NENT Group announces Nordic film commitment and launches ‘Hilma’ with Lasse Hallström
- NENT Group to produce two major English-language films every year
- Films to bring the stories of famous and less famous Nordic figures and events to international audiences
- First project ‘Hilma’ is written and directed by Oscar nominee Lasse Hallström
Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group), the Nordic region’s leading streaming company, will produce two major English-language films every year that bring the stories of complex and inspirational Nordic figures and events to international audiences. The first project in this long-term commitment to the region’s creative scene will be ‘Hilma’, a biopic of the revolutionary Swedish artist and feminist pioneer Hilma af Klint, written and directed by Lasse Hallström (Oscar-nominated for ‘The Cider House Rules’ and ‘My Life as a Dog’) and starring Lena Olin (Oscar-nominated for ‘Enemies, A Love Story’).
One of Sweden’s most celebrated directors, Lasse Hallström’s credits include the acclaimed Hollywood films ‘What's Eating Gilbert Grape’, ‘Chocolat’ and ‘The Shipping News’, for which he received a Golden Bear nomination at the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival.
Lena Olin appeared in Ingmar Bergman’s ‘Fanny and Alexander’ and ‘After the Rehearsal’ before a Golden Globe shortlisting for her first major international role in ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being’, which she followed with memorable performances in Sydney Pollack’s ‘Havana’, ‘Romeo Is Bleeding’ and recently ‘The Artist’s Wife’ opposite Bruce Dern.
‘Hilma’ will explore the enigmatic life of Hilma af Klint (1862-1944), whose unconventional art and spirituality meant that her 1,300 works remained largely unknown for decades. Today, af Klint is recognised as one of the Western world’s first abstract artists, an achievement made even more impressive by the static, male-dominated artistic scene that surrounded her.
In the film, Lena Olin will play Hilma af Klint in her later years, with Olin and Lasse Hallström’s daughter Tora Hallström (‘Hachi: A Dog’s Tale’) portraying the artist in her younger days.
Lasse Hallström: “I’ve spent three years trying to understand the mystery of Hilma af Klint. This is a story about an unwavering search for the truth about humanity and the universe, at a time when men made all the rules. Despite so many obstacles, Hilma created art that influences our lives today. My ambition is for the audience to experience these struggles with all their senses.”
Filippa Wallestam, NENT Group Chief Content Officer: “Hilma af Klint literally changed the way we look at the world. She happens to be Swedish, but her story says something important to audiences everywhere. It’s so special to work with talents of the calibre of Lasse, Lena and Tora, and it’s even better when the project means so much to everyone involved. ‘Hilma’ and our coming films make NENT Group’s ambitions clear. Nobody in the Nordic region is thinking as big as this.”
Anders Jensen, NENT Group President and CEO: “The impact that women and men from the small countries in the Nordics have had on the world is nothing less than extraordinary. Many are of course very well known, but others are less known or even almost unknown. We want to share these stories with the world and hopefully find new perspectives that will both enlighten and entertain. In today’s very competitive streaming world it is key to stand out and be relevant. For us, building on who we are, where we come from and what we stand for is a very clear differentiator that will support our vision of becoming the European streaming champion. Today’s news is an amazing stepping stone on that journey.”
‘Hilma’ will premiere exclusively on NENT Group’s Viaplay streaming service in 2022. The film is produced by NENT Studios with Helena Danielsson as producer and Josephine Zapata Genetay as executive producer.
About NENT Group’s original productions
NENT Group is set to premiere at least 40 original productions in 2021. In the past three months, ‘Suck It Up’; season three of ‘Fixi in Playland’; ‘Glacier’; season two of ‘Honour’; season two of ‘Those Who Kill’; ‘Huss’; ‘Delete Me’; and ‘We Children from Bahnhof Zoo’ have premiered on Viaplay.
Recently announced originals include ‘Billy the Kid’; ‘Sisterhood’; ‘Who Shot Otto Mueller?’; a biopic of Börje Salming; ‘Fadime’; ‘Taylor’s Island’; ‘Kin’; ‘What about Monica’; ‘Trom’; ‘THE KINGDOM EXODUS’; ‘Made in Oslo’; ‘Estonia: The Last Wave’; ‘A Class Apart’; ‘Threesome’; ‘Suedi’; season two of ‘Stella Blómkvist’; season two of ‘Wisting’; ‘The Box’; ‘Two Sisters’; ‘Thunder in My Heart’; ‘Furia’; ‘Close to Me’; ‘Try Hard’; ‘Max Anger’; ‘Dystopia’; ‘The Swarm’; season two of ‘The Truth Will Out’; ‘Harmonica’; ‘Perfect People’; season two of ‘Face to Face’; ‘Home Invasion’; and ‘Margeaux’.
NENT Group has established a UK-based joint venture with FilmNation Entertainment and invested in US studio Picturestart.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
Nordic Entertainment Group AB (publ) (NENT Group) is the Nordic region’s leading streaming company and our vision is to become the European streaming champion. Our Viaplay streaming service is available in every Nordic country and in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Viaplay will launch in Poland and the US in 2021, followed by five additional markets by 2023. We operate streaming services, TV channels, radio stations and production companies, and our purpose is to tell stories, touch lives and expand worlds. Headquartered in Stockholm with a global outlook, NENT Group is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm (‘NENT A’ and ‘NENT B’).
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