Writer Sara Johnsen wins the 2020 Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize for 22 July

Sara Johnsen, writer of 22 July (22. juli), is the recipient of the 2020 Nordic TV Drama Screenplay Award – this was announced at a ceremony during TV Drama Vision at the Göteborg Film Festival.

For the fourth consecutive year, the award for outstanding writing of a Nordic Drama series, was handed out at Göteborg Film Festival’s TV Drama Vision. The NOK 200 000 award, funded by Nordisk Film & TV Fond goes to the main writer(s) of the series.

22 July examines the aftermath of July 22, 2011 terror attacks in Oslo and the island of Utøya. Featuring fictional characters, but based on meticulous research, the series tells the story of the ordinary people who were affected by the tragedy – health workers, police officers, teachers, journalists.

Sara Johnsen is one of Norway’s most distinguished writers and directors. She had her international breakthrough with her feature debut Kissed by Winter (2005) which was nominated for the Nordic Council Film Prize and submitted as Norway’s Academy Award candidate. She wrote and directed Upperdog, All that Matters is Past and Framing Mum and also worked as an additional writer on the acclaimed TV series Occupied.

Jury statement:
“Drama is a powerful tool, that should be used wisely. Especially when it comes to portraying stories inspired by real events. The jury was blown away by the bravery on how to tell a story respectfully and still grasp its emotional core. This year’s winner of the Nordic TV Drama Screenplay Award is: 22 July!”

This year’s Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize jury consisted of: Norwegian actor Jakob Oftebro (Agent Hamilton, Kon-Tiki), Swedish actor Moa Gammel (Jordskott, Tommy), Polish award-winning producer and director Dariusz Jabłoński (Photographer, The Pleasure Principle) and Norwegian journalist Cecilie Asker.

22 July credits:
Norway, 2020, 6 x 50’
Nominated writer: Sara Johnsen
Series Creators: Sara Johnsen and Pål Sletaune
Director: Pål Sletaune
Producer: Elisabeth Tangen and Per Berge Engebretsen
Produced by NRK Drama
International sales: Digital Rights Group (DRG)

Five Nordic drama series were nominated for the NOK 200,000 (€20,000) Nordic TV Drama Screenplay Award.

22. juli
Norway, 2020, 6 x 50’
Nominated writer: Sara Johnsen
Series Creators: Sara Johnsen and Pål Sletaune
Director: Pål Sletaune
Producer: Elisabeth Tangen and Per Berge Engebretsen
Produced by NRK Drama
International sales: Digital Rights Group (DRG)
Premiere: Jan 5 2020

They saved the injured, buried the dead, comforted the grieving and tried to understand. 22. juli tells the story of people who through their work and professions were affected by the terrorist attack in Norway on the 22nd of July 2011. Featuring fictional characters, but based on meticulous research, it’s a story about the systems that shape our daily lives and who we are when tragedy strikes.

Kalifat
Sweden, 2020, 8 x 45’
Nominated writers: Wilhelm Behrman and Niklas Rockström
Director: Goran Kapetanovic
Producer: Tomas Michaelsson
Produced by Filmlance for SVT
International sales: Endemol Shine International
Premiere: Jan 12 2020

The thriller Caliphate is centring on five young women, whose fate is intertwined in an examination of how religious fundamentalism can seduce individuals and destroy lives. Based on an idea by Wilhelm Behrman, who has created the series together with Niklas Rockström. Directed by the Guldbagge awarded Goran Kapetanovic. The series is shot in Stockholm and in Jordan.

Pabbahelgar  
Iceland, 2019, 6 x 45’
Nominated writer: Nanna Kristín Magnúsdóttir
Directors: Nanna Kristín Magnúsdóttir, Marteinn Thorsson
Producers: Birgitta Björnsdóttir, Nanna Kristín Magnúsdóttir, Thor Sigurjonsson
Produced by Zik Zak Filmworks, CUBS Productions for RÚV
International sales: REInvent Studios
Premiere: Oct 6 2019

Karen, a 38-year-old couples counselor and mother of three, has her life turned upside down when she discovers her husband’s infidelity. Suddenly single, she must say good-bye to the utopian vision of the perfect nuclear family, and the professional advice she gives her clients now seem absurd. Every other weekend, the so-called “daddy weekends”, are what Karen now fears most.

Paratiisi
Finland, 2020, 8 x 50’
Nominated writer: Matti Laine
Director: Marja Pyykkö
Producers: Marko Röhr, Ran Tellem, Tiina Pesonen, Laura Fernandez Espeso, Javier Méndez, Bernat Belias
Produced by MRP Matila Röhr Productions and Mediapro Studios for YLE and MEDIAPRO
Nordic sales: YLE Sales
International Sales: The Mediapro Studio Distribution
Premiere: Feb 9 2020

Murders shake the Finnish community of Fuengirola, which made this tiny corner of Málaga their own little paradise on the shores of the Mediterranean. Hilkka Mäntymäki, a veteran crime detective aged 60, is travelling from Oulu Finland to help the local police on a case that will soon claim new victims. Because escaping the cold and the dark is much easier than leaving your own past behind.

Når støvet har lagt sig
Denmark, 2020, 10 x 58’
Nominated writers: Dorte Høgh and Ida Maria Rydén
Directors: Milad Alami, Jeanette Nordahl and Iram Haq
Producer: Stinna Lassen
Produced by DR Drama for DR
International sales: DR Sales
Premiere: Feb 2 2020

It is a busy Friday night at a newly opened restaurant. Guests are eating, drinking and enjoying a carefree life, when two masked men with weapons unnoticed enter the premises. Shots are fired. And life will never be the same. Over the course of three weeks the lives of the eight main characters will dramatically change, and they will find themselves questioning the way they live and the choices they have made.

Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize for outstanding writing of a Nordic Drama series is presented by Göteborg Film Festival, the first of its kind in the Nordic region. Each year a selection of outstanding drama series from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, is nominated for the award, which goes to the main writer(s) of the series. The prize worth € 20,000 is funded by Nordisk Film & TV Fond. 

Five Nordic drama series have been announced as nominees for the NOK 200,000 (€20,000) Nordic TV Drama Screenplay Award. The 2020 Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize jury consists of acclaimed Norwegian actor Jakob Oftebro (Agent Hamilton, Kon-Tiki), Swedish actor Moa Gammel (Jordskott, Tommy), Polish award-winning producer and director Dariusz Jabłoński (Photographer, The Pleasure Principle) and Norwegian journalist Cecilie Asker (Aftenposten). The award ceremony for the fourth consecutive Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize will take place on January 29, 2020 at TV Drama Vision, in conjunction with the celebration of the 30th anniversary of Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

The Nordic countries have stood out lately as one of the most engaging regions for drama series in the world. As a result of TV Drama Vision, Göteborg Film Festival has established itself as the most important meeting place in the Nordics for the international TV industry. In 2016, a new section Nordic Light: TV Drama was introduced within the festival programme, showcasing a wide range of new Nordic TV drama. The Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize is the another step in the festival’s commitment to drama series.

Merja Aakko and Mika Ronkainen, writers of All the Sins (Kaikki Synnit), were the recipients of the 2019 Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize. Directed by Mika Ronkainen and produced by Ilkka Matila (MRP Matila Röhr Productions Oy) for Elisa Viihde. International distributor: SKY Vision. The 2019 jury consisted of Finnish actress Laura Birn (The Innocents, A Walk Among the Tombstones), Swedish actor Alexander Karim (The Lawyer, Tyrant, Zero Dark Thirty), Swedish/American journalist and TV and podcast producer Christina Jeurling Birro (Pop Culture Confidential) and British content consultant and producer Justin Judd (Hulu, Content Media Corporation, Nevision)

All nominated series 2019
All the Sins (Kaikki Synnit), Finland. Nominated writers: Merja Aakko and Mika Ronkainen (2019 winner)
The Flatey Enigma (Flatey Jargátan), Iceland. Nominated writer: Margrét Örnólfsdóttir
The Inner Circle (Den inre cirkeln), Sweden. Nominated writer: Håkan Lindhé

Kieler Street (Kielergata), Norway. Nominated writers: Stig Frode Henriksen, Jesper Sundnes, Patrik Syversen
The New Nurses (Sygeplejeskolen), Denmark. Nominated writers: Claudia Boderke, Lars Mering
State of Happiness (Lykkeland), Norway. Nominated writer: Mette M. Bølstad

Adam Price, writer of the Danish TV series Ride Upon the Storm (Herrens veje), was the recipient of the 2018 Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize. Directed by Kaspar Munk and produced by Camilla Hammerich at DR Drama for DR. International distributor: Studiocanal. The 2018 jury consisted of jury president Walter Iuzzolino, Italy/UK, TV executive/curator of the streaming service Walter Presents; Sofia Helin, Sweden, actress (Bron/The Bridge) and Kirpi Uimonen Ballesteros, Finland, entertainment journalist, board member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association TV committee.

All nominated series 2018
Ride Upon the Storm (Herrens veje) Denmark. Nominated writer: Adam Price (2018 winner)
Stella Blómkvist, Iceland. Nominated writers: Jóhann Ævar Grímsson, Andri Óttarsson and Nanna Kristín Magnúsdóttir
The Lawyer (Advokaten), Sweden. Nominated writers: Karin Gidfors and Charlotte Lesche
Deadwind (Karppi), Finland. Nominated writers: Rike Jokela, Kirsi Porkka and Jari Olavi Rantala
Borderliner (Grenseland), Norway. Nominated writers: Megan Gallagher, Alexander Opsal, Bjørn Ekeberg

The first Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize in 2017 was awarded to Nobel (Norway) written by Stephen Uhlander and Mette M. Bølstad. The series is directed by Per-Olav Sørensen and produced by Håkon Briseid and Tone Rønning from Monster Scripted. The 2017 Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize jury consisted of Head of Jury Lars Blomgren Managing Director at Filmlance (Sweden), LA-based Swedish-American producer Gudrun Giddings from G4C Innovation (USA), Drama Consultant Isabelle Pechou (Denmark/France) and Film/TV critic Leena Virtanen (Finland).

All nominated series 2017
Nobel, Norway. Nominated writers: Mette. M. Bølstad and Stephen Uhlander  (2017 winner)
The Bonus Family (Bonusfamiljen), Sweden. Nominated writer: Jesper Harrie
The Day Will Come (Der kommer en dag), Denmark. Nominated writer: Søren Sveistrup
Love and Order (Myrskyn Jälkeen), Finland. Nominated writer: Kaarina Hazard and Leea Klemola
Prisoners (Fangar), Iceland. Nominated writers: Ragnar Bragason and Margrét Örnólfsdóttir