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UNA (Recurrence) gets 110 million ISK production grant – Selected for Focus Asia in Udine. Shooting early 2019.

Concept Drawing for UNA by art director Solrun Ósk

 

Una (Recurrence), a supernatural thriller written by Óttar M. Nordfjörd and Marteinn Thorsson and directed by Thorsson, has been awarded a 110 million ISK production grant (approx 1.1 million USD) from The Icelandic Film Centre (film is budgeted at 2.5 million USD/2.2 million EUR). The thriller marks a return for Thorsson to genre filmmaking, his first being the sci-fi One Point O (1.0), which premiered in competition at Sundance, 2004. Una was initially developed by Tenderlee but delegate producing duties are now handled by Gudrun Edda Thorhannesdóttir of DUO productions with Marteinn Thorsson as co-producer (ISL), as well as Gunnar Carlsson of Anagram (SWE) and Christian Riffard of Frozen Frogs (FRA). The Yellow Affair (SWE/FIN) is in charge of  global sales (excluding Iceland). Casting and other prep for the genre pic will start in late May.

The project has also been selected for the Focus Asia co-pro market at the Far East film festival in Udine (April 24-27, 2018).

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Supernatural Thriller UNA Gets Round Three from IFC

Hveragerdi, 3 December 2014

UNA, a supernatural thriller penned by Ottar Nordfjörd, has just been awarded round three screenwriting grant from The Icelandic Film Centre, placing it in a very good position for a production grant next year.

Story is about a young woman, UNA, who starts getting clues about the whereabouts of her son who disappeared over a year ago and soon she realizes her life might be in danger from the events of the past.

Marteinn Thorsson and Gudmundur Oskarsson are producing the thriller and Thorsson says they’re looking for co-producers in Iceland and abroad.

Film is budgeted around 1 million EUR.

Thorsson’s usual, intense auditioning process starts in December.

Una Test Shoot

Una Test Shoot

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PROTOS SELECTED FOR B’EST

DARK SHADOWS: A preliminary sketch for PROTOS. Artwork by Andrian Luchian - © 2014 by Andrian Luchian and Tenderlee Motion Pictures Company.

SHADOWS: A preliminary sketch for PROTOS. Artwork by Andrian Luchian – © 2014 by Andrian Luchian and Tenderlee Motion Pictures Company.

 

Marteinn Thorsson’s science fiction epic, PROTOS, has been selected for B’EST: Baltic East by West Producers’ Workshop.

PROTOS had previously been awarded a phase-one script grant from the Icelandic Film Centre.

The screenplay is inspired by Joseph Conrad’s novella HEART OF DARKNESS, which was also the basis for Francis Ford Coppola’s APOCALYPSE NOW, but PROTOS takes place in 3113 and centers on an amnesiac mercenary, HERA HANSEN, who is sent a mission by the World Corp Organization to track down and kill multi-billionaire HANS PO, but he has apparently gone mad on his volcanic island in Sector 354.

Gudni Lindal Benediktsson co-wrote the treatment with Thorsson with further assistance by Ottar M. Nordfjörd.

Thorsson describes the film as a philosophical cousin of Blade Runner and Apocalypse Now with the stylistic and tonal qualities of Sin City and Valhalla Rising.

Graphic Artists Andrian Luchian and Ramon Contini have created some preliminary artwork for the film.

 

ASGARD: A preliminary sketch for PROTOS. Artwork by Ramon Contini - © 2014 by Ramon Contini and Tenderlee Motion Pictures Company.

ASGARD: A preliminary sketch for PROTOS. Artwork by Ramon Contini – © 2014 by Ramon Contini and Tenderlee Motion Pictures Company.

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Tenderlee Acquires Best Seller “The Crime – A Love Story”

Tenderlee MPC has acquired the film rights to Árni Thórarinsson’s critically acclaimed The Crime – A Love Story (“Glæpurinn: ástarsaga”) which was a best seller last Christmas. Mr. Thórarinsson is best known for his series of thrillers about the investigative journalist Einar.

Writer/Director Marteinn Thorsson will write the screenplay and direct the film which will be shot in 2015.

The story takes place in Reykjavik one fateful day in December as Frida turns 18. On that day her father had promised to reveal to her the secret that tore her small family apart and left her mother in the gutter, addicted to drugs and alcohol. The past is slowly revealed in flashbacks as we travel between the three main characters and the terrible truth becomes clear. But as the day becomes night, will the family be reunited or does fate have something else in store for them?

More here (in Icelandic).

Marteinn Thorsson (director, left), Jóhann Páll Valdimarsson (publisher, centre) and Árni Thórarinsson (author, right) - Shake hands, happy campers. Pic was shot by Árni Thór Árnason

Marteinn Thorsson (director, left), Jóhann Páll Valdimarsson (publisher, centre) and Árni Thórarinsson (author, right). Pic was shot by Árni Thór Árnason

Glæpurinn - Ástarsaga

 

 

 

 

 

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Cinemavault takes XL

Toronto based Cinemavault has acquired XL for Worldwide sales and will be representing the film at the upcoming Berlin Film Market as well as other upcoming Film Festivals. Please contact:  sales@cinemavault.com for screeners.

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11 Nominations for XL @ The Edda’s

The Edda Awards (Iceland’s Film and Television Awards) were announced today and XL received 11 Nominations:

Best Film (Producers: Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Gudmundur Óskarsson, Marteinn Thorsson and Ragnheidur Erlingsdóttir)

Best Director (Marteinn Thorsson)

Best Screenplay (Gudmundur Óskarsson & Marteinn Thorsson)

Best Actor in a Leading Role (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson)

Best Actress in a Leading Role (María Birta Bjarnadóttir)

Best Supporting Actress (Nanna Kristín Magnúsdóttir)

Best Supporting Actress (Margrét Helga Jóhannsdóttir)

Best Cinematography (Bergsteinn Björgúlfsson)

Best Sound (Bogi Reynisson & Pétur Einarsson)

Best Editing (Stefanía Thors, Marteinn Thorsson, Sigurdur Eythorsson & Valdís Óskarsdóttir)

Best Original Score (Anna Thorvaldsdottir and Samaris)

Ragnar Bragason’s Metalhead got 16 nominations and Of Horses and Men 14 nods.

Full list here.

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Director Thorsson shooting new film: Tomorrow We Become One

Thora Karitas in Marteinn Thorsson's "Tomorrow We Become One"

Thora Karitas in Marteinn Thorsson’s “Tomorrow We Become One”

Marteinn Thorsson has started shooting his new film, Tomorrow We Become One (“Á morgun verðum við eitt”) in and around Reykjavik, Iceland. The film is about “love, loneliness and the compulsive yearning to merge with another human being. It also asks the question whether we are losing our ability to connect with our spiritual self.” The film has all ready shot for four days but the director says it’s a long term project, most likely to be shot intermittently over a period of one to three years “in my spare time from my job as a rehab counsellor”. The Director is also lensing the film along with his collaborator from XL, Bergsteinn Björgúlfsson. Other Cinematographers from around the world might join the fray as the shoot progresses as the film will partly be shot in Mexico and other countries.

Actors include:  Stefán Jónsson, Hafdís Helga Helgadóttir, Thelma Marín Jónsdóttir, Þórunn Magnea Magnúsdóttir, Snorri Ásmundsson, Vivianne Ólafsdóttir, Bergljót Arnalds, Inga María Eyjólfsdóttir, Þóra Karitas, Salóme R. Gunnarsdóttir, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Hafsteinn Gunnar Hafsteinsson, Þorsteinn Gunnar Bjarnason, Kolbeinn Arnbjörnsson, Álfrún Helga Örnólfsdóttir, Rúnar Guðbrandsson, Birna Hafstein and others.

 

Stefan Jonsson and Hafdís Helga Helgadóttir in Marteinn Thorsson's "Tomorrow We Become One"

Stefan Jonsson and Hafdís Helga Helgadóttir in Marteinn Thorsson’s “Tomorrow We Become One”

 

Kolbeinn Arnbjörnsson, Thelma Marín Jónsdóttir and Snorri Ásmundsson in Marteinn Thorsson's "Tomorrow We Become One".

Kolbeinn Arnbjörnsson, Thelma Marín Jónsdóttir and Snorri Ásmundsson in Marteinn Thorsson’s “Tomorrow We Become One”.

 

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IFC supports romcomdrama “Take 2” and suspense/horror “Una”

The Icelandic Film Centre has awarded Tenderlee MPC Phase 1 script grants for Gudmundur Óskarsson’s Take 2 and Ottar Nordfjörd’s Una. Both are set to be helmed by Marteinn Thorsson. The former is a romantic comedy about a burnt-out  football (soccer) star  who returns to his roots in a small town in Iceland only to discover that his old flame, the local beauty queen,  has also moved back. The latter is a suspense/horror tale of a young woman who insists her allegedly dead son is very much alive.

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XL now on Amazon in the USA

XL is now live on Amazon in the US. Thanks to our partners, Roger Jackson and Philipp Seul @ KinoNation.

 

Tenderlee Motion Pictures Company

Snorri Ásmundsson as the mysterious artist Antonius, in Marteinn Thorsson’s XL.

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XL by MARTEINN THORSSON released on HULU

XLbanner

XL, which won Olafur Darri Olafsson (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty) the Best Actor honours in Karlovy Vary this summer, will be released in the US with the help of VOD aggregator Kinonation. The first platform will be on Hulu and the filmmakers are very excited about this opportunity to be a part of the 21st Century mode of distribution. “It is a great honour to get to be a part of this model which is spearheaded by Kinonantion and to have the opportunity to work with the great people at Hulu. A small film like ours now has the chance to reach a much wider audience than just a few years ago”. Olafsson is gaining momentum as an actor and his upcoming projects are: “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”, starring Ben Stiller and Kristen Wiig, directed by Ben Stiller (Christmas 2013), “A Walk Among the Tombstones”, starring Liam Neeson, directed by Scott Frank (Spring 2014), “True Detectives”, HBO, starring Matthew McConaghey and Woody Harrelson, directed by Cary Fukunaga (January 2014), Banshee, Cinemax, starring Antony Starr, directed by O.C. Madsen (Spring 2013) and he is currently shooting “Line of Sight”, a pilot for AMC, directed by Jonathan Demme.

XL on Hulu: http://www.hulu.com/xl

PRAISE FOR XL

“See it. XL is harrowing in all the right cinematic ways, not the least of which invovles you being so visually and sxperientially close to the despicable main character that you’re riveted to the film’s hide-and-seek narrative to find out if anyone innocent gets hurt.”

– CBC, Mario Trono

 “Icelandic film XL is a mesmerising mélange of chaotic images and is intriguing and provocative.”

– Screen International, Mark Adams

 “ … a nightmare that’s alternately funny and horrifying, building to the perfect climax.”

– The Huffington Post, Robin Wright

 “… a seriously dark black comedy.”

– Empire, Damon Wise

“The Hangover Parts 4, 5, 6 and 7.”

– The Hollywood Reporter, Stephen Dalton

 “…XL very effectively simulates the disorientation of a permanently intoxicated mind. Ólafur Ólafsson, who received the Best Actor award for his performance, plays the rampaging Leifur with magnetic brio—a reprehensible and thoroughly pitiable character, stuck emptily chasing extremes.”

– Film Comment, Giovanni Marchini Camia

 “XL is an ugly film, a dirty film, a film that you almost need to take a shower after wallowing in all the filth within. It’s not a film for everyone, for sure, but it’s above all a good film. Seek it out when possible.”

– Twitch, Swarez

xl_ENGLISH-poster2-A1_KVIFF

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