NENT Group will produce two major English-language films every year, bringing the stories of famous and less famous Nordic figures and events to international audiences. First project Hilmais written and directed by Oscar nominee Lasse Hallström.
Hilma, which will premiere exclusively on Viaplay streaming service in 2022, is produced by NENT Studios with Helena Danielsson as producer and Josephine Zapata Genetay as executive producer. It is a biopic of the revolutionary Swedish artist and feminist pioneer Hilma afKlint, written and directed by Lasse Hallström (Oscar-nominated for The Cider House Rules and My Life as aDog) and starring Lena Olin (Oscar-nominated for Enemies, A Love Story).
One of Sweden’s most celebrated directors, Lasse Hallström’s credits include the acclaimed Hollywood films What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Chocolat and The Shipping News, for which he received a Golden Bear nomination at the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival.Lena Olin appeared in Ingmar Bergman’s Fanny and Alexander and After the Rehearsal before a Golden Globe shortlisting for her first major international role in The Unbearable Lightness of Being, which she followed with memorable performances in Sydney Pollack’s Havana,Romeo Is Bleedingand recently The Artist’s Wife opposite Bruce Dern.
Hilma will explore the enigmatic life of Hilma afKlint (1862-1944), whose unconventional art and spirituality meant that her 1,300 works remained largely unknown for decades. Today, afKlint is recognised as one of the Western world’s first abstract artists, an achievement made even more impressive by the static, male-dominated artistic scene that surrounded her.
In the film, Lena Olin will play Hilma afKlint in her later years, with Olin and Lasse Hallström’s daughter Tora Hallström (‘Hachi: A Dog’s Tale’) portraying the artist in her younger days.
Hallström: ‘I’ve spent three years trying to understand the mystery of Hilma afKlint. This is a story about an unwavering search for the truth about humanity and the universe, at a time when men made all the rules. Despite so many obstacles, Hilma created art thatinfluences our lives today. My ambition is for the audience to experience these struggles with all their senses’.
FilippaWallestam, NENT Group Chief Content Officer: ‘Hilma afKlint literally changed the way we look at the world. She happens to be Swedish, but her story says something important to audiences everywhere. It’s so special to work with talents of the calibre of Lasse, Lena and Tora, and it’s even better when the project means so much to everyone involved. ‘Hilma’ and our coming films make NENT Group’s ambitions clear. Nobody in the Nordic region is thinking as big as this’.
Anders Jensen, NENT Group President and CEO: ‘The impact that women and men from the small countries in the Nordics have had on the world is nothing less than extraordinary. Many are of course very well known, but others are less known or even almost unknown. We want to share these stories with the world and hopefully find new perspectives that will both enlighten and entertain. In today’s very competitive streaming world it is key to stand out and be relevant. For us, building on who we are, where we come from and what we stand for is a very clear differentiator that will support our vision of becoming the European streaming champion. Today’s news is an amazing stepping stone on that journey’.
