‘We Need to Dare to Make Change’: New Nordic Narratives Lab Looks to Rewrite Script for Finnish Drama

variety.com:

Christopher Vourlias The Finnish Film Affair, a showcase for new films from the host country and the Nordics, will for the first time feature TV dramas at this year’s event, which runs parallel to the Helsinki International Film Festival — Love & Anarchy (HIFF).

Alongside the 26 feature film and documentary projects being presented to industry guests during an onstage event on Sept. 22 will be a curated selection of four TV drama series from Finland. “This is something that both the local industry and our international guests have frequently requested from us,” said Maria Pirkkalainen, director of Finnish Film Affair. “We already piloted highlighting a few selected Finnish TV series in 2019 to great feedback and feel like now is the right time to continue this, especially with a record number of international guests joining us here in Helsinki.” The four selected projects are in the early development stage, each with the backing of a Finnish broadcaster already secured.

Ahead of the showcase, the shows’ creators are taking part in a workshop with New Nordic Narratives, a holistic lab focused on sustainability and inclusion.

According to the lab’s creators, scriptwriter Valeria Richter and producer Helene Granqvist, the goal of New Nordic Narratives is to build on the traditional model of a project development lab by helping to redefine the role of filmmakers and series creators as “change agents” whose impact can go far beyond the screen.