Cineflix Rights announced a new round of international sales for Hildur at Mipcom. The six-part crime drama, produced in English and Scandinavian languages, is coproduced by Take Two Studios and Sagafilm for Finnish streaming service Ruutu and Icelandic broadcaster Síminn TV.
The series has been acquired by Canal+ in France, NPO in the Netherlands, SBS in Australia, RTV in Slovenia and LTV in Latvia, expanding its international distribution following its launch in Finland and Iceland.
Based on the novels by Satu Rämö, which have sold more than two million copies across 30 territories, Hildur is set in the remote Westfjords region of Iceland. The story follows a detective who, 25 years after her two sisters disappeared on their way home from school, becomes involved in investigating a series of baffling crimes in her hometown.
Joined by Jakob, a Finnish trainee officer looking for a fresh start, and Florian, a German recruit mistakenly assigned to the team, Hildur begins to unravel long-standing mysteries before discovering that they are on the trail of a cunning serial killer.
Ebba Katrín Finnsdóttir, who plays the title character, received the Valkyrie Award at the inaugural edition of the Freyas, the Nordic Film and TV Awards, held last month.
“Hildur is the perfect example of the distinctive Nordic Blue genre: a gripping police thriller that delivers not only crime and mystery, but also explores bigger themes of friendship, family, love, humour and the emotional fallout of loss, all set against the atmospheric backdrop of Iceland’s Westfjords,” said Tim Mutimer, CEO of Cineflix Rights. “Following the series’ success in Finland and Iceland, we’re delighted to be rolling it out internationally with these deals.”
The agreements were negotiated by members of Cineflix Rights’ sales team. Sabrina Ayala, Sales Consultant for Iberia, Italy, French-speaking Europe and French Canada, handled the Canal+ deal. Lucy Rawson, VP of Sales for German-speaking Europe, CEEMEA and the Southern Mediterranean, closed the agreements with RTV and LTV, while Chris Bluett, SVP of Sales for Asia Pacific and Benelux, negotiated the SBS deal. The Netherlands acquisition was brokered by Belgian distributor Lumière, which secured the Benelux rights.
Hildur is a coproduction between Finnish company Take Two Studios and Icelandic producer Sagafilm, in association with IPR.VC. The series is directed by Tinna Hrafnsdóttir (Reykjavik 112, Vigdis, Descendants) and written by head writer Matti Laine (Bordertown, The Paradise) alongside Margret Örnolfsdottir (Trapped, Prisoners).
Executive producers are Sara Norberg and Eero Hietala for Take Two Studios; Kjartan Thor Thordarson and Tjörvi Thorsson for Sagafilm; and Timo Argillander, James Baker and Andrea Scarso for IPR.VC. Cineflix Rights serves as the series’ worldwide distribution partner.
