Outsider Pictures has struck a deal with Berlin-based international sales agent Picture Tree International for U.S. distribution rights to a pair of Scandinavian dramas, “Stormskerry Maja” and “The Missile.” Both films will get limited theatrical runs next spring.
Outsider Pictures, founded and headed by Paul Hudson, has found success with several Scandinavian films in the past, such as “Adam’s Apples” and “Helene.”
“Although the main focus is on Latin and Spanish cinema, we remain open to good films from anywhere in the world,” Hudson explained to Variety.
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“‘Stormskerry Maja’ is that classic ‘they don’t make them like this anymore’ film,” the Outsider boss said before alluding to the film’s tremendous local box office success; “Half a million Finns can’t be wrong.”
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A logline for the film reads: “A young girl in the harshest corner of Earth. Death, war, and love shape the girl into a modern woman. She becomes stronger than her opponent: the unforgiving Northern Sea.”
Of Outsider’s second Scandi acquisition unveiled today, Hudson explains that although the events of Finland’s “’The Missile’ took place 40 years ago, it feels like a story that could happen today, only with a typical Nordic sense of humor that can make the darkest story comedic.”
Set around Christmas 1984, “The Missile” follows Niina, a single mother who finds herself in the middle of an international missile crisis in Inari when the Soviet Union shoots a projectile across the Finnish border.
According to the team at Picture Tree, “We are thrilled to collaborate with Outsider Pictures and Paul Hudson, a trusted partner who truly understands the essence of these films. With Paul’s expertise and dedication, we are confident that ‘The Missile’ and ‘Stormskerry Maja’ will find the audiences they richly deserve in the U.S.”
