Pernilla August to introduce 'Serious Game' at Haugesund works-in-progress

Swedish actress-turned-writer/director Pernilla August, whose latest film Beyond (Svinalängorna, 2010) garnered her three Guldbaggar – Sweden’s national film award – and the Nordic Council Film Prize, will introduce her new feature A Serious Game (Den allvarsamma leken) in New Nordic Films at the Norwegian International Film Festival (Aug 15-21) in Haugesund.

Norwegian director Anja Breien’s 1977 adaptation of Swedish author Hjalmar Söderberg’s 1912 novel is also screening in the festival programme.

Danish writer-director Lone Scherfig has scripted the new version of the passionate love between Arvid and Lydia (Sverrir Gudnason, Karin Franz Körlof), which Patrik Andersson, Frida Barzgo and Fredrik Heinig are producing for A B-Reel Production.

A Serious Game is one of 11 new Nordic productions, which will be presented tomorrow and Thursday (Aug 19-20) at Haugesund’s Scandic Maritim: six from Norway, two from Denmark and Sweden, one from Iceland.

The industry section of the showcase will this year be attended by 320 film professionals from 31 countries, according to market director Gyda Velvin Myklebust.

Norwegian director Rune Denstad Langlo is working on Primus Motor, his own story about a fourth-generation hotel owner, who decides to change his mountain resort to a state-funded asylum reception centre.

Since he is racist, the move confronts him with few problems. The film stars Anders Baasmo Christiansen in Sigve Endresen’s Motlys production.

The Norwegian line-up also includes Pål Øie’s Villmark Asylum – a horror in and old sanatorium in an isolated forest, from Einar Loftesnes and Bendik Heggen Strømstad’s Handmade Films in Norwegian Woods.

Therea are two family films, Thale Persen’s Valley of Knights-Mira’s Magical Christmas (Julekongen – full rustning), from Frederick P Howard/Lars Hellebust, of Storm Films; and Rasmus A Sivertsen’s Louis & Nolan – The Big Cheese Race (Solan og Ludig – Herfra til Flåklypa), from Maipo Film’s Cornelie Boysen and Synnøve Hørsdal.

Oscar-nominated Nils Gaup returns to the Middle Ages for The Last King (Birkebeinerne), a historical drama about two Birch Legs warriors who save the life of a two-year-old boy, Norway’s future king, in Stein B Kvae-Finn Gjerdrum’s production for Paradox Film.

Arild Frøhlich teams an ageing alcoholic up with a 10-year-old boy in his comedy Grand Hotel, produced by Karin Julsrud for 4½ Fiksjon.

Sweden’s second entry is Hannes Holm’s A Man Called Ove (En man som heter Ove), from Fredrik Backmann’s bestseller - a “heartfelt, poetic and humorous” portrait of a grumpy old man who has given up everyone including himself, until a new family moves in next door, produced by Annica Bellander for Tre Vänner.

Iceland is represented by Oskar Jonasson’ In Front of Others (Fyrir framan annad folk), about the relationship between a graphic designer and a school teacher.

Danish Oscar-winning producer Per Holst’s Walk with Me (De standhaftige) is written by Swedish director Lisa Ohlin, about a Danish soldier who has lost both legs during the war in Afghanistan; at a rehabilitation centre he meets a ballerina helping a relative, and they develop a mutual affection.

In the feature debut of Greenland director Pipaluk K Jørgensen, the pop singer Anori is on tour and falls in love with Inuk, from the Arctic Command; when he is hospitalised after an accident, she goes to see him, in the Karsten OA Heilmann, Rie Hougaard and Jørgensen production for Karitas Production.