01/10/2013 - The Norwegian Film Institute chips in €0.4 million for German director Toby Genkel’s 3D-animated Richard the Stork

Richard - a sparrow - is adopted by and grows up with a couple of storks, convinced he is himself a stork; problems arise when the storks, as migratory birds, leave for Africa to spend the winter. He wants to go, too, and starts hitchhiking through Europe, by bus, train and boat.

German director Toby Genkel’s Richard the Stork [+see also:
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film profile] (photo - concept art work in progress)– a €9.1 million, 3D-animated feature from an original screenplay by Iranian-German writer and producer Reza Memari – will go into production next March with €0.4 million funding from the Norwegian Film Institute. The German-Norwegian project is staged by Norwegian-German producer Kristine Knudsen, of Germany’s Knudsen & Streuber Medienmanufaktur, with Memari and Bergen’s Den siste Skilling (also controlled by Knudsen).

According to Norway’s BA, Knudsen has worked on Richard the Stork since 2008 and intends to realise the film at studios in Germany, Norway (Bergen’s BUG productions) and Luxembourg – a Norwegian-language version is included in the first delivery. Munich-based international sales outfit, Global Screen, launched the title in Cannes and immediately sold to China, Korea and Poland.

The Norwegian Film Institute also supported Swedish actress-director Pernilla August’s The Serious Game, from Swedish author Hjalmar Söderberg’s 1912 novel, already adapted twice for the screen by Rune Carlsten (1945) and Anja Breien (1977), it will this time be produced by Sweden’s B-Reel and Norway’s Motlys. Danish director Kenneth Kainz’s The Shamer’s Daughter [+see also:
trailer
film profile], from Danish author Lene Kaaberbøl’s 2006 novel, will be staged by Denmark’s Nepenthe Film and Norway’s Storm Films.