NENT Group names Nobel documentary ‘The Prize of Silence’ its next Viaplay Original
- English- and Swedish-language series explores sexual abuse scandal that led to Nobel Prize postponement
- ‘The Prize of Silence’ is executive produced by ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ executive producer Joel Karsberg
- NENT Group to premiere at least 50 original productions in 2021
‘The Prize of Silence’, a powerful English- and Swedish-language documentary series about the sexual abuse scandal that engulfed the Swedish Academy and led to the postponement of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature, will be the next Viaplay Original from Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group). Executive produced by Joel Karsberg, executive producer of the international success ‘Surviving R. Kelly’, ‘The Prize of Silence’ will premiere exclusively on NENT Group’s Viaplay streaming service in autumn 2021.
In November 2017, the cultural figure Jean-Claude Arnault, the husband of a Swedish Academy member, was accused of sexual assault and subsequently convicted on two counts of rape. The ensuing scandal created headlines around the world, forced a wave of resignations at the Academy and called the continued existence of one of the world’s most prestigious cultural institutions into question.
Featuring in-depth interviews with several of the women victimised by Arnault, and with members of the Swedish Academy and international experts, ‘The Prize of Silence’ explores urgent themes such as the objectification and exploitation of women in apparently respectable environments, and how the fear of additional suffering can deter victims from speaking up.
Filippa Wallestam, NENT Group Chief Content Officer: “The repercussions of these tragic events are still with us today, and have played a role in shaping global perceptions of the Swedish Academy. It’s vital to keep this topic at the top of the agenda and to listen to these people who suffered so much. Our latest Viaplay Original shows once again our ambition to tell important Nordic stories with international relevance.”
Joel Karsberg: “I remember the moment vividly. We were in the middle of filming ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ when this horrifying story struck. Even then, we knew there was much more to the postponement of the Nobel Prize in Literature than was being reported. I’m proud to partner with NENT Group and Viaplay to give a platform for survivors to share their story and help shed light on sexual abuse and misuse of power within an elite circle.”
‘The Prize of Silence’ is a four-part series produced by Meter Film & Television in co-operation with Bunim Murray, Creative Society, Kreativ Inc and NENT Group. The executive producers are Joel Karsberg, Kristoffer Graci and Magnus Coinberg, with Martina Iacobaeus and Sara Newihl as producers.
About NENT Group’s original productions
NENT Group is set to premiere at least 50 Viaplay Originals in 2021. In the past three months, ‘Home Invasion’; ‘Dystopia’; ‘Max Anger’; and ‘Thunder in My Heart’ have premiered on Viaplay.
Recently announced originals include ‘Sort Of’; ‘The Uninhabitable Earth’; ‘Polish Murderesses’, ‘Black Dog’ and ‘Freedom of the Swallow’; season two of ‘Partisan’; season three of ‘Honour’; seasons three and four of ‘Hammarvik’; ‘The Holiday’; seasons two and three of ‘Pørni’; ‘Red Election’; ‘Hilma’; ‘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’; ‘Furia’; ‘Close to Me’; ‘The Swarm’; season two of ‘The Truth Will Out’; ‘Harmonica’; ‘Perfect People’; season two of ‘Face to Face’; and ‘Margeaux’.
NENT Group will produce two major English-language films every year. The company has also 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)’s Viaplay streaming service is available in every Nordic country, in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and in Poland. Viaplay will launch in the US in 2021 and the Netherlands in 2022, followed by additional markets by the end of 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 and with a global outlook, NENT Group is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm (‘NENT A’ and ‘NENT B’).
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