17/12/2007

Major Scandinavian studio Svensk Filmindustri (SF) announced last Friday that it had acquired the leading independent Swedish production and distribution outlet Sonet Film from the Modern Times Group (MTG).

Sonet founder Peter Possne will set up a new independent production entity within SF, keeping the brand name Sonet Film, with the goal of making two to three high profile feature films per year for broad audiences.

“The profile of the new Sonet will be a Dreamworks/Working Title-type of high profile movies,” stressed the future production mogul, who sees his new venture as “the next logical step” in his career.

Upon setting up Sonet Film in 1984, Possne’s distribution company rapidly became the leading co-producer and co-financier of Swedish films in the 1990s and early 2000. He was associated with all of Lukas Moddysson’s films, as well as Kay Pollak’s box office, Oscar-nominated hit As It is in Heaven [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

However, after three difficult years, during which Sonet’s market share fell in 2006 from 8.2% to 2.3%, Possne and company shareholder MTG decided to split last August. According to a statement from the group, Sonet Film generated net sales of SEK42m (€4.4m) for the nine months ended September 30 2007, which represented less than 1% of MTG’s sales.

At the new Sonet, Possne says he will use his knowledge in sales, marketing and distribution and continue to market his high-concept films, working closely with SF’s distribution department. As a producer, he will maintain his relationships built over the last 20 years with important Swedish filmmakers and producers (including Memfis Film) but will wait until he gets his hands on the “perfect” script before going into production.

Three projects are currently in development: The Hunters 2 (Jägarna 2), the sequel to the 1996 Swedish hit; Kay Pollak’s new film; and another project based on Kerstin Thorwall’s 1993 best-selling Att Skjuta arbetare (‘To Shoot Workers’).