Swedish Film Institute backs Bergstrom's Miss Julie, Langseth's Hotel

Swedish actress-turned-director Helena Bergström is ready with Miss Julie (Fröken Julie), and Lisa Langseth is back with Hotel (Hotell) - her follow-up on the international festival winner Pure - on a slate of seven new features, which will be receive $4.3 million (SEK 28.5 million) production funding from the Swedish Film Institute.

Bergström has used August Strindberg’s 1888 play for her story of Eve and Julie, who on Midsummer Eve set their sights on Jean, Kristin’s betrothed - but both Kristin and Jean are employed by Julie’s father. Nadia Mirmiran, Björn Bengtsson and Sofi Helleday play the leads in the new version which will be produced by Petra Jönsson for Sweetwater Production. The institute chips in $0.6 million (SEK 4 million) for the project.

Langseth [pictured] has herself scripted Hotel about Erika, who has everything - a good job, no money worries, solid relationship, lots of friends, until the day it falls down, and she starts group therapy to find new ways of feeling good. Alicia Vikander and David Dencik star in the Patrik Andersson, Frida Jonason and Fredrik Heig production for B-Reel Feature Films. The Institute’s share is $1.3 million (SEK 9 million.)

Kicki Kjellin’s feature debut, Grand Safir de Luxe, is the story of a successful chic-lit author whose books sell like hot cakes - yet it’s nagging her whether this was what she wanted from being a writer. Has she more to tell? Anna Platt scripted the film, which Anna Wallmark Avelin will produce for Eyeworks Film & Drama, with $1.3 million (SEK 8.5 million) support from the institute.

The subsidised package also includes two co-productions, Spanish director Chema Rodriguez’s Nightfall in India (Anochece en la India), a black comedy from Jaleo Films which Sweden’s Atmo Produktion has entered, and Dutch director Lourens Blok’s A Chistmoose Story (Midden in the Winternacht), a family film from Lemming Film with participation by Sweden’s Svensk Filmindustri.