The Norwegian Film Institute has allocated $4.5m (NOK 29m) for two features and four television series, including Arne Lindtner Næss’ 3D-production, Magic Mountain 2 (Blåfjell 2), and Ole Endresen’s King Curling(Kong Curling).

“I could have wished there was a larger quota for television productions - applications for support totalled $7.9m (NOK 51m), so we had to refuse quite a few,” said commissioning editor Einer Egeland. “Commercial stations TVNorge and TV3 have both started to invest strongly in television drama.”

Producers Jørgen Storm Rosenberg and Lasse Greve Alsos, who also realised Magic Mountain 1 (Julenatt i Blåfjell), willl produce the sequel from a script by Gudny Hagen and Thomas Moldestad. The institute will contribute $1.7m (NOK 11m) to the $3.9m (NOK 21.1m) budget for the film which will shoot from January 2011.

Norway’s first stereoscopic 3D feature will be domestically launched in November 2011, by Sandrew Metronome Norge, which also released Magic Mountain 1 to reach 344,000 admissions. Veteran director Lidtner Næss is credited for a slew of successful children’s films, including the Olsen Gang (Olsenbanden) franchise.

King Curling, which received $0.6m (NOK 4m) institute funding for its $2.4m (NOK 15.7m) budget, is a comedy about the reluctant come-back of curling star Truls Paulsen (Atle Antonsen), scripted by Endresen and Antonsen, and produced by Håkon Øverås and Karin Julsrud, for 4½ Productions. Principal photography will commence on September, and Euforia Film has scheduled the local première for September 2, 2011.

Rubicon TV’s Special Unit (Specialenheten) was the top scorer among the television series, garnering $1.2m (NOK 7.8m) out of total costs of $4.6m (NOK 30m) for the 10x45min episodes, following a team of police detectives investigating crimes against children. Trind Berg-Nilssen and Agnete Thuland will produce from original scripts by, among others, Kjersti Ugekstad, and commercial broadcaster will air the series in 2011.

 

 

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