Swedish Guldbagge Awards; Fremantle Hire; Docsville Deal; C4 Buys ‘Ramy’ – Global Briefs

‘Downton Abbey’ Sequel Film Edges Closer One of the worst kept secrets in the UK biz is closer to becoming a reality, as Carnival Films gears up to shoot a sequel Downton Abbey feature in the coming weeks. Hugh Bonneville told BBC Radio 2 today that planets are aligning on the second film.

BBC Studios Inks First-Look Deal With Youngest Media BBC Studios has signed a first-look distribution deal with entertainment producer Youngest Media, run by former Endemol UK executives David Flynn and Lucas Church. Youngest created ITV game show Small Fortune, which is being adapted by NBC in the U.S.

French In Motion Sets Up In LAEXCLUSIVE: French In Motion, the non-profit that brings together French and American professionals from the film and TV industry is launching a new chapter in Los Angeles. Headquartered in New York with an existing chapter in Washington DC, the org supports international co-productions and collaborations between France and the United States through its partnership with the Gotham Film & Media Institute and has been doing so since 2016.

A mother abducts her own children in Charter, a riveting watch from writer-director Amanda Kernell (Sami Blood). Norwegian actress Ane Dahl Torp puts in a powerhouse turn as Alice, the desperate, impetuous divorcée who decides to take her daughter and son to Tenerife amid a bitter custody battle.

Tigers, a Swedish sports drama based on the true story of teenage soccer talent Martin Bengtsson, has won the top prize, the Dragon Award, for Best Nordic Film at the 2021 Göteborg Film Festival, Scandinavia's top cinema event. Ronnie Sandahl —the screenwriter on Janus Metz's 2017 tennis biopic Borg vs McEnroe—won over the Göteborg jury with his adaptation of Bengtsson's autobiography, in which he details his experiences as a young player drafted by top Italian team Inter Milan.

Alissa Simon Film CriticSwedish helmer-writer Ronnie Sandahl’s “Tigers” – a rare glimpse inside the world of professional soccer following a protagonist who struggles with the pressures of success – came away the biggest winner at Sweden’s 43rd Göteborg Film Festival, scoring the best Nordic film kudo, this year worth approximately $48,000.The film’s lead actor, Erik Enge, also nabbed the fest’s award for best actor for his subtle, nuanced performance as a 17-year-old professional player hired

straight to your inbox every day for freeWhile government officials may be expected to have pictures of political leaders or inspirational artwork in their place of work, Ardalan Shekarabi’s office in Stockholm is a little different. On the wall above the Sweden’s Minister for Social Security’s desk hangs a Manchester United shirt.

Alissa Simon Film CriticAfter a world premiere in the Midnight section of the Sundance Film Festival, Swedish director Frida Kempff will present her suspenseful feature debut “Knocking” to domestic audiences as the closing night of the virtual Göteborg Festival. Variety caught up with her in the run-up to her Göteborg bow:How was the virtual presentation of the film at Sundance?It’s weird not to be able to be present with the audience but I’m surprised how wonderfully it worked out.

Sweden’s royals are getting a show just like Netflix’s “The Crown”. 

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentIs peak TV really over? Last year, U.S. show releases edged down, breaking 13 years straight of continuous growth.Yet a study presented at Sweden’s Göteborg Festival on Wednesday suggested that global production, particularly of scripted, is primed for a new surge, once COVID-19 wanes.

Amazon Signs Channel 4 Commissioner Channel 4 documentaries commissioner Fozia Khan has joined Amazon Prime Video unscripted team in the UK. She will report to head of unscripted Dan Grabiner, who is responsible for shows including All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur. Khan will join Amazon in the summer and news of her departure follows a commissioning restructure at Channel 4. Her appointment was first reported by UK trade Broadcast.

Netflix has picked up the global SVOD rights to the Sundance documentary “Misha and the Wolves,” it was announced on Monday.In addition, Netflix will debut the film exclusively in North America and other markets.

‘The Drifters’ Lands DistributionEXCLUSIVE: Starcross Entertainment’s latest feature The Drifters has been boarded for international sales by Media Luna and UK distribution by Central City Media. The film will have a virtual cinema release on April 3 and will be on demand from April 5.

Annika Pham AMC Networks has bought for its streaming service the U.S., U.K. and Canadian rights to the six-part Swedish series “Bäckström,” produced by the Scandi powerhouse Yellow Bird (“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” “Wallander”).

Carole Horst After a prize-winning short of the same name, Swedish director-writer Ninja Thyberg’s “Pleasure,” a drama unfolding within the shadowy world of the adult film industry, premieres in Sundance and moves on to Goteborg and the Dragon competition for best Nordic film.What inspired the storyline of “Pleasure?”I’ve been working on the topic for a very long time.

Guy Lodge Film CriticThe word “gaslighting” is so broadly used these days — its definition, in some quarters, having evolved into a synonym for “lying” — it’s almost reassuring to see a psychological thriller that cleaves to its original sense.

GOTEBORG, Sweden -- Cinema in lockdown: Scandinavia’s largest film festival is exploring the social isolation resulting from COVID-19 by setting up a temporary cinema-for-one on a desolated island in the North Sea with the only companionship the events’ entire movie selection and enough food to last the week.Lisa Enroth was selected among 12,000 volunteers to spend a week on the island of Hamneskar at Pater Noster, a former lighthouse turned boutique hotel.

Also Read: 'Summer of Soul' Film Review: Questlove's Vibrant Concert Film Captures a Pivotal Harlem Moment“Flee” is produced by Final Cut for Real, in co-production with animation studio Sun Creature, Denmark, Vivement Lundi!, France, MostFilm, Sweden, and Mer Film, Norway. ARTE France and Vpro, Nederland.

Emiliano Granada Lead writer Cilla Jackert’s “Thin Blue Line,” a fresh take on a police procedural, is Sweden’s contender for the Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize at 2021’s Göteborg Film Festival. Produced during a tumultuous time for police all around the world, the show quickly establishes itself as an intimate portrayal of the lives – both personal and professional – of its central characters who happen to be part of Malmö’s police.

New UK Sales Firm Strikes Slate Deal