Finland Unveils Six Drama Series at Mipcom, Full of Mysteries, Accidents and ‘Networking Events So Silent You Can Hear the Crunch of a Cucumber’ (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Marta Balaga Finnish series creators are ready to laugh – also at themselves. “While cultures vary, a fish-out-of-water experience is universal,” says writer Beata Harju, behind “Lay Low and Don’t Be Fabulous” about a woman who just can’t let go of her ex.

Or of her Finnish roots. “Finland is the perfect setting for a culture-clash comedy, because our networking events are so silent, you can hear the crunch of a cucumber.” The show, set to bow in the Focus on Finland showcase at Mipcom, won’t be the only one led by complex female protagonists.

In “True North,” three women fight for power after Egyptian refugee, Layla, joins a catering company with a secret. “Through placing the story in [Spain’s] Marbella, where international jet-setters and social media celebrities live next to refugees and locals struggling to get by, we create a unique story around some of the inequalities of today’s society,” says Anna Blom of Jamedia Production. “I am giving my knowledge and input as a half Egyptian, but I am not digging into my own roots or experiences this time,” admits “Getaways & Dreams” director Kaisa El Ramly, who writes alongside Blom and Kajsa Törnroth. “It’s a truly international story told by two Finnish-Swedes, one half-Finn, half-Egyptian and one Spaniard, aiming to stay true to the horrors taking place between the refugees fleeing into Europe and the rich turning a blind eye.

But mainly, it’s about three women ending up together due to a tragic accident.” “Seconds,” Helsinki-based Fire Monkey’s first German co-production with NDR and YLE, also takes a look at the aftermath of a horrific event: a train disaster that claimed multiple victims. “We are already planning and writing the second season to be produced in the.