London-based Cineflix Rights, shopper of the Int’l Emmy-winner “Tehran” and BBC hit series “The Walsh Sisters,” has inked a raft of major sales on the Nordic blue crime “Hildur,” based on Finnish author Satu Rämö’s literary phenomenon.
Rights on the six-part series in English and Scandinavian were snagged by Canal+ in France, NPO in the Netherlands, SBS in Australia, RTV in Slovenia, and LTV in Latvia, said the indie TV content distributor as Mipcom kicks off in Cannes.
The deals come on the heels of the show’s massive success in co-commissioning territories Iceland via streamer Síminn — where it rates among the biggest local dramas ever — and Finland via Nelonen Media’s platform Ruutu.
Meanwhile Rämö’s series of books about detective Hildur continue to captivate readers around the world. So far more than 2 million copies have sold in 30 territories.
“Following its success in Finland and Iceland, we’re delighted to be rolling the series out internationally with these deals,” said Cineflix Rights CEO Tim Mutimer, who highlights the show’s unique selling points. “’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, humor, and the emotional fallout of loss, all set against the atmospheric setting of Iceland’s Westfjords.”
Adapted by Finnish head writer Matti Laine (“Bordertown,” “The Paradise”) with Icelandic co-scribe Margret Örnolfsdottir (“Trapped,” “The Valhalla Murders”), the show toplines Ebba Katrín Finnsdóttir (a recent winner of a Nordic Freya Award) as detective Hildur, who takes to surfing to heal past traumas while investigating a series of murders. She is flanked by unlikely allies: Finnish trainee officer Jakob (Lauri Tikkanen of “Deadwind”) who has a soft spot for knitting, and the German Florian (“Das Boot”), mistakenly assigned to her team.
The premium show was co-produced by Finland’s Take Two Studios and Iceland’s Sagafilm, provider of Cineflix’s earlier Icelandic hit “The Minister,” in association with leading private funder IPR.VC.
The sales to France, Slovenia, Latvia and Australia were brokered by Cineflix Rights’ sales executives Sabrina Ayala, Lucy Rawson and Chris Bluett, while the deal with the Netherlands was facilitated by Lumiere, which picked up rights for the Benelux.
Other strong IP-based scripted shows on Cineflix Rights’ Mipcom slate take in the crime procedural “Anna Pigeon” (USA Network, Bell Media) based on the “Nevada Barr “mysteries, and “The Walsh Sisters” (RTÉ, BBC) inspired by Marian Keyes’s novels.