Headhunters wins Empire Award Close
Yellow Bird action thriller Headhunters, based on Jo Nesbø’s novel, was awarded Best Thriller at last nights Jameson Empire Award.
Yellow Bird’s latest box office hit Headhunters, which was recently named the highest grossing foreign language film of 2012 in the UK, was awarded Best Thriller at this years Jameson Empire Awards.
The readers of Empire Magazine – the world's biggest movie magazine – chose Headhunters over blockbuster hit Skyfall, Oscar winners Argo and Zero Dark Thirty as well as Indonesian martial arts film The Raid.
Empire Magazine described Headhunters as: “A slick thriller which takes place in a moral vacuum. It's fascinating rather than exciting, but makes for chilly thrills with two strong, charismatic lead performances, a great deal of style and amusingly repulsive, ruthless twists.”
Directed by Morten Tyldum, Headhunters is based on the book by bestselling author Jo Nesbø. The film stars one of Norway’s most popular actors, Aksel Hennie, and the Dane Nicolaj Coster-Waldau, who was most recently seen in the worldwide phenomenon “Game of Thrones”, on HBO.
About the film:
Headhunters is an action thriller which introduces us to the charming villain Roger Brown, a man who seems to have it all: he is Norway’s most successful headhunter, married to the beautiful gallery owner Diana, owns a magnificent house – and is living larger than he should. Meanwhile, he is playing at the dangerous game of art theft. Headhunters is a story about deceit, faithfulness and revenge, and at the same time a first class thriller.
For more information, please contact:
Marianne Gray, Producer at Yellow Bird
marianne.gray@yellowbird.se
+46 70 871 79 24
Anni Faurbye Fernandez, CEO at Yellow Bird
anni.faurbye@yellowbird.se
+45 24 26 15 18
25 Mar 2013
Headhunters wins Empire Award Close
Yellow Bird action thriller Headhunters, based on Jo Nesbø’s novel, was awarded Best Thriller at last nights Jameson Empire Award.
Yellow Bird’s latest box office hit Headhunters, which was recently named the highest grossing foreign language film of 2012 in the UK, was awarded Best Thriller at this years Jameson Empire Awards.
The readers of Empire Magazine – the world's biggest movie magazine – chose Headhunters over blockbuster hit Skyfall, Oscar winners Argo and Zero Dark Thirty as well as Indonesian martial arts film The Raid.
Empire Magazine described Headhunters as: “A slick thriller which takes place in a moral vacuum. It's fascinating rather than exciting, but makes for chilly thrills with two strong, charismatic lead performances, a great deal of style and amusingly repulsive, ruthless twists.”
Directed by Morten Tyldum, Headhunters is based on the book by bestselling author Jo Nesbø. The film stars one of Norway’s most popular actors, Aksel Hennie, and the Dane Nicolaj Coster-Waldau, who was most recently seen in the worldwide phenomenon “Game of Thrones”, on HBO.
About the film:
Headhunters is an action thriller which introduces us to the charming villain Roger Brown, a man who seems to have it all: he is Norway’s most successful headhunter, married to the beautiful gallery owner Diana, owns a magnificent house – and is living larger than he should. Meanwhile, he is playing at the dangerous game of art theft. Headhunters is a story about deceit, faithfulness and revenge, and at the same time a first class thriller.
For more information, please contact:
Marianne Gray, Producer at Yellow Bird
marianne.gray@yellowbird.se
+46 70 871 79 24
Anni Faurbye Fernandez, CEO at Yellow Bird
anni.faurbye@yellowbird.se
+45 24 26 15 18
01 Mar 2013
Headhunters nominated for Empire Award Close
Yellow Bird’s screen adaptation of Jo Nesbø’s Headhunters is nominated for Best Thriller at this years Jameson Empire Awards.
Headhunters continues to be honored during this years award season in the UK, following its nomination at last month’s BAFTA awards with nomination for Best Thriller, at the 2013 Jameson Empire Awards.
The acclaimed Yellow Bird production has been described as a “wild and bloody adrenaline rush” by the L.A. Times and “Ferociously entertaining” by Time Out NY, among other publications. Headhunters is based on the novel by world renowned Norwegian author Jo Nesbø.
As ever, the majority of the categories in the Empire Awards will be decided through public voting, for the best films and performances in the period running from January 27, 2012, to January 25, 2013.
Click here to vote for Headhunters and become automatically entered into a ballot to win tickets to the Jameson Empire Awards on March 24th, 2013!
09 Jan 2013
Headhunters nominated for BAFTA Close
Yellow Bird feature film Headhunters has been nominated for a BAFTA in the category of Film not in the English Language.
- The film has been extremely successful in the UK, but to receive this nomination is truly amazing. Especially considering the fellow nominees, it’s truly humbling! says Marianne Gray, Producer at Yellow Bird
Headhunters is up against the films Amour (Michael Haneke), The Hunt (Thomas Vinterberg), Rust And Bone (Jacques Audiard) and Untouchable (Eric Toledano/Olivier Nakache).
Headhunters is directed by Morten Tyldum and produced by Yellow Bird in co-production with Friland and Nordisk Film. The lead character Roger Brown is portrayed by Norwegian movie star Aksel Hennie. The film, based on Jo Nesbø’s book by the same title, became an audience success in Norway and Denmark, where it was seen by over 500.000 and 200.000 moviegoers, respectively. Headhunters also amassed great successes in the UK, where it was the highest grossing foreign language feature film of 2012. In total, the film has been sold to over 30 countries.
For more information, please contact:
Marianne Gray , Producer at Yellow Bird
marianne.gray@yellowbird.se
+46 70 871 79 24
Anni Faurbye Fernandez , CEO at Yellow Bird
anni.faurbye@yellowbird.se
+45 24 26 15 18
23 Oct 2012
Yellow Bird mystery drama Echoes from the Dead completed Close
Yellow Bird has just wrapped the screen adaptation of Johan Theorin’s book Echoes from the Dead, directed by Millennium director Daniel Alfredson.
Echoes from the Dead is writer Johan Theorin’s debut, which became an instant success amongst both readers and critics. The novel will be translated and released in over twenty countries, including Germany, USA, Brazil, Thailand and Spain.
The mystery drama, which includes the circumstances revolving the disappearance of a young boy named Jens, stars renowned Swedish actress Lena Endre, amongst others. Directed by Daniel Alfredson (The Girl Who Played with Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest ), filming of Echoes from the Dead took place on the Swedish island Öland and Cuba.
- To shoot on the remote Swedish island Öland and Cuba, has been very exciting. The links between the two islands are dramatic, and the very different locations add another character to the mystery drama. Echoes from the Dead was a forceful co-production between Cuba and Sweden, says producer Søren Stærmose.
Echoes from the Dead is produced by Søren Stærmose at Yellow Bird, the producer behind the internationally successful Millennium trilogy , and Lars Pettersson at Fundament Film, the producer of the Swedish television series 30 Degrees in February (“30 grader i februari”).
The film is a co-production with SVT, in collaboration with Nouvago Capital AB, with production support from the Swedish Film Institute/Lars G. Lindström and the Nordic Film & TV Fund. The film has also been financed with sales to TV2 Norway, The Danish Broadcasting Corporation, MTV 3 Finland and Lumiere in Belgium/The Netherlands.
Echoes from the Dead is expected to premiere nationwide in Sweden, in October 2013.
For more information, please contact: Søren Stærmose, Producer at Yellow Bird soren@yellowbird.se +46 70 761 60 71
15 Oct 2012
Yellow Bird makes TV series with Johnny Depp Close
Yellow Bird, the Swedish production company behind the successful Millennium trilogy, has teamed up with Johnny Depp's production company Infinitum Nihil. Along with the Emmy Award-winning writer Tom Fontana, Yellow Bird and Infinitum will develop a television series based on Shakespeare's plays. The English-language series is intended to be a modern interpretation of William Shakespeare's most famous works and characters.
- We are very excited about this! Getting an opportunity to modernize Shakespeare for an international audience, and particularly doing it with Johnny Depp's company and Tom Fontana, is a fantastic and unique opportunity for us, says Ole Søndberg, Executive Producer at Yellow Bird.
Johnny Depp's Infinitum Nihil has previously produced the five-time Academy Award-winning film Hugo, directed by Martin Scorsese. Yellow Bird has, besides the Millennium films, recently been behind the screen adaptation of Liza Marklund’s Nobel's Last Will and the feature film Headhunters, based on Jo Nesbø’s book, which also became a blockbuster hit in Norway and Denmark.
For more information, please contact:
Ole Søndberg, Executive Producer at Yellow Bird
osondberg@yellowbird.se
+46 70 431 21 15
Berna Levin, Head of Development/Producer at Yellow Bird
berna.levin@yellowbird.se
+46 70 794 51 18
Marianne Gray, Producer at Yellow Bird
marianne.gray@yellowbird.se
+46 70 871 79 24
23 Aug 2012
Millenium director takes on Echoes from the Dead Close
Yellow Bird has started filming Echoes from the Dead, the screen adaptation of Johan Theorin’s mystery drama with the same title, directed by Daniel Alfredson. The film stars Lena Endre, Tord Peterson and Thomas W. Gabrielsson. Filming of Echoes from the Dead takes place on the Swedish island Öland and Cuba, and is expected to premiere nationwide in Sweden, in October 2013.
Echoes from the Dead is a story of reconciliation between a father and his daughter. Julia has never forgiven her father, sea captain Gerlof, whom she blames for her son Jens’ death. Gerlof has for many years conducted his own investigation, as he suspects that a previously lost and legendary assassin on Öland, Nils Kant, could be involved in Jens’ disappearance. Nils Kant is buried since long, long before Julia’s boy disappeared. Yet, Nils Kant is said to sometimes trail along the bare limestone soils of the island of Öland, during dusk.
Daniel Alfredson is one of Sweden's most popular directors, and was recently responsible for the audience successes The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest. Daniel Alfredson has also written the script for Echoes from the Dead, along with Ditta Bongenheilm.
Writer Johan Theorin is a journalist and has published more than twenty short stories in various magazines and anthologies. In the spring of 2007 Johan Theorin made his debut with Echoes from the Dead, which became an instant success amongst both readers and critics. The novel will be translated and released in over twenty countries, including Germany, USA, Brazil, Thailand and Spain.
Lena Endre is one of Sweden’s most renowned actresses, who we last saw in Kiss Me ("Kyss mig") and Daniel Alfredson's The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest. Tord Peterson, we have seen in all the House of Angels ("Änglagård") films, and most recently in House of Angels - Third Time’s a Charm (“Änglagård – Tredje gången gillt"). Thomas W. Gabrielsson, we have recently seen in the Swedish television series Real People (“Äkta människor”) and The Coaches (“Coacherna”).
Echoes from the Dead is produced by Søren Stærmose at Yellow Bird, the producer behind the internationally successful Millennium trilogy, and Lars Pettersson at Fundament Film, the producer of the Swedish television series 30 Degrees in February (“30 grader i februari”).
The film is a co-production with SVT, in collaboration with Nouvago Capital AB, with production support from the Swedish Film Institute/Lars G. Lindström and the Nordic Film & TV Fund. The film has also been financed with sales to TV2 Norway, The Danish Broadcasting Corporation, MTV 3 Finland and Lumiere in Belgium/The Netherlands.
Echoes from the Dead is expected to premiere nationwide in Sweden, in October 2013.
For more information, please contact:
Annmari Bergmark, Nordisk Film
annmari.bergmark@nordiskfilm.com
+46 8 587 822 85
+46 70 879 22 85
18 Aug 2012
Headhunters wins Amanda Award Close
Yellow Bird action thriller Headhunters, based on Jo Nesbø’s novel, was awarded The People’s Amanda at this year’s Amanda Awards in Norway.
Yellow Bird’s latest big screen blockbuster Headhunters, which has already been sold to over 35 countries including the U.S., has broken box office records in Denmark and was most recently named this year’s highest grossing foreign language film in the UK. Domestically, the star-studded thriller has been taking cinema audiences by storm, surpassing 500.000 tickets sold.
At this year’s Amanda Awards, which is the Norwegian equivalent to the Academy Awards, the action thriller won the audience’s vote for favorite film by taking home The People’s Amanda.
- It’s fantastic to get the appreciation from the audience, because they’re who we make the films for! says Marianne Gray, producer at Yellow Bird.
Headhunters, which is directed by Morten Tyldum, is based on the book by bestselling author Jo Nesbø. The film stars one of Norway’s most popular actors, Aksel Hennie, and the Dane Nicolaj Coster-Waldau, who was most recently seen in the worldwide phenomenon “Game of Thrones”, on HBO.
About the film
Headhunters is an action thriller which introduces us to the charming villain Roger Brown, a man who seems to have it all: he is Norway’s most successful headhunter, married to the beautiful gallery owner Diana, owns a magnificent house – and is living larger than he should. Meanwhile, he is playing at the dangerous game of art theft. Headhunters is a story about deceit, faithfulness and revenge, and at the same time a first class thriller.
For more information, please contact:
Marianne Gray, Producer at Yellow Bird
marianne.gray@yellowbird.se
+46 70 871 79 24
28 May 2012
The Troubled Man becomes feature film Close
The screen adaptation of The Troubled Man, Henning Mankell's last book about Kurt Wallander, starts shooting today. As previously, Krister Henriksson stars as the hard working Ystad police officer. We also see the return of Wallander's daughter Linda, played by Charlotta Jonsson. Other cast members include Leonard Terfelt, Peter Andersson, Sten Ljunggren, Marika Lindström, Ingvar Hirdwall and Lo Kauppi.
- The Wallander films have been a joyous time in my life and I look forward to now portraying Kurt in a greater change than before. I am also pleased that the relationship with his daughter Linda once again takes place in the story, says Krister Henriksson.
In the film, Kurt Wallander has become a grandfather and works hard to shoulder this new role, as well as becoming closer to his daughter Linda and her family. When a retired navy commander, who is also Linda's father-in-law, one day disappears Wallander is pulled into a case that takes him back to the Cold War and the submarine incursions in the Stockholm archipelago. Wallander is confronted with the question of what is most important - the truth or the family?
- It will be a very different Wallander film. Not least because it will include one of the biggest political scandals in Sweden during the postwar period. The submarines during the 1980’s. I am also glad that Krister has taken on the challenge once again, and for a fantastic cast, as well as a good director for the film. I have high expectations, that I can promise! says Henning Mankell.
The film will be directed by Agneta Fagerström-Olsson, who previously directed the Wallander films The Angel of Death and The Sniper , as well as the critically acclaimed Swedish television series Hammerhill ("Hammarkullen").
The Troubled Man will have its theatrical release in early 2013 and is distributed by SF. It is the first in a series of six new Wallander films, produced by Yellow Bird along with TV4 and ARD Degeto, with support from Film i Skåne and Ystad-Österlen film fund. All films will be shown on TV4.
For more information, please contact:
Malte Forssell, Producer at Yellow Bird
malte@yellowbird.se
+46 70 814 55 28
Jon Mankell, Producer at Yellow Bird
jon@yellowbird.se
+46 70 628 98 63
24 Apr 2012
Headhunters: UK's highest grossing foreign language film Close
Yellow Bird’s screen adaptation of Jo Nesbø’s novel Headhunters crosses the £1m mark in the UK. Headhunters has become the highest grossing foreign language release this year at the UK box office.
Following a drop of just 35% in its third week, Morten Tyldum's thriller Headhunters - based on Jo Nesbø's novel of the same name - has now grossed $1.7m (£1.04m), surpassing the recent strong performance of Eros' Housefull 2 .
The performance of Headhunters compares favourably with the release of the previous Yellow Bird blockbuster The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in 2010, which stood at $2.1m (£1.3m) after the same period, but had played more widely than Headhunters - a peak of 126 sites compared with Headhunters ' 102.
The Yellow Bird production Headhunters is the first novel of Nesbø's to be adapted for film. Producer from Yellow Bird is Marianne Gray.
17 Feb 2012
Yellow Bird makes film based on Martina Haag's new novel Close
Yellow Bird has acquired the film rights to Martina Haag's novel With Love from Missångerträsk! (“Glada hälsningar från Missångerträsk!”), which was released in August of last year. The film thus becomes Yellow Bird's first feature film comedy.
Production company Yellow Bird is behind several major blockbuster movies based on best-selling books, such as the Millennium trilogy , the British and Swedish Wallander films and most recently the Norwegian feature film Headhunters , based on Jo Nesbø’s book with the same title. Now, the company takes the plunge and makes its first feature film comedy based on Martina Haag's latest book, With Love from Missångerträsk!
- We have been searching a long time for a good comedy to make in to feature film. Martina's amazing sense of humor, combined with her warmth and humanity displayed in the personal portraits, makes her new book irresistible. So it is very exciting to be making a film with Martina, says Marianne Gray, producer at Yellow Bird.
With Love from Missångerträsk! appeared at Piratförlaget in August last year. The book is a humorous story that revolves around two sisters who have chosen very different lives.
The plot:
With Love from Missångerträsk! revolves around sisters Nadja and Lotta. Nadja is single in the big city, while Lotta started a family in northern Sweden, including a number of children. But Nadja’s biological clock is ticking as well, and soon she is willing to do almost anything to adopt a child. When the adoption rules suddenly change, she has 30 days to find a partner to marry. In the big city it is hopeless to find someone who will step up on such short notice. But perhaps up north?
- It is a book that is perfect for film. Martina Haag shows once again that she is a skilled storyteller for many outlets, says Sofia Brattselius Thunfors, publisher at Piratförlaget.
Martina Haag will be responsible for the feature film script and will also play the film’s lead role.
Martina Haag:
With Love from Missångerträsk! is Martina Haag's third novel, following audience successes In a Different Part of Bromma (“I en annan del av Bromma”) (2008) and Wonderful and Loved by Everyone (“Underbar och älskad av alla”) (2005). The latter was also made in to a feature film in 2007, with Martina in the lead role, and went straight to number one on the film charts. It was also sold to 12 countries and was nominated for The Cinema Audience’s Prize at The 2008 Guldbagge Awards , which is the Swedish equivalent of the American Academy Awards .
Along with her previous work; At home with Martina (“Hemma hos Martina”) (2004), The Martina Code (“Martina-koden”) (2006) and most recently Prisoner of the Dog Palace (“Fånge i Hundpalatset”) (2010), Martina Haag's books have sold over 750,000 copies and been translated into no less than 7 languages. Martina began writing columns for monthly magazines like Cosmopolitan and Mama in 2003-2006 and was also the literary critic of Elle magazine from 2004-2006.
In the beginning of the 2000’s, Martina Haag had her big break as a columnist for daily magazine Aftonbladet , Sweden’s largest publication, and was also appointed Columnist of the Year 2004, by Swedish publication Sveriges Tidskrifter . Subsequently, various awards rained over her, such as Mama of the Year 2005, Antique Expert of the Year 2006, Parental Role Model of the Year 2007 and Star Chef of the Year 2010.
Filming of With Love from Missångerträsk! is scheduled for 2013.
For more information and press pictures, please contact:
Camilla Nasiell , CEO of Monday Relations
camilla.nasiell@mondayrelations.se
+46 70 720 65 63.
11 Oct 2011
Over 120,000 tickets sold for Headhunters in Denmark Close
Yellow Bird thriller Headhunters, which premiered 2½ weeks ago, has taken the Danish audience by storm. As recently as last weekend, it was #1 on the movie charts again, and has now swept past the 100.000 ticket mark, and by last night rounded out with 120.000 tickets sold. This makes it the most successful Norwegian film ever in Denmark.
- The Danish public has really connected with Headhunters. The film has impressive, stable sales and actually increased this weekend compared to last weekend, which is incredibly unusual and shows that the film must have a sensational word of mouth, said Jan Lehmann, Director of Nordisk Film Theatrical Distribution.
Headhunters is one of several recent major Scandinavian film ventures, which has been able to do well commercially across the Nordic countries. The first was Yellow Bird’s Millenium trilogy, and among the upcoming large-scale feature films, which also focuses heavily on the Nordic countries, is the Yellow Bird screen adaptation on Liza Marklund’s bestseller Nobel’s Last Will, directed by Peter Flinth.
Headhunters has already been sold to over 35 countries, including the U.S., and just passed the 500.000 ticket mark, in Norway.
The film’s cast includes stars such as Aksel Hennie, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Julie Ølgard, and produced in a collaboration between Yellow Bird, Nordisk Film and Friland.
For more information, please contact:
Michael Feder, HAVE Kommunikation
michael@have.dk
+45 33 25 21 07
+45 22 43 49 42
09 Oct 2011
Headhunters to be adapted in the US Close
The production company Yellow Bird has sold the English language film rights to Jo Nesbø’s novel Headhunters to the American film studio Summit Entertainment.
- We are very pleased to close this deal with Summit, who read the book a long while ago and who are incredibly excited at the prospect of making an American adaptation, says Berna Levin, Head of Development at Yellow Bird.
Yellow Bird will produce the film on behalf of Summit Entertainment. Producers from Yellow Bird are Marianne Gray and Berna Levin. Yellow Bird has previously produced the Swedish Millennium films based on Stieg Larsson’s books. Subsequently Yellow Bird sold the English language film rights to the books to Columbia Pictures. Yellow Bird now co-produces the feature The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, directed by David Fincher, which will premier later this year.
- For us, the deal with Summit means that we get the chance to work together with a strong partner who shares our vision and passion for Nesbø’s amazing story, while we at the same time continue to establish ourselves as producers in Hollywood where we can make sure that our films reach a big an audience as possible, said Berna Levin.
Yellow Bird has together with Friland and Nordisk film produced the Norwegian feature film Headhunters (original title Hodejegerne) based on Nesbø’s book and starring the acclaimed actor Aksel Hennie. The film, which recently opened in Norway and Denmark, has become a success with around half a million visitors in Norway and more than 100.000 in Denmark. In Sweden the film opens all over the country on November 4th.
The book Headhunters has so far been sold to 27 countries including France, Germany, UK and the U.S. It has been well received by critics and readers alike and has sold close to 600.000 copies worldwide. With his seven internationally acclaimed crime novels featuring Detective Harry Hole, Jo Nesbø has also achieved an unparalleled success both in Norway and abroad. The series, translated into thirty-seven languages, has been praised by international critics and turned Nesbø into one of Europe’s most important crime writers.
Headhunters is a stand-alone action thriller which introduces us to the charming villain Roger Brown, a man who seems to have it all: he is Norway’s most successful headhunter, married to the beautiful gallery owner Diana, owns a magnificent house – and is living larger than he should. Meanwhile, he is playing at the dangerous game of art theft. Headhunters is a story about deceit, faithfulness and revenge and at the same time a first class thriller.
For more information, please contact:
Mikael Wallén, President of Yellow Bird
mikael.wallen@yellowbird.se
+46 70 431 21 15
Berna Levin, Head of Development/Producer at Yellow Bird
berna.levin@yellowbird.se
+46 70 794 51 18
Marianne Gray, Producer at Yellow Bird
marianne.gray@yellowbird.se
+46 70 871 79 24
04 Oct 2011
Millennium trilogy nominated for three Emmy’s Close
As the only Nordic production, the Millennium trilogy, based on Stieg Larsson's best-selling books, has been nominated for three International Emmy Awards. The series is nominated in the category Best Miniseries and furthermore Noomi Rapace is nominated for Best Actress and Michael Nyqvist for the Best Actor award. The Millennium trilogy is produced by Yellow Bird for SVT, and aired in the spring of 2010.
- This is a fantastic achievement for us, and it shows that we can hold our own on the international stage, say SVT Program Director Annie Wegelius and Yellow Bird President Mikael Wallén.
The announcement of the nominations was made today in connection with the MIPCOM fair in Cannes, and the award ceremony takes place on November 21st, in New York City.
The Millennium trilogy is produced by Yellow Bird, in co-production with SVT, Nordisk Film and ZDF Enterprises, amongst others. Producer at Yellow Bird is Søren Stærmose.
For more information, please contact:
Niklas Ahlgren, SVT
niklas.ahlgren@svt.se
+46 70 968 98 32
31 Aug 2011
Headhunters skyrockets domestically Close
Headhunters, which has been officially selected for Toronto’s Special Presentation, is not only a favorite internationally. Having been sold to over 30 countries before its international premiere in Locarno this year, the Norwegian thriller opened this weekend domestically with remarkable numbers, making it the second best opening for a Norwegian film ever.
104.977 moviegoers went to see the story about the successful headhunter Roger, who steals art on the side, which can be compared with previous Yellow Bird production The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which opened with 95.126 admissions.
Directed by Morten Tyldum, and based on the book by bestselling author Jo Nesbø, Headhunters not only broke records in terms of audience appeal. The majority of film critics have given the film 5 out of 6.
Marianne Gray from Yellow Bird and Asle Vatn from Friland Film are producers. Executive producers are Anni Fernandez, Mikael Wallén and Christian Frederik Martin. Lone Korslund from Nordisk Film Denmark is co-producer.
The cast:
The two leads are played by Norwegian Aksel Hennie, who is one of Norway’s most popular actors, starring in award winning films such as Max Manus (2008), A Somewhat Gentle Man (2010), Jonny Vang (2003), Buddy (2003), Hawaii, Oslo (2004) and Uno (2004) and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who is one of Denmark’s most successful actors, internationally known for starring in Black Hawk Down (2001), Wimbledon (2004), New Amsterdam (2008) and the prestigious HBO series Game of Thrones (2011).
Jo Nesbø:
Author Jo Nesbø has been lauded by international critics for having expanded the framework of the modern crime novel, and is today regarded as one of the foremost European writers in the genre. He has been published in 140 countries, translated into more than 40 languages and is the recipient of a number of prestigious awards, having sold more than 8.5 million books.
29 Jun 2011
Yellow Bird wins CineEurope award Close
Production company Yellow Bird has been recognised for its box office success with the ”Millennium” films. During this year’s cinema industry convention CineEurope, Yellow Bird received ”The European box-office achievement award”. Other prize winners included the Harry Potter producer David Heyman who was named ”Producer of the decade”.
- This award provides us with the opportunity as the only European producer to present our upcoming film projects, alongside with all the big American studios, to the more than a thousand cinema owners and distributors who visit CineEurope, said Søren Staermose, producer at Yellow Bird.
During CineEurope, Yellow Bird presented its two upcoming feature films ”Headhunters” and ”Nobel’s Last Will”. ”Headhunters”, based on Jo Nesbø’s novel, is a thriller with a good portion of humour that will open on Scandinavian cinemas during autumn. The film star one of Norway’s most popular actors Aksel Hennie and the Dane Nicolaj Coster-Waldau, who was most recently seen in the HBO series “Game of Thrones”. “Headhunters” is directed by Morten Tyldum and co-produced with Friland and Nordisk film.
“Nobel´s last will” is the first in a series of six films based on Liza Marklund’s books about crime reporter Annika Bengtzon. Malin Crépin plays the lead alongside Swedish actors such as Leif Andrée, Björn Kjellman, Kajsa Ernst and Erik Johansson. The Danish top director Peter Flinth directs the film, which is co-produced with Nordisk film, TV4 and ARD Degeto and opens on cinemas in the beginning of next year.
For more information, please contact:
Søren Staermose, producer at Yellow Bird
soren@yellowbird.se
+46-70 761 60 71
24 May 2011
Headhunters sold to 30 countries Close
A four-minute promo during the Berlin film festival was enough to sell the upcoming feature film Headhunters to several international distributors, including Magnolia (US), NFP (Germany), Momentum (UK/Canada), Lumier (BeNeLux) and Rialto (Australia). As the film, based on Jo Nesbø’s novel, was subsequently screened to the market in Cannes the sales success continued. During the market the film was picked up by among others Alta Film (Spain), Big Movie (Russia) and Mares Filmes (Brazil). In total, the film has already sold to 30 territories. During a press conference in Cannes, Tom Quinn from the American distributor Magnolia stated: ”My expectations were high after having seen the promo, but I must say that after having seen the film those expectations have been exceeded”.
Rikke Ennis at the sales agent Trust Nordisk said: “Headhunters is without a doubt the biggest and best selling Scandinavian film in our line up for 2011. I am deeply impressed by Morten Tyldum’s ability to transfer this best selling novel to the big screen.”
Asle Vatn, producer at Friland, added: “Although we knew that a Jo Nesbø adaptation would be of international interest, the market response is beyond what we expected. We have worked with Norway’s best talent and this shows that with the right people and the right story Norwegian film can make it big internationally.”
Marianne Gray, producer at Yellow Bird, concluded: “We have had very high ambitions from the outset and with Headhunters Yellow Bird has a worthy successor of the 'Millennium' films."
”Headhunters”, based on Jo Nesbø’s novel, is a thriller with a good portion of humour that will open on Scandinavian cinemas during autumn. The film star one of Norway’s most popular actors Aksel Hennie and the Dane Nicolaj Coster-Waldau, who was most recently seen in the HBO series “Game of Thrones”. “Headhunters” is directed by Morten Tyldum and is a co-production between Yellow Bird, Friland and Nordisk film.
For more information, please contact:
Marianne Gray, producer at Yellow Bird
marianne.gray@yellowbird.se; +46 708 71 79 24
27 Mar 2011
”The Girl” wins Empire Awards Close
The film version of Stieg Larsson’s ”The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” continues its international winning streak. As Britain’s largest film magazine Empire celebrated its ”Empire Awards” on Sunday evening, ”The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” was named Best Thriller and Noomi Rapace Best Actress for her role as Lisbeth Salander. In the thriller category the film was up against, among others, ”Shutter Island” and ”Black Swan”. Noomi Rapace received her prize in competition with stars like Natalie Portman (”Black Swan”), Emma Watson (”Harry Potter”) and Helena Bonham Carter (”The King’s Speech”). ”The Empire Awards” are voted for by readers of the magazine.
- Empire is read all over the world and it is a fantastic feeling that the readers have voted for our film and for Noomi in competition with such big US and UK titles, said Søren Staermose, producer at Yellow Bird.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo has received a number of international awards. Most recently the film picked up a BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language. Noomi Rapace has in turn been named Best Actress at several occasions, including “The Satellite Awards” and “The Richard Attenborough Film Awards”.
Yellow Bird has produced the adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s best selling “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”, together with broadcasters SVT and ZDF as well as the distributor Nordisk Film. Niels Arden Oplev has directed.
For more information, please contact:
Søren Staermose, producer, Yellow Bird
soren@yellowbird.se
+46-70 761 60 71
17 Feb 2011
Cast confirmed for Nobel’s Last Will Close
Shooting of Nobel’s Last Will started this week, based on the book by Liza Marklund and starring Malin Crépin as the dedicated and uncompromising crime reporter Annika Bengtzon. The renowned actors Björn Kjellman, Leif Andrée, Kajsa Ernst and Erik Johansson join her at the fictitious tabloid “Kvällspressen”. Richard Ulfsäter plays Annika’s husband Thomas and Felix Engström takes on the part of inspector Q. Director is the experienced Dane Peter Flinth (the Arn films, Wallander: Mastermind, Unit One).
- The characters are essential for this film and it is fantastic that we have managed to get such a competent and interesting cast. I a m really looking forward to the shooting, said director Peter Flinth.
Nobel’s Last Will is the first in a series of six films based on Liza Marklund’s successful books about Annika Bengtzon. Screenwriter is Pernilla Oljelund.
Shooting of the other five films, Studio Sex, Prime Time, The Red Wolf, Lifetime and A Place In the Sun, will last throughout 2011. The locations are primarily in the Stockholm region, but also in the North of Sweden and in Spain. Agneta Fagerström-Olsson (Wallander: The Angel of Death, Wallander: The Sniper) and Ulf Kvensler (Solsidan) will direct the remaining films.
Yellow Bird produces the film series together with TV4, ARD Degeto and Nordisk Film, which is the Scandinavian cinema and DVD distributor. Nobel’s Last Will will open on cinemas in spring 2012, while the other films will be released straight on DVD. All six films will be broadcast on TV4 in Sweden and ARD in Germany.
For more information, please contact:
Annmari Bergmark, Nordisk Film
annmari.bergmark@nordiskfilm.com, +46-708 792 285
Jenny Gilbertsson, producer Yellow Bird
jenny.gilbertsson@yellowbird.se, +46-703 707 576
14 Feb 2011
”The Girl” awarded BAFTA Close
The first film in the Millennium trilogy, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, was named ”Best film not in the English Language” at the 2011 BAFTA Film Awards. The other films nominated in the category were Biutiful, I Am Love, Of Gods And Men and The Secret in Their Eyes.
- We feel overwhelmed. This is one of the greatest awards a Swedish film could win and it is a fantastic recognition for everyone involved. We have achieved what every producer dreams of when having finished a production: to have a major box office success and receive a lot of reputable awards, said Søren Staermose, producer at Yellow Bird.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was also nominated Adapted Screenplay (scriptwriters Rasmus Heisterberg and Nikolaj Arcel) and Leading Actress (Noomi Rapace).
Prior to the BAFTA, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo has recently received several other international prizes, such as Best Foreign Film both at ”The Critics’ Choice Awards” and ”The Satellite Awards”. At the latter, Noomi Rapace was named Best Actress, which she was also at the ”Richard Attenborough Film Awards.”
Yellow Bird has produced the adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s best selling Millennium trilogy, together with broadcasters SVT and ZDF as well as the distributor Nordisk Film.
For more information, please contact:
Søren Staermose, producer at Yellow Bird
soren@yellowbird.se
+46-70 761 60 71
18 Jan 2011
”The Girl” nominated for three BAFTAs Close
The first film in the Millennium trilogy, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, has been BAFTA-nominated in three categories: Best Film Not In the English Language, Best Adapted Screenplay (scriptwriters: Rasmus Heisterberg, Nikolaj Arcel) and Best Actress (Noomi Rapace for her role as Lisbeth Salander).
The nominations follow on last weekend’s Critics’ Choice Awards in Los Angeles where The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was named Best Foreign Language Film.
The BAFTA awards in 2011 will take place on Sunday 13 February at the Royal Opera House in London. Pleae see www.bafta.org for a list of all nominees.
For more information, please contact:
Søren Staermose, producer at Yellow Bird
soren@yellowbird.se
+46-70 761 60 71
15 Jan 2011
”The Girl” picks up Critics’ Choice Award Close
The first film in the Millennium trilogy, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, was named Best Foreign Language Film at The Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, in competition with I Am Love and Biutiful. The Critics’ Choice Awards are bestowed annually by the Broadcast Film Critics Association to honor the finest in cinematic achievement. The ceremony was held in Los Angeles and broadcast live on VH1 Television Network.
The Critic’s Choice Award to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was the latest in a row of prizes to the Millennium production. At the Satellite Awards in December The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was named Best Foreign Film and Noomi Rapace Best Actress. Noomi Rapace also received the Best Actress prize at the Richard Attenborough Film Awards. Furthermore, it was recently announced that The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo has been nominated to a BAFTA Film Award in the Film Not in the English Language category. The film is also longlisted in several other categories, including Best Film and Leading Actress (nominations in all BAFTA categories are announced January 18).
- We have achieved what every producer dreams of when having finished a production: to have a major box office success and receive a lot of reputable awards. This is very big for us! I can already hear the sound of champagne corks popping in our corridors! All producers deserve to experience something like this, said Søren Staermose, producer at Yellow Bird.
Yellow Bird has produced the film adaptations of Stieg Larsson’s three books in the best selling Millennium trilogy, together with broadcasters SVT and ZDF as well as the distributor Nordisk Film. Yellow Bird is currently developing several new films based on Scandinavian bestsellers. The shooting of a Norwegian feature film adaptation of Jo Nesbø’s thriller novel Headhunters, starring Aksel Hennie, was recently finished. The film is produced together with Friland. In Sweden, the company is developing a series of six films based on Liza Marklund’s books featuring crime reporter Annika Bengtzon. Shooting will start in February. Currently Yellow Bird is also shooting six new Irene Huss films in Gothenburg, together with Illusion Film.
For more information, please contact:
Søren Staermose, producer at Yellow Bird
soren@yellowbird.se
+46-70 761 60 71
15 Nov 2010
Moa Gammel – new star in Irene Huss Close
Shooting of six new Irene Huss films has commenced in Gothenburg, where acclaimed actress Moa Gammel plays forensic technician Elin Nordenskjöld. The six films, based on novels and original stories by Helen Tursten, will be released on DVD autumn 2011 and thereafter broadcast on Kanal 5 in Sweden.
Moa Gammel made her feature film debut in Suddenly (original title Underbara älskade) where she played the female lead opposite Michael Nyqvist. Most recently she has starred in the success comedy A midsummer of love (original title Sommaren med Göran) and in Johan Kling’s Trust me (original title Puss).
Angela Kovacs returns in the lead role as inspector Irene Huss. Lasse Brandeby, Eric Ericson, Dan Malmberg and Anki Lidén once again play her colleagues. Reuben Sallmander returns as Irene Huss’ husband.
The first film in the new series is based on Helene Tursten’s latest book The one who keeps watch in the dark (original title Den som vakar i mörkret). The other films are based on the novels A man with a small face and The deceitful web and on original stories by Helene Tursten.
The first Irene Huss series has been very successful. In total, the six films have sold around 500,000 copies in Sweden. In Germany, the series was broadcast on ARD during 2009. Viewing figures averaged around three million with a viewing share of 15 percent. In Sweden, the films were broadcast on Kanal 5 this autumn with viewing figures averaging around 500,000.
As previously, Illusion Film and Yellow Bird produce the Irene Huss films, in co-operation with Kanal 5, ARD Degeto, Nordisk Film and Film i Väst. The new films are scheduled for DVD release beginning autumn 2011, distributed by Nordisk Film. The films will also be broadcast on Germany’s largest TV channel ARD and on Kanal 5 in Sweden.
For more information, please contact:
Annmari Bergmark, Press Officer Nordisk Film
annmari.bergmark@nordiskfilm.com , +46-708-792285
Hillevi Råberg, producer Illusion Film
hillevi@illusionfilm.se, +46-705-332500
Daniel Ahlqvist, producer Yellow Bird
daniel@yellowbird.se, +46-70-565 77 66
13 Oct 2010
Wallander wins British TV award Close
The new series of Swedish Wallander films starring Krister Henriksson has been awarded The International TV Dagger.
Wallander received the prestigious prize in competition with the American series The Good Wife and Damages during The Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards 2010, broadcast yesterday evening at ITV3. Previous award winners include the much-appraised HBO series The Wire. The Crime Thriller Awards, in partnership with the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA), celebrate all crime and thriller fiction from film, TV and books.
- This award proves that our films are of highest international quality. I am particularly pleased that the series is so appreciated in the UK, the homeland of the crime genre, said producer Malte Forssell.
The thirteen new Swedish Wallander films have been broadcast on BBC4 and have been a success among critics and viewers alike. Papers like The Daily Telegraph and Radio Times have called the series one of the best ever in the crime genre and the films have a loyal British following.
- We receive an enormous amount of e-mails from viewers in the UK who are very enthusiastic of the series in general and of Krister Henriksson’s performance in particular, said Mikael Wallén, president of the production company Yellow Bird.
TV4 in Sweden has previously broadcast the thirteen films in the first Swedish Wallander series as well as the British Wallander films One step behind, Firewall and Sidetracked starring Kenneth Branagh. During spring 2011, TV4 will broadcast the thirteen films in the new Swedish series.
- I am delighted that Wallander has been such a success also abroad and I want to congratulate everyone involved in the production. This shows that Swedish TV drama is in the top league and we look forward to airing the new episodes on TV4 during spring, said Åsa Sjöberg, Head of Programming at TV4.
In Sweden, the new films in the series have been released on DVD. Yellow Bird has produced the series in cooperation with TV4, SF and ARD Degeto, with support from FiIm i Skåne.
For more information, please contact:
Mikael Wallén, president of Yellow Bird
mikael.wallen@yellowbird.se
+46-704 31 21 15
23 Aug 2010
Coster-Waldau to star in Headhunters Close
The internationally renowned Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau will play Clas Greve in the upcoming adaptation of Jo Nesbø’s Headhunters. Greve is nemesis to the main character Roger Brown played by Aksel Hennie.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau most recently starred in Danish action comedy At World’s End. Prior to that he played the lead role in the Fox TV series New Amsterdam. He has also appeared in such films as Black Hawk Down, Wimbledon and Kingdom of Heaven and is currently shooting the HBO series Game of Thrones.
- I am very excited about the role in Headhunters. I am a big fan of Nesbø’s book and I am also looking forward to play against Aksel Hennie – Norway’s equivalent to Mads Mikkelsen, said Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.
Director Morten Tyldum added:
- Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Aksel Hennie are two of Scandinavia’s top actors and we now have the foundation to make a real suspense-filled thriller.
Headhunters is an action thriller which introduces us to the charming villain Roger Brown, a man who seems to have it all: he is Norway’s most successful headhunter, married to the beautiful gallery owner Diana, owns a magnificent house – and is living larger than he should. Meanwhile, he is playing at the dangerous game of art theft. Headhunters is a story about deceit, faithfulness and revenge and at the same time a first class thriller.
Jo Nesbø is one of Norway’s most successful authors. When the newspaper Dagbladet ranked the best Norwegian criminal novels of all time, Jo Nesbø was the absolute favourite among the readers. The first three books on the list were all his and eight of his books were among the top thirteen. In Norway, Nesbø’s books have sold in two million copies and he is considered one of Europe´s top crime writers.
The Norwegian adaptation of Headhunters is a co-production between production companies Friland and Yellow Bird as well as the distributor Nordisk Film. Morten Tyldym (Buddy and Varg Veum) is to direct. Shooting is scheduled to begin in September this year. It is expected to premier on 26 August 2011.
For more information, please contact:
Marianne Gray, producer, Yellow Bird
marianne.gray@yellowbird.se
+46-708 71 79 24
Asle Vatn, producer, Friland
+47- 9098 3220
Ann-Mari Bergmark, press manager Nordisk Film
Annmari.bergmark@nordiskfilm.com
+46-8-587 822 85
18 Aug 2010
Malin Crépin to play Annika Bengtzon Close
Malin Crépin will star as crime reporter Annika Bengtzon in the upcoming film adaptations of Liza Marklund’s books. Crépin last played the lead in Swedish film In Your Veins (original title I skuggan av värmen), which earned her a nomination at last year’s Guldbagge Awards. She is also a reputable stage actor, with acclaimed performances in several of Lars Norén’s plays. In 2008, she was named Rising Star at the Stockholm film festival.
- Annika Bengtzon is a versatile character. I find it particularly interesting that she is such a devoted and uncompromising journalist. I am looking forward to portraying her both as a private person and as a professional, said Malin Crépin.
It is also confirmed that Peter Flinth will direct the first film in the series, Nobel’s Last Will, which will be released theatrically. Flinth is one of Denmark’s top directors and has helmed e.g. the Arn films, the Wallander film Mastermind and episodes of the TV series Unit 1 (original title Rejseholdet).
- Nobel’s Last Will is to be a dynamic film that includes both classic thriller elements and modern features. Above all, the film will be exciting and entertaining with a main character and plot that keeps the audience glued to their seats, said Peter Flinth.
Liza Marklund commented on the choices of Crépin and Flinth:
- Malin Crépin and Peter Flinth have both impressed me in their previous work and I am very happy that they have chosen to participate in this project. It is almost spooky how similar Malin is to Annika. In my head, this is exactly how Annika looks and behaves, with that razor-sharp vulnerability.
Shooting will commence early 2011. Remaining cast and directors are not yet confirmed.
- Annika Bengtzon is a complicated character – devoted to her job and at the same time a bit of a social misfit. Malin Crépin feels completely right for the part. We are also proud to have Peter Flinth onboard as a director. He has the experience needed to deliver an exciting thriller and a magnificent cinema experience, said Jenny Gilbertsson, producer at Yellow Bird.
Yellow Bird produces the upcoming film series, together with TV4, ARD Degeto and Nordisk Film. The scripts are based on the books Studio Sex, Prime Time, The Red Wolf, Nobel’s Last Will, Lifetime and A Place in the Sun, which all centres around crime reporter Annika Bengtzon.
Nobel´s Last Will is scheduled to open on cinemas winter 2012, while the other films will be released straight on DVD. Nordisk Film is the Scandinavian cinema- and DVD distributor. All films will be broadcast on TV4 in Sweden and ARD in Germany.
- I am very happy that Malin Crépin will play Annika Bengtzon. Malin is a great actor and I am looking forward to see her as the hard-nosed and dedicated journalist Annika Bengtzon. Peter Flinth has directed several brilliant films and I am convinced that he will do a fantastic job with Nobel’s Last Will, said Åsa Sjöberg, Head of Programming at TV4.
Liza Marklund’s series about Annika Bengtzon have a huge following around the world. The so far eight books have sold in around nine million copies and are translated to thirty languages. Liza Marklund is currently writing the ninth book in the series.
For photos, please see http://press.tv4.se
For interview requests, please contact:
Malin Willers, press officer at TV4
malin.willers@tv4.se
+46-708 25 15 76
For more information, you can also contact:
Jenny Gilbertsson, producer, Yellow Bird
jenny.gilbertsson@yellowbird.se
+46-703 707 576
Ann-Mari Bergmark, PR manager Nordisk Film
annmari.bergmark@nordiskfilm.se
+46-708 79 22 85
29 Jun 2010
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo breaks $100 million mark Close
The first film in the Swedish Millennium trilogy, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, has grossed $ 103 million* at the box office worldwide making it one of the most successful European non-English speaking films of all time.
“This is beyond what we ever expected. For a film shot in a language spoken by merely nine million people, this kind of success is absolutely remarkable.” said Mikael Wallén, President of the production company Yellow Bird, part of the Zodiak Entertainment Group.
During the 2000s only five other non-English European films have grossed above $100 million. All of them are French and include Amélie ($174 million) and the recent hit Welcome to the Sticks ($245 million)*.
Outside Scandinavia, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (aka Men Who Hate Women) has been particularly successful in Spain ($14 million), France ($10 million) and the US ($8.7 million). The film is yet to be released in several major markets such as Russia and Mexico.
David Frank, CEO of Zodiak Entertainment, which also handles international sales of the trilogy said, “The Millennium trilogy is currently one of our most important assets. Around 50 territories have bought the first film and already some 30 countries have picked up the second and third.”
The second film in the trilogy, The Girl Who Played With Fire, opens in the US and the UK on July 2 and August 27 respectively. The final part, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest, will also get US and UK releases during the autumn. Taken together, the three films have so far grossed around $173 million worldwide.
Swedish company Yellow Bird has produced the trilogy, based on Stieg Larsson’s immensely popular books and together with broadcasters SVT and ZDF, as well as the distributor Nordisk Film. The Zodiak Entertainment group consists of more than 40 production companies in 18 territories and boasts a global sales distribution network based in London and Paris.
Yellow Bird is currently developing several new films based on Scandinavian bestsellers. The shooting of a Norwegian feature film adaptation of Jo Nesbö’s thriller novel Headhunters will begin in September, starring Aksel Hennie. The film will be produced together with Friland. In Sweden, the company is developing a series of six films based on Liza Marklund’s books featuring crime reporter Annika Bengtzon. Shooting is expected to start early next year.
For more information, please contact:
Mikael Wallén, President of Yellow Bird
mikael.wallen@yellowbird.se
+46-704 31 21 15
*Box Office Mojo reports a total worldwide gross for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo of $100,385,404. This figure however excludes box office in Canada of around $2.6 million. Gross figures for Amelie and Welcome to the Sticks are taken from Box Office Mojo. The foreign figures included therein do not necessarily add up to the foreign totals.
09 Jun 2010
Angela Kovács returns as Irene Huss Close
The first series of Irene Huss films, based on the books by Helene Tursten, has enjoyed massive success on DVD and on German TV. Now, Angela Kovács will return as the Gothenburg-based inspector in six new films. Lasse Brandeby and Reuben Sallmander will also once again appear in the team around Irene Huss. Shootings start in October. As previously, Illusion Film and Yellow Bird produce the films, in co-operation with Kanal 5, ARD Degeto, Nordisk Film and Film i Väst.
- I am looking forward to once again play Irene Huss and work with Lasse and Reuben and everyone else. I am very pleased with what we achieved in the first series and I am certain that we will be able to repeat the success, said Angela Kovács.
Hillevi Råberg, producer at Illusion Film, added:
- Irene Huss is popular since she is a modern and strong heroine who the audience can relate to. It is an exciting and unusual lead character to base crime stories upon. It will therefore be very exciting to produce a second film series.
The first film in the new series is based on Helene Tursten’s upcoming novel Den som vakar i mörkret (title not yet translated), which will be published 25 August 2010. The other films are based on the novels A man with a small face and The deceitful web and on original stories by Helene Tursten.
- Den som vakar i mörkret deals with the subject of stalking and the despair of victims of this. These days, when our lives are all over Internet, anyone can get a stalker on one’s throat, said Helene Tursten about her new book.
The first Irene Huss series has been very successful. In total, the six films have sold around 500,000 copies in Sweden. In Germany, the series was broadcast on ARD during 2009. Viewing figures averaged around three million with a viewing share of 15 percent. In Sweden, the films have so far only been broadcast on pay-TV, but during the autumn Kanal 5 will show all six films.
- Swedish crime stories are incredibly popular both in Sweden and around the world. The team behind these films are best in class and we are happy to be the TV partner both for the first and the upcoming series, said Lars Beckung, Head of Programming at Kanal 5.
The new films are scheduled for DVD release beginning autumn 2011, distributed by Nordisk Film. The films will also be broadcast on Germany´s largest TV channel ARD and on Kanal 5 in Sweden.
For more information, please contact:
Hillevi Råberg, producer, Illusion Film
hillevi@illusionfilm.se , +46-705 33 25 00
Daniel Ahlqvist, producer, Yellow Bird
daniel@yellowbird.se , +46-705 657 766
Corinna Björk, Press Officer, Kanal 5
Corinna.Bjork@kanal5.se , +46-701 865 288
Lone Korslund, Head of Co-productions, Nordisk Film Distribution
Lone.korslund@nordiskfilm.com , +45-40 75 85 94
06 Jun 2010
Branagh picks up Bafta for Wallander Close
At the 2010 BAFTA television awards, Kenneth Branagh was named Leading Actor as Wallander. It is the second consecutive year that the Wallander series receives Baftas. Last year the production picked up several awards, including best Drama Series.
- A series rarely receives awards two years in a row. This proves that we have managed to maintain the same high quality in the second Wallander series as in the first run, says Daniel Ahlqvist, producer at Yellow Bird.
The British Wallander films have been produced for the BBC by Swedish Yellow Bird together with Left Bank Pictures and Kenneth Branagh. The second series, comprising three new films based on Henning Mankell’s novels, was screened on BBC1 in January this year. Viewing figures continued to be high, averaging around six million. In Scandinavia, the films will be released on DVD during the autumn.
For more information, please contact:
Daniel Ahlqvist, producer, Yellow Bird
+46-705 657 766
daniel@yellowbird.se
06 May 2010
Aksel Hennie to play lead in Headhunters Close
One of Norway’s most acclaimed actors, Aksel Hennie, has signed on to play the lead Roger Brown in the adaptation of Jo Nesbø’s best seller Headhunters. Hennie last starred in the Norwegian World War II blockbuster Max Manus. At the moment, he is shooting the British film Age of Heroes, directed by Adrian Vitoria. The Norwegian adaptation of Headhunters is a co-production between production companies Friland and Yellow Bird as well as the distributor Nordisk Film. Morten Tyldym (Buddy and Varg Veum) is to direct.
- To me, Aksel was the only candidate to play the lead in Headhunters. We are going to make driven action in Jo Nesbø’s spirit and we need an actor with a large repertory. Ever since we made Buddy together, we have looked for a new joint project and with Headhunters we have suceeded with this, says director Morten Tyldum.
Headhunters is an action thriller which introduces us to the charming villain Roger Brown, a man who seems to have it all: he is Norway’s most successful headhunter, married to the beautiful gallery owner Diana, owns a magnificent house – and is living larger than he should. Meanwhile, he is playing at the dangerous game of art theft. Headhunters is a story about deceit, faithfulness and revenge and at the same time a first class thriller. Shooting is scheduled to begin in August this year. It is expected to premier on 26 August 2011.
Jo Nesbø is one of Norway’s most successful authors. When the newspaper Dagbladet ranked the best Norwegian criminal novels of all time, Jo Nesbø was the absolute favourite among the readers. The first three books on the list were all his and eight of his books were among the top thirteen. In Norway, Nesbø’s books have sold in two million copies and he is considered one of Europe´s top crime writers.
For more information, please contact:
Marianne Gray, producer, Yellow Bird
marianne.gray@yellowbird.se
+46-708 71 79 24
Asle Vatn, producer, Friland
+47- 9098 3220
Ann-Mari Bergmark, press manager Nordisk Film
Annmari.bergmark@nordiskfilm.com
+46-8-587 822 85
26 Apr 2010
Michael Nyqvist to star in The Man From Beijing Close
Today is the first day of shooting for the German film adaptation of Henning Mankell’s novel The Man From Beijing. The Swedish acclaimed actor Michael Nyqvist will play one of the main parts. The Man From Beijing is produced by Yellow Bird’s German subsidiary Yellow Bird Pictures and will be shot as a 2x90 minutes TV mini series. Yellow Bird has previously produced the Millennium films based on Stieg Larssons novels, which also starred Michael Nyqvist in one of the leading roles as journalist Mikael Blomkvist.
- We are delighted to work once again with Michael Nyqvist, who is a fantastic actor. We are also glad to be able to provide opportunities for Swedish actors to reach a larger audience by participating in international productions. The Man From Beijing is a large and prestigious production, which both our German company and we have high expectations for, said Ole Søndberg, executive producer at Yellow Bird.
The story in The Man from Beijing starts with a mass murder in a small village in the north of Sweden. When the judge Birgitta Roslin reads about the horrible event she realises that she is related to several of the victims. Unofficially, she starts to dig into the case. The trails lead her both to the US in the 1860’s as well as to today’s China. Michael Nyqvist plays the part of Birgitta Roslin’s husband Staffan. German actress Suzanne von Borsody plays Birgitta Roslin. The films will be shot in Austria, Taiwan and Sweden.
The novel The Man From Beijing was published in Sweden in 2008 and has since been sold to 25 countries, including Germany, the US, the UK and Spain. In Germany – where Henning Mankell is immensely popular – the book has sold in 250,000 copies.
The adaptation of the The Man From Beijing is a co-production of Yellow Bird Pictures in Germany, Yellow Bird in Sweden and Lotus Film, in co-operation with Degeto Film for the broadcasters ARD/Das Erste in Germany and ORF in Austria, with support of RTR Fernsehfonds Austria and Niederösterreich.
For more information, please contact:
Ole Søndberg, executive producer, Yellow Bird
ole.sondberg@yellowbird.se
+45-20 20 35 40
For inquiries about interviews with Michael Nyqvist, please contact:
Aleksandra Mandic
aleksandra@agentfirman.com
+46 736 00 96 20
25 Mar 2010
Entire Millennium trilogy on US cinemas Close
It has been confirmed that all three films in the Millennium trilogy will get cinematic release in the US. The first film, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, opened last Friday (19 march) and grossed 340,000 USD at the box office during the first weekend. This is equivalent of around 30,000 visitors, which is a very strong opening for a foreign film. The American distributor Music Box films has therefore decided to release the sequels The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest on cinemas beginning in summer 2010.
- We are pleased that The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo has been received so well in the US, both by the cinema audience and by critics. It is a very tough market to enter and it is therefore a great success for us that that film two and three will also be released, said Mikael Wallén, MD of the production company Yellow Bird.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo also opened recently in the UK (12 March). The film is currently number five at the UK box office, with a total of so far 150,000 visitors. At the same time, the extended TV versions of the films have started to broadcast. Last Saturday, 20 March, 1.5 million people watched the first part of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (aka Men Who Hate Women) at the Swedish channel SVT. This was equivalent to a viewing share of 43 percent. Last Monday, 22 March, Canal+ broadcast the first part in France. Eighteen percent (1.2 million) of the channel’s subscribers in the country watched the programme, which was the best opening of a foreign series at Canal+ this year.
The adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy is produced by Yellow Bird, together with broadcasters SVT and ZDF, as well as the distributor Nordisk Film.
For more information, please contact:
Mikael Wallén, MD of Yellow Bird: mikael.wallen@yellowbird.se, +46-704 31 21 15
23 Mar 2010
Liza Marklund films in development Close
The production company Yellow Bird has together with TV4, Nordisk film and ARD Degeto in Germany initiated the development of a film series based on novels by Liza Marklund. Scripts will be based on the books Studio Sex, Prime Time, The Red Wolf, Nobel’s Last Will, Lifetime and A Place in the Sun, which all centre around crime reporter Annika Bengtzon.
- It feels fantastic to be able to offer viewers of TV4 six films based on Liza Marklund’s incredibly popular books. I hope and believe that the viewers will be thrilled by Annika Bengtzon’s and her life as an ambitious crime reporter, says Åsa Sjöberg, Director of Programs, The TV4 Group.
Liza Marklund’s series about Annika Bengtzon has a loyal fan base all over the world. The so far eight books have sold around nine million copies and have been translated to thirty languages. Liza Marklund is currently writing the ninth book in the series.
- We have quickly got this project up and running. We have found writers and co-producers who are all very engaged, which is wonderful, says Jenny Gilbertsson, producer at Yellow Bird.
The scriptwriters are Pernilla Oljelund, Stefan Thunberg, Alex Haridi and Antonia Pyk. All six films will be broadcast by TV4 in Sweden and ARD in Germany. Nobel’s Last Will is also to get cinematic release, while the other films will go straight to DVD. Nordisk film is the Nordic cinema and DVD distributor.
- We are happy to offer the Nordic audience these films based on books written by Scandinavia’s undisputed queen of crime Liza Marklund, says Lone Korslund, Head of Co-productions, Nordisk Film.
Shootings are expected to start early 2011. Cast and directors are yet not confirmed.
For more information, please contact:
Jennifer McShane, Head of Press, the TV4 Group: jennifer.mcshane@tv4.se or +46-702 108 115
Jenny Gilbertsson, producer, Yellowbird: jenny.gilbertsson@yellowbird.se or +46-703 707 576
Lone Korslund, Head of Co-productions, Nordisk Film Distribution: lone.korslund@nordiskfilm.com or +45 40 75 85 94
16 Mar 2010
Record Swedish DVD sales for Millennium Close
The sales success for the films in the Millennium trilogy continues. The three films Men Who Hate Women (aka The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ nest have together sold more than 1.1 million copies on DVD and Blu-ray in Sweden.
Sales have been the highest for Men Who Hate Women/The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. With 365,000 copies sold it is the best selling Swedish film on DVD in Sweden ever. With regards to Blu-ray it is the second most sold film in Sweden ever (including foreign films), outperformed only by Batman: The Dark Knight.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo opened on cinemas in the UK on Friday 12 March. It was released in 114 copies. In the US, the film premiers on Friday 19 March.
02 Mar 2010
BBC acquires second season of Swedish Wallander Close
The thirteen new Swedish Wallander films, starring Krister Henriksson, have been acquired by BBC4. The series has also been sold to France (M6 Group), Canada (Télé Québec), Russia (Teleseriya TV), Belgium (Lumière), Poland (Canal +), Bosnia and Serbia (Kip). BBC4 has previously shown the first thirteen Swedish Wallander films, which was the first time BBC aired a Swedish crime series.
- We’re delighted that BBC has already decided to acquire the films, as some of them are still in postproduction. We will be announcing further sales to major territories in the coming months, says Mikael Wallén, MD at Yellow Bird.
In Sweden, the first nine films have been released on DVD. The remaining four will be released during the spring. The series is produced by Yellow Bird in cooperation with TV4 and SF in Sweden and ARD/Degeto in Germany.
For more information, please contact:
Mikael Wallén, MD at Yellow Bird
mikael.wallen@yellowbird.se
+46-704 31 21 15
25 Feb 2010
Jo Nesbø adaptation supported Close
The Norwegian Film Institute announced today that it grants financial support to the film adaptation of Jo Nesbø’s novel Headhunters. The film will be co-produced by production companies Friland and Yellow Bird, as well as the distributor Nordisk Film. Morten Tyldum (Buddy and Varg Veum) is the director.
- Morten is very engaged in this and he has a strong feel for the story and its characters. His visions for Headhunters are such that we have very high expectations on the film, commented Yellow Bird’s producer Marianne Gray.
Jo Nesbø is one of Norway’s most successful authors. When the newspaper Dagbladet ranked the best Norwegian criminal novels of all time, Jo Nesbø was the absolute favourite among the readers. The first three books on the list were all his and eight of his books were among the top thirteen. In Norway, Nesbø’s books have sold in two million copies and he is considered one of Europe´s top crime writers.
Headhunters is a stand-alone thriller about Roger Brown, Norway´s most successful headhunter. The unscrupulous Brown leads a life of excess and finances his extravagance by way of dangerous art thefts. When he meets the Dutchman Clas Greve he sees the chance to become financially independent and starts planning his biggest hit ever. But soon he runs into trouble – and it’s not financial problems that are threatening to bring him down this time.
For more information, please contact:
Marianne Gray, producer at Yellow Bird
marianne.gray@yellowbird.se
+46-708 71 79 24
Asle Vatn, producer at Friland
+47- 9098 3220
Ann-Mari Bergmark, press manager Nordisk Film
Annmari.bergmark@nordiskfilm.com
+46-8-587 822 85
26 Jan 2010
Millennium producer comments on the Guldbagge Awards Close
At yesterday’s Guldbagge Awards 2009 in Stockholm, Men Who Hate Women (aka The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) picked up prizes in three categories: Best Picture, The Audience Award and Best Actress in a Leading Role (Noomi Rapace for Lisbeth Salander).
Søren Staermose, producer at Yellow Bird, comments:
-The fact that we won both Best Picture and The Audience Award shows that this film has been very popular with both the Swedish people and the Guldbagge jury, which is a fantastic recognition. I am also excited over Noomi´s award, which she really deserved. In all countries where the film has opened, people have told me that she is just as they imagined Lisbeth Salander when reading the books. Her achievement has thus been very important for the popularity of the film.
Men Who Hate Women (aka The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) has now sold to 38 territories. So far, 7.5 million have seen the film in the 20 countries where it has opened. During 2010 it will premier in the US, the UK, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, South Korea and Singapore, among other countries.
In total, the films in the Millennium trilogy (Men Who Hate Women/The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest) have attracted an audience of close to 13 million.
For more information, please contact:
Søren Staermose
Producer
soren@yellowbird.se
+46-707 61 60 71
05 Jan 2010
Acclaimed return for Wallander on BBC Close
On Sunday 4 January, BBC One began to broadcast the second season of Wallander, starring Kenneth Branagh. The first film to be shown was Faceless Killers, which was seen by an audience of 5.5 million. The number corresponds to a viewing share of 20 percent. Faceless Killers is based on the Henning Mankell novel with the same title. The film was very well received in British press following Sunday’s broadcast. The Times stated: ”It’s a bleak and brilliant performance at the heart of a beautifully made film. Back for a new series, Wallander is a class act”. The Telegraph similarly wrote: ”The return last night to BBC One of the Swedish detective […] made for top-notch drama”.
”It is great to see that both critics and viewers continue to appreciate our films”, says Daniel Ahlqvist, producer at Yellow Bird. ”Now, we hope that Kenneth Branagh will receive a Golden Globe for best actor on January 17 as well”.
On January 10 and 17 BBC One will broadcast the remaining two films, The Fifth Woman and The Man Who Smiled, also based on Mankell books. The films are produced by Yellow Bird together with Left Bank Pictures and are shot in Ystad, Sweden.
For more information, please contact:
Daniel Ahlqvist
Producer
daniel@yellowbird.se
+46-705 65 77 66
02 Nov 2009
Millennium producer receives Spanish film award Close
Søren Stærmose, the producer behind the adaptations of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, has received the Seville European Film Festival’s award to industry professionals. The award is in recognition of the Swede’s successful career in various film markets. Søren Staermose has a long experience as a producer in Scandinavia. Among other things he has previously produced the early Martin Beck films based on the novels by Sjöwall/Wahlöö. Since 2005 he works for the production company Yellow Bird where he has most recently produced the three films in the Millennium trilogy - Men Who Hate Women (aka The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest. When awarding the prize, the Seville Film Festival specifically recognised the production model that Yellow Bird and Søren Stærmose are working with. Yellow Bird usually produces a series of films together with and for broadcasters in several countries, with one or more of the films also released on cinemas. The adaptation of the Millennium trilogy is the most successful example of this model, but other Yellow Bird projects, such as the Swedish series of Wallander films, has a similar set-up.
Søren Stærmose commented:
”I am glad that both my own and the company’s work is recognised by this award. Our way of working means that our productions can be done with a higher budget than is usually the case in Scandinavia. I think that this is one of several reasons for why the Millennium films have proved so successful.”
Søren Stærmose will receive the award at the opening gala of the Seville European Film Festival on November 6. Spain is the country where Men Who Hate Women (aka The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) has had the highest number of cinema visitors (1.6 million). When The Girl Who Played With Fire recently opened in the country it went straight to the second place on the box office.
For more information, please contact:
Søren Stærmose
Producer
soren@yellowbird.se
+46-707 61 60 71
05 Oct 2009
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo to open in the US Close
The first feature film in the Millennium trilogy, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, has been acquired by Chicago-based Music Box Films for US distribution. The film is scheduled to premier on cinemas in March 2010.
"We are extremely pleased to offer US audiences the opportunity to see the riveting The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, one of the most talked about international films of the year", says Edward Arentz, Managing Director at Music Box.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo has now sold to more than 30 countries in total*. It has attracted more than 6.6 million visitors and grossed almost $100million at the box office – making it the world’s third biggest earning foreign language film of 2009. It was also recently nominated for the People’s Choice Award by the European Film Academy.
"We have eagerly awaited a distribution deal for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo in the USA. The success in Europe has of course helped to get this in place. It will be interesting to see how the US audience will receive the film", says Søren Staermose, producer at Yellow Bird.
The second film in the Millennium trilogy, The Girl Who Played With Fire, premiered in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland on September 18 and has so far attracted more than one million visitors in the four countries. The third film, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest, will be launched in Scandinavia November 27.
The adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s best selling Millennium trilogy, starring Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace, has been produced by Yellow Bird together with broadcasters SVT and ZDF/ZDF Enterprises, the distributor Nordisk Film, Film i Väst and Filmpool Stockholm Mälardalen. Outside the Nordic countries, Zodiak Entertainment distributes the films.
For more information, please contact:
Søren Staermose
Producer
soren.staermose@yellowbird.se
+46-707 61 60 71
*A full list of countries the film has sold to is available on request.
21 Sep 2009
Opening success for the second Millennium movie Close
This weekend, almost 477 000 Scandinavian cinema visitors went to see The girl who played with fire - beating the opening for Men who hate women.
The girl who played with fire opened in cinemas on Friday 18 September in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. The movie, based on the second book in Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, had 476,824 visitors in total in the four countries (179,222 in Sweden, 181,225 in Denmark, 103,631 in Norway and 12,746 in Finland). The figures reveal a stronger opening than the first film in the trilogy, Men who hate women, in all countries.
”We are delighted that the massive interest in Millennium continues. So many people appreciated the first movie and it is great that they have returned to see more,” says Mikael Wallen, MD of the film’s production company Yellow Bird.
”It is fantastic to see that The girl who played with fire attracted even more visitors than the first film. This is a fantastic series of films and we are happy and proud to be distributing them”, says Pia Grünler, Head of film distribution at Nordisk Film.
The girl who played with fire premiered at 183 cinemas in Sweden, 124 in Denmark, 114 in Norway and 41 in Finland. The movie opens on 25 September and 23 October in Italy and Spain respectively.
The adaptation of the Millennium trilogy, starring Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist, has been produced by Yellow Bird along with the Swedish broadcaster SVT and German broadcaster ZDF/ZDF Enterprises, as well as the distributor Nordisk Film.
For more information, please contact:
Mikael Wallén, MD of Yellow Bird
mikael.wallen@yellowbird.se
+46-704 31 21 15
Martin Strömberg, press manager for The girl who played with fire
martin@strombergpr.se
+46-707-716 447
10 Sep 2009
Liza Marklund - next big thing for Yellow Bird Close
Production company Yellow Bird, which has been behind the recent international cinema hit Men Who Hate Women, is now planning a major new Swedish movie project. The company has acquired film rights to six of best-selling author Liza Marklund’s books featuring the criminal reporter Annika Bengtzon. Plans to produce movies for the Scandinavian and international markets are currently underway for each of the six titles: Studio Sex, Prime Time, The Red Wolf, Nobel’s Last Will, Lifetime and A Place in the Sun.
“The opportunity to adapt Liza Marklund’s books is a dream come true for us. Annika Bengtzon is such a fantastically composed main character – both endearing and unnerving in her dedication to her work. We’re delighted that we now have the opportunity to recreate these great stories to their full potential on the screen”, said Jenny Gilbertsson, producer at Yellow Bird.
Liza Marklund’s Annika Bengtzon series has a loyal following all over the world. The eight books have sold more than nine million copies internationally and have been translated into 30 languages. Liza Marklund is currently working on the ninth book in the series.
“After Colin Nutley’s movies The Bomber and Paradise, which I was very pleased with, I have turned down a lot of offers to adapt my books into films. It wasn’t until I met Yellow Bird that it felt completely right. In them I have found a team that has the capability to care for and preserve the essence of the Annika Bengtzon character. I look forward to a long and rewarding relationship with Yellow Bird,” said Liza Marklund.
The forthcoming movie series is in the early stages of development. The film’s casting, script writers and directors are yet to be announced. Filming is expected to start at the end of 2010 with an estimated budget of approximately SEK 100 million.
For more information, please contact:
Yellow Bird
Jenny Gilbertsson, Producer
jenny.gilbertsson@yellowbird.se
+46-703 707 576
Liza Marklund
Niclas Lövkvist
+46-709 15 25 90
04 Aug 2009
Millennium a major box office hit Close
Yellow Bird’s first feature film in the Millennium trilogy, Men Who Hate Women, is the world’s third biggest earning foreign language film of 2009. In total it has now grossed more than €50 million at the box office with a total number of visitors in excess of six million. Furthermore, the film has also recently sold to Germany, Japan, Austria, South Korea and Portugal. Those countries follow in the footsteps of the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemburg, Switzerland, Poland, Greece, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Canada and Australia, where the film has already been picked up.
Men who hate women, based on Stieg Larsson’s best selling book, has so far had its biggest success in the Nordic countries (2.8 million visitors), France (1,2 million) and Spain (1,22 million). On Friday this week the film will open in the Netherlands and in Germany the release is scheduled for October 1.
- I am delighted that Men who hate women is now also starting to sell to countries where the book hasn’t enjoyed the same enormous popularity. This, together with the box office success, proves that the film is good enough to live on its own merits, says Mikael Wallén, MD of Yellow Bird.
Men who hate women (aka The girl with the dragon tattoo), starring Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace, is produced by Yellow Bird together with broadcasters SVT and ZDF/ZDF Enterprises, as well as the distributor Nordisk Film. Yellow Bird is also producing the second and third part of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy. The girl who played with fire will premier simultaneously in Sweden, Norway and Denmark on September 18. In Finland the film will open one week later. The girl who kicked the hornets’ nest will subsequently be released November 27 on cinemas in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, and in January in Finland.
For more information, please contact:
Mikael Wallén, MD of Yellow Bird
mikael.wallen@yellowbird.se
+46-704 31 21 15
16 Jul 2009
Wallander nominated for EMMY Awards Close
The UK version of Wallander, produced by Yellow Bird and Left Bank Pictures for the BBC, has been honored by The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences with two nominations for the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards.
Kenneth Branagh was recognized in the Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie category for his performance in Wallander: One Step Behind.
Philip Martin has also been nominated for his work on Wallander: One Step Behind in the category of Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special.
Other nominations include Lukas Strebel, DOP, and Barbara Kidd, Costume Designer, who are currently working with Yellow Bird on the production of the second series.
For more information, please contact:
Daniel Ahlqvist, producer
daniel@yellowbird.se
+46-705 65 77 66
03 Jun 2009
International success continues for Men who hate women Close
Yellow Bird´s first feature film in the Millennium trilogy – Men Who Hate Women – has over the last weeks successfully opened on cinemas in France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada. So far, it has received huge interest. In Spain and Italy the film is number two and three respectively on the box office since its opening on Friday last week. In France it is number four after nearly three weeks of showing. Total admissions in the six countries are around 1.3 million, where of around 850,000 in France, 150,000 in Italy and 220,000 in Spain. In the Nordic countries the film has also been very successful, with an audience of 2.6 million since its premier in February/March.
Moreover, the film has just been sold to five new territories, including the UK and Australia, with more than 15 others showing a strong interest and likely to close deals imminently. Apart from the UK and Australia, the film was picked up by Greece, Mexico and Argentina, joining distributors in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Canada and Poland that had already acquired the rights to the film.
- It is very rare for a non-English speaking film to obtain this kind of extensive international distribution. We are very pleased that our adaptations of Stieg Larsson’s fantastic books have so much appeal to buyers all over the world, says Mikael Wallén, Managing Director of Yellow Bird.
Men who hate women (aka The girl with the dragon tattoo), starring Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace, is based on Stieg Larsson’s best seller and produced by Yellow Bird together with broadcasters SVT and ZDF/ZDF Enterprises, as well as the distributor Nordisk Film. Yellow Bird is also adapting the second and third part of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy. The girl who played with fire is to premier simultaneously in Sweden, Norway and Denmark on September 18. In Finland the film will open one week later. The girl who kicked the hornets’ nest will subsequently be released November 27 on cinemas in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, and in January in Finland.
For more information, please contact:
Mikael Wallén, MD of Yellow Bird
mikael.wallen@yellowbird.se
+46-704 31 21 15
21 May 2009
Men who hate women a success in France Close
Production company Yellow Bird’s feature film Men who hate women (aka The girl with the dragon tattoo) was the second most visited film in France during its first week of screening, with total admissions of 446 618. Millennium – le film, which is the French title, was more popular during the week than both X-men Origins and Star Trek. Critics in France have also been generally positive. Among others, the papers Le Figaro and Le Point gave the film the highest possible marks. Figaro wrote: “Noomi Rapace, the star find of the film makes for a perfect Lisbeth, edgy and intensely rebellious”. Le Point was of the opinion that “The film takes its time and with a restrained style devoid of all pomp it succeeds where “The Da Vinci Code” failed as an adaptation of a best-seller.” (For a list of some critics’ comments see for example http://www.commeaucinema.com/critiques=138630.html).
Stieg Larsson’s three books in the Millennium trilogy have been very successful in France, with more than three million copies sold. On the back of this, the adaptation of the first book has received huge attention in the country. Millennium – le film opened at more than 550 cinemas and is being massively marketed. At the Cannes film festival a big Millennium party was held attracting a thousand or so visitors. In its special edition prior to the festival, the French trade magazine Film Francais covered the film in an eight pages long report. Yellow Bird’s producer Sören Staermose comments on the attention surrounding the French opening of Millennium:
- The film has been received in a fantastic way in Cannes and France the last week, for which I am incredibly happy. Besides entertaining and engaging many people, both the film and the books have triggered a debate among the French concerning oppression of women in the world. It is a great victory for the writer and feminist Stieg Larsson.
In Belgium, Men who hate women opened on May 20 and in Italy and Spain it will premier on May 29. Yellow Bird has produced the film together with the broadcasters SVT and ZDF/ZDF Enterprises, as well as the distributor Nordisk film.
For more information, please contact:
Sören Staermose, producer at Yellow Bird
soren@yellowbird.se
+46-707 61 60 71
19 May 2009
Wallander picks up further BAFTAs Close
The film series Wallander, where Yellow Bird is one of the producers, picked up four prizes during the BAFTA craft awards this weekend. Wallander took home awards for original television music, production design, sound (fiction/entertainment), and photography and lighting (fiction/entertainment). During the BAFTA TV awards earlier this year, Wallander won in the best drama series category. During the summer of 2009 three more films are being shot in Ystad, Sweden, again starring Kenneth Branagh.
- We are pleased to being able to shoot the second series of Wallander already this year. The success of the first three films is evidence of the strength in international co-productions. By shooting in Ystad with a film team consisting of people from Sweden, Denmark and the UK we have managed to create English films that still bear a strong Scandinavian mark, says Daniel Ahlqvist, producer at Yellow Bird.
Between 5.3-6.2 million viewers watched the first three films as they were shown on BBC1. The series has been sold to more than fourteen countries, including the US where the first film had more than four million viewers. In Sweden, TV4 will show the series later this year.
The upcoming three films are based on Henning Mankell´s books Faceless Killers, The Fifth Woman and The Man Who Smiled. They are again produced for the BBC by Yellow Bird, Left Bank Pictures, WGBH and Kenneth Branagh’s company TKBC.
For more information, please contact:
Daniel Ahlqvist, producer
daniel@yellowbird.se
+46-705 65 77 66
12 May 2009
Yellow Bird options Nesbø’s Headhunters Close
Production company Yellow Bird has optioned the film rights to Norwegian best selling writer Jo Nesbø’s most recent novel Headhunters (original title Hodejegerne) with a view to developing a Norwegian feature film based on the book.
- Jo Nesbø is a fantastic writer and a great person to work with. Headhunters is both entertaining and riveting and we believe that the strength of this story together with Jo’s sales success worldwide will make for another highly successful feature film with huge international potential, says Marianne Gray, producer at Yellow Bird.
The book Headhunters has so far been sold to ten countries including France, Germany and the Netherlands. It has been well received by critics and readers alike and recently won the Norwegian Book Club Prize for best novel of the year 2008. Also, with his seven internationally acclaimed crime novels featuring Detective Harry Hole, Jo Nesbø has achieved an unparalleled success both in Norway and abroad. The series, translated into thirty-seven languages, has been praised by international critics and turned Nesbø into one of Europe’s most important crime writers.
Headhunters is a stand-alone thriller about Roger Brown, Norway´s most successful headhunter. The unscrupulous Brown leads a life of excess and finances his extravagance by way of dangerous art thefts. When he meets the Dutchman Clas Greve he sees the chance to become financially independent and starts planning his biggest hit ever. But soon he runs into trouble – and it’s not financial problems that are threatening to bring him down this time.
- It is exciting to see Headhunters becoming a film. In the past I’ve turned down numerous requests to film the Harry Hole series because it’s an ongoing process but Headhunters is a completed story. Also, all my proceeds go to the Harry Hole foundation to battle illiteracy among children, says Jo Nesbø.
The script for the film is underway and production is expected to begin 2010.
With this project, Yellow Bird continues to strengthen its presence in Norway. Together with Monster Film, the company is already in development of a series of six films based on Norwegian crime writer Anne Holt’s successful books about inspector Yngvar Stubø and Inger Johanne Vik – a psychologist and lawyer with a previous career in the FBI.
Yellow Bird has previously produced the British drama series Wallander together with Left Bank Pictures and Kenneth Branagh for the BBC. At the recent BAFTA TV awards, Wallander won the prize for best drama series. Yellow Bird is also the production company behind the adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s best selling Millennium trilogy. The film based on the first book, Men Who Hate Women (aka The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) has been a huge success at cinemas in Scandinavia with around 2.6 million admissions to date. It will soon open in several other European countries, including France, Italy and Spain.
For more information, please contact:
Marianne Gray, producer at Yellow Bird
marianne.gray@yellowbird.se
+46-708 71 79 24
27 Apr 2009
Yellow Bird wins BAFTA for Wallander Close
Yellow Bird is the first Swedish production company ever to have won the British BAFTA TV award for best drama series. The award went to the series Wallander, produced for the BBC by Yellow Bird together with Left Bank Pictures and Kenneth Branagh.
-This award is evidence of the strength of both British and Scandinavian film production. The series was shot in Ystad in Sweden with a film team consisting of people from Sweden, Denmark and the UK. It has been an international co-production in the true sense of the word and all involved are very happy for the achievement, says Mikael Wallén, MD of Yellow Bird.
Wallander is comprised of the three films Sidetracked, Firewall and One step behind, starring Kenneth Branagh as inspector Kurt Wallander. The films are based on books by Henning Mankell and have been released on DVD in the UK, Sweden and Norway.
Wallander was successfully screened on BBC1 at the end of last year. The number of viewers was between 5.3-6.2 million and the corresponding viewing shares amounted to between 22-24 percent.
For more information, please contact:
Mikael Wallén, MD of Yellow Bird
mikael.wallen@yellowbird.se
+46-704 31 21 15
Daniel Ahlqvist, Producer
daniel@yellowbird.se
+46-705 65 77 66
23 Apr 2009
Second Millennium film opens in Scandinavia in September Close
It is now definite when the remaining two films in the Millennium trilogy will open on cinemas. The girl who played with fire is to premier simultaneously in Sweden, Norway and Denmark on September 18. In Finland the film will open one week later. The girl who kicked the hornets’ nest will subsequently be released November 27 on cinemas in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, and in January in Finland.
- The last two films will focus to an even greater extent on Lisbeth Salander and her story. All Salander fans will definitely be satisfied, says Sören Staermose, producer at Yellow Bird.
Meanwhile, the success for Men who hate women (aka The girl with the dragon tattoo) continues, with a total number of visitors on cinemas in the Nordic countries of more than 2.4 million. The film will open in France on May 13 and in Italy and Spain on May 29.
Men who hate women (aka The girl with the dragon tattoo), The girl who played with fire and The girl who kicked the hornets´ nest are all based on Stieg Larsson’s best selling books in the Millennium trilogy and are produced by Yellow Bird together with the broadcasters SVT and ZDF as well as the distributor Nordisk Film.
For more information, please contact:
Sören Staermose, Producer at Yellow Bird
soren@yellowbird.se
+46-707 61 60 71
20 Apr 2009
One million admissions for Men who hate women in Sweden Close
After only seven weeks on cinemas, Men who hate women (aka The girl with the dragon tattoo) has had more than one million visitors in Sweden. Total admissions in the Nordic countries are close to 2.5 million. In both Denmark and Norway it is the most seen Swedish film ever.
- We are very proud of the success in Sweden, but also of the fact that Nordisk Film has managed so well in promoting a Swedish film in the other Nordic countries, says Pia Grünler, Head of Distribution at Nordisk Film in Sweden.
Men who hate women (aka The girl with the dragon tattoo) opens on cinemas in france on May 13 and in Italy and Spain on May 29.
- We are very happy for the success in the Nordic countries and are now looking forward with excitement to see how the films will be received in the rest of Europe, says Sören Staermose, producer at Yellow Bird.
Men who hate women (aka The girl with the dragon tattoo) is based on the first book in Stieg Larsson’s best selling Millennium trilogy. The film has been produced by Yellow Bird together with broadcasters SVT and ZDF, as well as the distributor Nordisk Film.
For more information, please contact:
Sören Staermose, Producer at Yellow Bird
soren@yellowbird.se
+46-707 61 60 71
Press Contact
Erik Hultkvist
Development Executive
+46(0) 739 37 05 16
erik.hultkvist@yellowbird.se
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