3.2.2016

Nordic Animation boom still going strong!

According to the projects selected to Cartoon Movie, taking place in early March, all Nordic countries are well represented promising good days for the Nordic animation boom. Both Norway and Denmark have more than one feature in line, Sweden is also along with one interesting project like Latvia and Lithuania too. Finland’s Tirlittan has newcomers on the producer side but not as its director.

Tirlittan is a very popular children’s story dating back to the year 1953 when published as a novel by Oiva Paloheimo. Read by many generations it is a true classic with the tragic story of an orphan girl.

The story has not been animated before, but a live action film was made already in the 1950s. However, the tv version from the late 1960s is more popular. The first animated adaptation will be directed by Kari Juusonen, credited for both Niko movies and Angry Birds Stella series just to mention a few highlights of the 2001 Cannes-winner.  

The producers Kaarle Aho and Kai Nordberg are least newcomers in live action productions. Their most recent successes The Fencer was nominated at the Golden Globes and shortlisted at Oscars. Producers did a tour in USA both for promoting the film as well as new projects. The interest in Kari Juusonen’s next feature has been flashy, say both producers.

Europe’s leading co-production forum for animated features Cartoon Movie has been organised since 1999. In 2015 it had 750 participants from which 200 were buyers including distributors. The approval process for projects has become tighter and tighter year after year. If France has the biggest animation industry in Europe with many projects approved every year, Finland has done very well to its size. 

More info cartoon-media.eu

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