“Frostbite” by Anders Banke
FILMPOOL NORD + FILM I SKÅNE
To use locations in the far North and a studio in the far South of Sweden may sound like a reckless engagement. But for the production of the vampire movie “Frostbite” the distance was a trifle as co-producing with two Swedish regional film funds was the perfect solution.
When the Swedish vampire film “Frostbite” was prospected it was only natural for producer Magnus Paulsson, Solid Entertainment, to contact the regional film funds Filmpool and Film i Skåne.
“The story of “Frostbite” was written by Daniel Ojanlatva who lives in the far north of Sweden. It takes place in a small community and we needed loads of ice and snow, so it was logical to work with Filmpool Nord and do all the exteriors up there. At the same time our office is situated in Malmö and we wanted to do the interiors in the South, close to home, so Film i Skåne was also a given partner” Magnus Paulsson explains.
Right from the first presentation of the project both Filmpool Nord and Film i Skåne have been engaged and very supportive, which according to Magnus Paulsson eased the planning and the production immensely. “We had to do lots of advanced special effects and all the exteriors were made in 30 degrees minus in an almost inhuman speed before the ice would melt. We also had to transport the gear, the crew and the cast across the country up to Northern Kalix and then back again, in order to do the studio parts in Ystad. It was tough but fun and the enthusiasm and support from both Filmpool Nord and Film i Skåne was vital for the project”.
“Frostbite” was released 2006 and has reclaimed several awards and nominations and has been screened at festivals around the world.
“Counting territories, it was the best selling Swedish language film in 2006. We have sold to more that 45 territories, among others Russia – and due to that we are now involved in a Russian action film, ”Breaking News”, with release in the spring of 2009” Magnus Paulsson states.
In order to get support from Filmpool Nord and Film i Skåne, Solid Entertainment had to employ 50% of the crew from each of the two regions.
“It took some time to solve the crew from the Northern part, as there were two other film productions being shot parallely with ours. But in the end we found really skilled people and had a team of mixed people from the two regions throughout the whole production” Magnus Paulsson says and stresses that the production in the North was a very positive experience once everything was in place
“The inhabitants of Kalix were so involved and helpful – very unlike when you shoot in a big city - nothing was ever a problem, everything was solvable, which was one of the reasons why the shooting went so well in spite of the cold and the pressed time schedule”.
Even the studio part on the home base went very smoothly and was a comfortable contrast after the icy outdoor.
“It felt good to change to an indoor environment of 30 degrees + after the cold” Magnus Paulsson says and continues “and the combination of the support from both Filmpool Nord and Film i Skåne has wet the appetite to find new projects with natural ingredients to allow this constellation”.
Source: Cine-Regio, April 2008
Facts ”Frostbite”
Synopsis
Annika and Saga, a medical doctor and her 17-year old daughter, have just moved to Lapland as Annika is going to work at the hospital there. The little town with seemingly endless polar night appears to be just as boring as Saga thought it would be. At her new school however, Saga quickly gets new friends through Vega, a red-and-black-haired goth girl who acts as if she’s known Saga for years…
Original Title: Frostbiten
English title: Frostbite
Original language: German, Swedish
Year of production: 2005-2006
Genre: Vampire – horror/comedy
Director: Anders Banke
Writer: Daniel Ojanlatva
Origin of production: Sweden
Distribution Scandinavia: Paramount
World sales: Non Stop Sales
Producer: Magnus Paulsson, Solid Entertainment AB
Co-Producers: Göran Lindström Moviemakers Nord, Film i Skåne, Filmpool Nord, Yggdrasil, Fido Film, Cinestar Production, Cinepost, Persson-Mothander Film, Svenska Stuntgruppen, Karl Penser.
Crew:
Director of Photography: Chris Maris
Editor: Kiko Sjöberg
Composer: Anthony Lledo
Special effects: Fido Film AB and Ulitka
Cast:
Petra Nielsen
Jonas Karlström
Grete Havnesköld
Carl-Åke Eriksson
Måns Nathanaelson
Thomas Hedengran
Awards and nominations:
2006, Screamfest LA Horror Film Festival
Awarded Best Score, Best Makeup, Best Special Effects
2006, Fantasporto Film Festival
Awarded The Grand Prix for Best Film
2006, Cinénygma Luxembourg International Film Festival
Special mention
2006, Trieste Science + Fiction
Special mention