Nordic major Svensk Filmindustri (SF) has signed a first -look deal with Swedish producer Bjorn Carlstrom, who previously spent 10 years working for competitor Sonet Film.

"We have been in talks for some time," SF head of production, Kerstin Bonnier, told Screendaily, "because we believe Bjorn Carlstrom will compliment our other producers and projects perfectly. He will set up office with us and work exclusively with us, so his projects will be a co-production between his Bjorn Carlstrom Produktion and SF."

Carlstrom made a name for himself at Sonet Film with the release of Kjell Sundvall's award winning The Hunters, which he co-wrote, as well as crowd-pleasers like Daniel Lind Lagerlof's Breaking Out and Anders Nilsson's Zero Tolerance.

Production and distribution major SF earlier this year struck a three-picture deal with UK-born Colin Nutley's Sweetwater, of which the first installment of the feature trilogy based on the bestselling novels by Liza Marklund, The Bomber, opens locally on October 24.

The films will feature popular actress Helena Bergstrom as well as Pernilla August, Ewa Froeling Orjan Ramberg and Niklas Hjulstroem. The second installment The Paradise is scheduled to start production in late autumn with release in 2002 while Prime Time is scheduled for delivery in late 2003.