After The Hypnotist’s magic, Paganini sells for SF International

by Jorn Rossing Jensen

15/05/2012 - After Swedish director Lasse Hallström’s The Hypnotist - his first Swedish feature in 25 years – has sold worldwide, Swedish major Svensk Filmindustri AB’s sales outfit, SF International, is focusing on the second adaption of Lars Kepler’s novels, The Paganini Contract, directed by Swedish director Kjell Sundvall, at the market in Cannes.

While 30 minutes of The Hypnotist (photo) are on show, Paganini shooting is planned for this summer. Svensk and Sonet Film AB will film eight Kepler books following the investigations of Finnish-Swedish detective inspector Joona Linna (Tobias Zillacus), produced by Börje Hansson, Peter Possne and Bertil Ohlsson.

Sales director Ann-Kristin Westerberg will also handle Swedish director Tobias Falk’s Agent Hamilton - But Not if it Concerns Your Daughter, the second of three thrillers starring Mikael Persbrandt as Sweden’s most famous secret agent Carl Hamilton, from Johan Mardell’s Pampas Produktion.

Swedish director Ingmar Bergman and Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann were a family for five years and made 12 films together – now Indian director Dheeraj Akolkar has made A Love Story: Liv & Ingmar, a documentary about their relationship over 42 years, which will be launched at Cannes.

Svensk’s line-up is concluded by Danish director Bille August’s Marie Krøyer [trailer], another love story set between 1889-1905 with Danish painters Marie Triepcke and Peder Severin Krøyer in the leads. Birgitte Hjort Sørensen and Søren Sætter-Lassen star in the production, from SF Film Production ApS Denmark.