‘U – July 22’ praised in The New Yorker
U – July 22 has since its premiere at the 2018 Berlin Film Festival received rave reviews and numerous prestigious awards and nominations. The New Yorker has now joined in the chorus of praise, applauding the film for its one-take concept among else.
“[The] combination of extreme subject matter, supercharged emotional stakes, and the one-take approach make for a transformative cinematic experience. /…/ They succeed in making us feel as though we are legitimate eyewitnesses to the action.”
-The New Yorker
U – July 22 is written by Anna Bache-Wiig & Siv Rajendram Eliassen, and directed by Erik Poppe.
The weekly Swedish bestseller lists
Stefan Ahnhem’s Motive X remains No. 1 on the official weekly Swedish bestseller list for paperbacks. Stina Jackson’s The Silver Road follows closely behind, landing three spots on the lists also this week: No. 3 in paperback, No. 2 in e-book and No. 3 in audio.
The hardcover list sees Hjorth & Rosenfeldt land the No. 2 spot with A Higher Justice, and Lars Kepler the No. 3 one with Lazarus. Lazarus also comes in at No. 4 on the audiobook list.
‘Palm Beach, Finland’ shortlisted for Last Laugh Award
Antti Tuomainen’s Palm Beach, Finland has been shortlisted for The Last Laugh Award in the UK. The award will go to the best humorous crime novel published in the British Isles in 2018, and the winner will receive a Bristol Blue Glass commemorative award.
The winning title will be announced during the CrimeFest convention in Bristol, May 11th.
‘Death Deserved’ and ‘Operation Sable Forest’ on the Norwegian bestseller lists
Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger’s Death Deserved climbs another placement on the official Norwegian bestseller list for paperbacks, coming in at No. 2 this week. On the hardcover list Jørn Lier Horst & Hans Jørgen Sandnes’ Operation Sable Forest, a long-running bestseller, comes in at No. 5.
New Author – Simona Ahrnstedt
Simona Ahrnstedt (b. 1967) was born in Prague and moved to Sweden with her parents at a very young age. Besides being one of Sweden’s best-selling authors, she is a licensed psychologist and cognitive behavioral therapist. Ahrnstedt’s rich and captivating character depictions, paired with her provocative and daringly executed plots, breathed life into the now rapidly growing genre of Scandinavian women’s fiction. Alongside her role as novelist, Ahrnstedt is a spokesperson for books by women, for women and about women.
Niklas Natt och Dag No. 3 in Germany
The Wolf and the Watchman by Niklas Natt och Dag remains No. 3 also this week on Der Spiegel’s bestseller list for trade paperbacks in Germany.
‘Wisting’ to premiere April 11
On Thursday, April 11, Wisting – the biggest budget Norwegian drama to date – will premiere on the SVOD platform Viaplay. Wisting is based on the best-selling novels of Jørn Lier Horst, and co-created and written by director Trygve Allister Diesen and Kathrine Valen Zeiner. The series stars The Matrix and Jessica Jones alum Carrie-Anne Moss and long-time Norwegian film and TV star Sven Nordin.
Wisting has already been praised in Dagbladet, one of Norway’s largest newspapers:
“[Wisting] is a tasteful hybrid of Nordic noir mixed with the often more sedate narrative style of the best crime series, created by among else British BBC. Adding to this a feather-light touch of Fargo, and placing it all in the small community of Larvik and its surroundings, makes it near waterproof. /…/ Wisting has the potential to become a Norwegian series winner, like [the Swedish] Wallander or Beck.”
– Dagbladet, 5 stars
Jake Gyllenhaal to team up with Oscar-winning duo for ‘The Helicopter Heist’
Filmmaker-duo Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin, who won an Oscar for ‘Best Documentary’ for Free Solo, are in early talks with Netflix to helm the movie based on Jonas Bonnier’s The Helicopter Heist, starring Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead. Gyllenhaal will also produce the drama with his Nine Stories partner Riva Marker and ACE Content partner Evan Hayes (Free Solo).
Peter Thorsboe & Mai Brostrøm’s new adapted crime series
Peter Thorsboe & Mai Brostrøm are the renowned Emmy-award winning screenwriting duo behind some of the acclaimed crime series at the forefront of the Nordic noir genre (The Protectors, The Team, Modus). Their next highly anticipated project is an adaptation of Jens Henrik Jensen’s book trilogy The Oxen, which will be turned into a two-season series of eight episodes.
The Oxen features war veteran and elite soldier Niels Oxen, brought back from retirement to investigate a series of mysterious murder cases along with his side-kick, agent Margrethe Franck.
Copenhagen-based REinvent Studios has just picked up the high-end crime series, and SF Studios Denmark’s Senia Dremstrup is producing.
‘The Wolf and the Watchman’ and ‘Lazarus’ winners of Storytel Awards
Niklas Natt och Dag’s The Wolf and the Watchman is the winner of the Storytel Award, a Swedish audiobook award, in the category ‘Best Fiction’. The motivation is as follows:
“The text, with its richness in detail and observation, fills our senses so that we can experience the life and strife of the olden days. And above all, the horror of life under the rule of a brutal leader. The audiobook reader’s sonorous voice takes us right into the city of our nightmares.”
Lars Kepler’s Lazarus wins in the category ‘Best Suspense’ with the motivation:
“With dramaturgical elegance, the story is propelled forward by suggestive milieus and frightening atmospheres. But even through darkness, the captivating characters are all successfully chiseled forth, and even the peripheral ones come alive. The novel’s scary plot and fast pace are well balanced by the objective and assuring voice of the audiobook reader. A voice that, with a convincing tone, complements the well-written text.”