Frida Kempff (b. 1977), Swedish director and screenwriter, began her visual arts career in television, where she produced and directed several projects and documentaries. Following her graduation from the Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts, Kempff made a splash on the international scene with her 2009 documentary short, Bathing Micky. The title won several international awards, including the Prix du Jury at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. 

In 2015, Kempff made her full-length debut with the documentary Winter Buoy. The film premiered at the Gothenburg Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Nordic Dragon Award for ‘Best Nordic Documentary’. Winter Buoy went on to win ‘Best Documentary’ at the Nordic International Film Festival in the US.

Knocking, Kempff’s debut feature film, premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival in the Midnight section. Currently she is working on a feature film called The Swedish Torpedo, which tells the story of Sally Bauer, the first Scandinavian to swim the English Channel. Kempff is the director of the film as well as one of the co-writers.

NENT Group and Filmlance International are partnering with The Astrid Lindgren Company and have commissioned Hans Rosenfeldt to adapt Astrid Lindgren’s world-famous story Ronja the Robber’s Daughter into a major Viaplay Original family fantasy series, to be directed by Lisa James Larsson (Victoria) and featuring groundbreaking visual effects.

Ronja the Robber’s Daughter is one of the best-known books by Astrid Lindgren, who is among the world’s most translated and best-selling authors with more than 75 books published. Her work has been translated into over 100 languages and sold more than 165 million copies, and has been adapted for more than 70 feature films and TV productions.

Filippa Wallestam, NENT Group Chief Content Officer says:
“Ronja’s confidence and complexity make her one of my all-time favourite characters. This classic story of a strong and independent girl was always far ahead of its time, and its themes of friendship, closeness to nature and questioning one’s assumptions are so relevant today. It is a privilege to work with such a top-class creative team to bring Ronja to Viaplay viewers around the world, and this project shows just how quickly our ambitions are growing. For a Nordic storyteller like NENT Group, adapting an Astrid Lindgren work is as big as it gets.”

The series will premiere from 2023 with 12 episodes across two seasons.

Eva och Adam, Caroline Cowan’s directorial debut in feature film, premiered this weekend to rave reviews from Sweden’s critics. The film is written by Johan Unenge and Måns Gahrton, and produced by Francy Suntinger for Filmlance.

“Caroline Cowan makes us understand what it means to be young in Eva och Adam. /…/ Director and screenwriter Caroline Cowan breathes new life into the young pair of lovers, Eva and Adam. /…/ Cowan’s take on the universe pulsates with real emotions, and it’s not just the romantic crush that’s given focus, but also the difficult relationship with one’s parents, friends, political interests, moving and leaving things behind – in short, everything that’s part of a young person’s life.”
– TT ★★★★

“Eva och Adam cheerily tells of youthful love – without for that matter neglecting the big feelings.”
– Barometern ★★★★

“This autumn’s big family movie has arrived.”
– Skånska Dagbladet

“Beautiful, well-made, and probably butterflies-in-the-stomach-inducing for its intended audience.”
– Swedish Radio

In 1879, renowned philosopher Pontus Wikner pens the text he will call “Psychological Self-Confessions.” The manuscript is locked in a tin box and sent to Uppsala’s University Library, where it will, per Wikner’s instructions, be left unopened for a minimum of fifty years. The unassuming box’s contents are so controversial and scandalous that rumors of it alone cause a panic among Wikner’s circle of friends, who try to prevent it from ever being opened. Yet Wikner’s wish is to one day have the manuscript published. In a future where everything has changed. In a happier year.

In 1970, almost a hundred years after Pontus Wikner’s melancholy confessions, a group of youths in Örebro form the Gay Power Club. The eccentric Ronny walks the town’s streets in full drag under the midday sun. The lovers Vanja and Kerstin create national headlines as “the girls who want to get married.” And together they perform Sweden’s first ever march for the freedom of homosexuals.

A Happier Year is Jonas Gardell’s gripping story of students Pontus and Herman and their impossible love story of the late 19th century. It is the fantastical tale of a few brave young people from a small-town in the middle of Sweden during the second half of the 20th century, youths who’ve decided that they too have a right to be happy. It’s a dizzying novel of love in a time when love had no language, and the true story of how the fight for freedom began.

Danish screenwriter Anders August is set to adapt Karen Blixen’s novel Ehrengard for Netflix. The Danish Oscar winner Bille August has been recruited to direct the project. The project has been developed over the last decade by Jacob Jørgensen and JJ Film, with SF’s Marcella Dichmann producing. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark is designing the sets.

Ehrengard is set in the fairytale kingdom of Babenhausen, where a young, self-appointed expert on love, Cazotte, is hired by the scheming Grand Duchess to help her secure an heir. While searching for a suitable future Princess, Cazotte teaches the timid and introverted Crown Prince the art of seduction and lovemaking. But their plan soon backfires, when an heir is conceived out of wedlock and the royal family has to seek refuge in the castle of Rosenbad. Here, as rivals within the royal family close in on their scheme, Cazotte himself falls in love with Ehrengard, the maid of honour, and gradually learns that in fact, he’s no expert on love at all.

Lina Brounéus, director co-production and acquisition EMEA at Netflix, said: “With such a strong creative team in Bille August and Anders August, our close partners SF Studios producing combined with the extraordinary decoupages from Queen Margrethe II, I feel confident that this timeless tale will be just as epic, ingenious and witty as Karen Blixen’s masterpiece from 1962.”

Lars Kepler is nominated for Bookbeat’s Crime Author of the Year 2021, an award that is completely data-driven and is based on how popular, listened to and liked the three latest novels from current Swedish crime authors have been during the past year.

The winner will be announced on September 25th at this year’s CrimeTime Festival in Gothenburg.