EXCLUSIVE: Alba August and Sverrir Gudnason are leading the cast of The Seal Woman, the second feature from As In Heaven director Tea Lindeburg.
Reinvent Yellow has boarded international sales on the film, which is shooting now on location in the Faroe Islands. Screen can reveal a first look at the film, above.
Producer Jesper Morthorst is leading the production for Danish company Motor, which also worked on the director’s debut feature As In Heaven. Scanbox Entertainment has Nordic rights and is scheduling a launch for 2027.
The Seal Woman is inspired by Faroese mythology about seal people, similar to the selkies in Irish lore.
“As a child, my favourite book was the Faroese legend of the seal woman,” said Lindeburg. ”There was something so dark and alluring and inexplicable about it that I have never been able to let go of.”
She has updated the legend as an original story “about love and obsession set in a mystical universe where reality and the supernatural flow together.”
The cast also features Peter Plaugborg, Stine Fischer Christensen, Nanna Skaarup Voss and Ingvar Sigurdsson.
Lindeburg’s 2021 debut feature As In Heaven won best director and best actress at San Sebastian, and also played at festivals including Toronto, London, Rotterdam, Goteborg - where it won the Dragon Award - Busan, Sao Paulo, Prague, Hamburg and Sydney. Lindeburg has also directed thriller series Equinox for Netflix.
The Seal Woman is a co-production with Jon Hammer’s Faroe Islands-based Outlier Projects, Zentropa Sweden and Scope Pictures; with support from the Danish Film Institute, FilmFyn, the Swedish Film Institute, the Faroese Ministry of Culture, the Faroese Film Institute, Nordic Film & TV Fond and Creative Europe MEDIA. Other partners include DR, Scanbox Entertainment, Reinvent Yellow, Storyline Studios, FilmGear and Cameo.
“We are delighted that Tea Lindeburg has chosen the Faroe Islands as the setting for her next film,” said Marjun Niclasen, head of the Faroese Film Institute. ”At the Faroese Film Institute, we prioritise strengthening international collaborations, and this production offers valuable opportunities for professional exchange and development. The folktale that inspires the film is deeply rooted in many island communities, and we look forward to seeing Lindeburg’s artistic interpretation.”
“Tea Lindeburg is an extraordinary artistic voice, and with The Seal Woman she brings a powerful and imaginative vision to the screen,” said Rikke Ennis, deputy CEO of Reinvent Yellow. ”We have great confidence in Motor’s ability to elevate the project — their strong track record and artistic ambition make them an ideal home for a film of this scope.”
Motor’s past credits also include The Pact, When In Rome and – as co-producer - The Ugly Stepsister and The Dead Don’t Hurt.
Reinvent Yellow was formed in October by the merger of Reinvent and Yellow Film Studios.
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