22/05/2013 - The Swedish biopic Waltz For Monica had a warm reception in Cannes following its first market screenings. Fresh deals with Japan, Greece and Taiwan were closed by sales agent SF International

Per Fly’s biopic Waltz For Monica, which premiered at closed screenings in Cannes, was a popular offer from Scandinavian sales outfit SF International. New deals with Japan, Greece and Taiwan were closed on top of the previous sales to France, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and South Korea.

Head of International Sale Anita Simovic said that negotiations were also under way with the US and Australia. Waltz For Monica stars newcomer Edda Magnason as Sweden’s most famous jazz singer Monica Zetterlund, as she embarks on the singing career of her dreams in New York in the swinging 60s. The drama produced by StellaNova will open in Sweden in September. The Norwegian period film Victoria based on Knut Hamsun’s classic novel adapted for the screen by Torun Lian was sold to Greece. Previous deals were closed with Russia and Taiwan.

Nordic Crime continues to catch buyers’ attention and Lasse Hallström’s The Hypnotist [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile] added Brazil to the long list of foreign territories that have acquired Lars Kepler’s screen adaptation. On the pre-selling market, Ole Bornedal’s ambitious historical TV series and feature film 1864 received very good responses in particular from English language territories and Benelux. Then Tommy, second feature length film from Tarik Saleh (Metropia) featuring women in Stockholm’s criminal underworld was also popular among buyers. The drama will premiere domestically in February 2014.

Simovic was pleased with this year’s market but stressed the difficult situations for territories such as Greece and Turkey that lack the financial resources to invest in digitization of screens and therefore suffer by getting their prints with a delay. “But this will change,” said the optimistic Simovic.