The Swedish Film Institute (SFI) has officially announced its second production funding slate for this year. Among the selected projects are the upcoming films directed by Tomas Alfredson, Thomas Vinterberg and Eskil Vogt, and movies starring Noomi Rapace and Monica Bellucci, along with the sequel to King Fury, with Michael Fassbender and Arnold Schwarzenegger starring. In total, nine feature-length fiction films, six feature documentaries and 11 shorts have been supported by the institute with funds totalling SEK 22.9 million (€2.2 million), SEK 10.67 million (€1,011,500) and SEK 2.65 million (€251,000), respectively.

Starting with the four Swedish majority productions, The Jönsson Gang [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] is Tomas Alfredson’s first Swedish-language film since Let the Right One In [+leggi anche:
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intervista: John Nordling
intervista: Tomas Alfredson
scheda film], and is part of a successful Swedish crime-comedy franchise that was recently rebooted (see the news). The picture has received SEK 1 million (€95,000) and is being produced by Pontus Edgren, Fatima Varhos and Anna Carlsen, for FLX. The Swedish release is scheduled for late 2019 and will be handled by SF Studios. The horror flick The Other Side [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], written and directed by Oskar Mellander and Tord Danielsson, is inspired by real-life events and follows a couple that moves into a haunted house. The evil presence that lives there wants their five-year-old son, whatever the cost. Produced by Gila Bergqvist Ulfung, for Breidablick Film Produktion AB, the film has received SEK 3 million (€284,500).

The Ape Star [+leggi anche:
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As for Swedish minority co-productions, the SFI has supported five more features. Thomas Vinterberg is making Mads Mikkelsen experiment with alcohol in his upcoming Another Round [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], produced on the Swedish side by Lizette Jonjic, for Zentropa Sweden AB, the company in receipt of the SEK 1.2 million (€114,000) grant. Lamb [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Valdimar Jóhannsson
scheda film] by first-time Icelandic composer, musician, sound engineer, dancer, director and writer Valdimar Jóhannsson follows a childless couple of sheep farmers. On Christmas Eve, one of their sheep gives birth to a creature that is half human, half lamb, and they decide to take care of it in spite of the consequences. Starring Noomi Rapace, the movie’s script was written by Sjón and Valdimar Jóhannsson, and Piodor Gustafsson, of Sweden’s Black Spark Productions AB, received SEK 1 million (€95,000) in support.

Acclaimed Norwegian scriptwriter-director Eskil Vogt is directing The Innocents [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Eskil Vogt
scheda film], a thriller in which four children’s innocent play suddenly takes a frightening turn when unexpected things begin to happen. On the Swedish side, producer Lizette Jonjic, for Zentropa Sweden AB, received SEK 1 million (€95,000) in support. The Man Who Sold His Skin by Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania (Beauty and the Dogs [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Kaouther Ben Hania
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Following the success of his short B movie King Fury, David Sandberg is starring in and directing the feature-length sequel, King Fury 2, which will be a cult action-comedy set in Miami in 1985. The city is being protected by the titular cop, but a mysterious villain emerges from the shadows. Starring Michael Fassbender, Arnold Schwarzenegger and David Hasselhoff, the film received SEK 1 million (€95,000) for its producers Fredrik Heinig and Pelle Nilsson, of B-Reel Films AB.

Finally, six documentaries received backing from the Swedish Film Institute: Always Amber [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Hannah Reinikainen, Lia Hi…
scheda film] by Hannah Reinikainen and Lia Hietala, produced by Story AB, with SEK 1.5 million (€142,000); Genesis by David Herdies and Michael Krotkiewski, produced by Momento Film AB, with SEK 1.85 million (€175,000); Push [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Fredrik Gertten
intervista: Leilani Farha
scheda film] by Fredrik Gertten, produced by WG Film AB, with SEK 1.85 million (€175,000); Samtidigt på Jorden by Carl Olsson, produced by De Andra Film AB, with SEK 1.57 million (€148,800); Scheme Birds [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Ellen Fiske and Ellinor Hallin, produced by Sisyfos Film Production, with SEK 2 million (€189,500); and Stop at Idomeni [+leggi anche:
intervista: David Aronowitsch
scheda film] by David Aronowitsch, produced by Story AB, with SEK 1.9 million (€180,000).