:
“The novel is remarkable, and it feels even more topical now than it did when it was first published.”
–Aino Kivi
“Stalin’s Cows will be the most important international television series ever filmed about the complicated history of Estonia. Sofi Oksanen has done an amazing job of writing in one book about the troubling times of the Stalin repressions of the 1940s, the joyless life of the deep Soviet Union of the 1970s and the ramifications of all this in the lives of the young Estonians in Finland in the 2000s. Today, when Estonian and Finnish relations are more tense than they have been for a while, it is important to remember the history of the neighbouring countries and the freedom and prosperity that Finland has always represented to Estonians. Stalin’s Cows is a story of how some suffering play a role in our psyche even generations later. I am very proud to be a part of writing this series and hope to bring my own family’s stories into this very promising work of art.”
–Andra Teede
And Sofi adds:
“When I saw Aino Kivi’s dramatization of Stalin’s Cows at the Joensuu City Theatre, I was astounded by Kivi’s talent, I am thrilled that she is now working on a TV series version of my novel.”
–Sofi Oksanen
Premiere date and territories where the TV series will be released are yet to be announced.
Trailer released for movie adaptation of Jørn Lier Horst’s CLUE-series
The trailer has just been released for the Norwegian movie adaptation of Jørn Lier Horst’s children’s book series CLUE. The movie, titled Clue: The Maltese Mystery, will be based on the four first installments in the CLUE-series. It is produced by production company Maipo and directed by Thale Persens. The move is set to premiere in Norway on the 27th of August.
Jørn Lier Horst No. 1 in Norway
A Question of Guilt, the fourth installment in Jørn Lier Horst’s Cold Case Quartet, sails to No. 1 on the official paperback bestseller list in Norway.
Nesbø’s ‘The Kingdom’ No. 1 in the Netherlands
Jo Nesbø’s stand-alone novel The Kingdom, published last week in the Netherlands, enters the official Dutch top ten-list for hardcover thrillers at No. 1 this week.
The Explorers’ Club and the Noodle Poodle published in Norway
Ella and Felix have to journey to Water Land, which is under threat from a sudden flood – much to the despair of its aquaphobic penguin population. The water already reaches all the way up to the tallest diving board. Meanwhile the piranha pirates’ dog has gone missing, and their General is not happy about it. Can the two mysteries have something to do with one another?
In the fifth installment of the Explorer’s Club series, The Explorers’ Club and the Noodle Poodle, we once again accompany Ella and Felix to the whimsical universe where the children’s imagination saves them from menacing pirates.
Second season of ‘Snabba Cash’ greenlit
Netflix has announced a second season of the hugely successful and critically acclaimed Swedish original series Snabba Cash, inspired by Jens Lapidus’ novel of the same title. Season 2 will be written by Oskar Söderlund and directed by Jesper Ganslandt, who are also the creators and show runners behind the series. Aron Levander and Mona Masri will join as episode writers. The series is produced by Nicklas Wikström Nicastro for SF Studios in collaboration with Strive Stories.
Evin Ahmad (Dröm Vidare, Quicksand), will once again play the leading role of Leya. Season 2 will continue the thrilling story of Leya’s life as she navigates the contrasting worlds of ruthless start-up environments and Stockholm’s underworld.
“With Snabba Cash Season 1, we wanted to tell a modern story through characters that, though they commit morally ambiguous acts, share the same feelings and dreams as many of us. We are overwhelmed that so many people have taken our series to their hearts. But the coolest thing of all is that a lot of people have felt they finally have been represented in a big drama series. That is truly the finest reward of all,” says Jesper Ganslandt, director, and Oskar Söderlund, head writer.
‘A House to Die For’ published in Sweden
Greed, betrayal and murder among the orchards, castles and blooming fields of Österlen.
When star real estate agent Jessie Anderson is found dead in connection with an open house showing, the conservative and somewhat surly inspector Peter Vinston finds himself embroiled in the investigation – despite only visiting the area. Assisting him is local officer Tove Esping, inexperienced but ambitious and alert. The newly formed duo clash but eventually form a reluctant friendship as they search for the truth. Somewhere in the carefully tended idyllic gardens of southern Sweden’s Österlen, a killer is waiting for them.
A House to Die For is the No. 1 bestselling first installment in Anders de la Motte & Måns Nilsson’s new whodunnit series, The Österlen Murders, in which beautiful milieus and eccentric characters meet the cold specter of death.
‘The Katharina Code’ shortlisted for Thriller of the Year in the Netherlands
Jørn Lier Horst’s international bestseller The Katharina Code is one of five novels shortlisted for the Dutch magazine Vrij Nederland’s Thriller of the Year title. Each year, the shortlist features just the five books that have been given five-star reviews in Vrij Nederland’s annual Detective & Thriller edition. The Katharina Code received the following praise in its review:
“We are deeply impressed by this police procedural. [The Katharina Code is] a psychological chess game in which both the characters and the dialogue excel.”
The May bestseller list for children’s fiction in Norway
The seventh activity book in the popular Detective Agency No. 2 series, The Search for the Unicorn, is No. 2 on the official Norwegian bestseller list for children’s books in May.