Mikko Makela and James Watson’s UK production company Bêtes Sauvages is expanding into Finland, where the firm will work on both Finnish and international projects.
Bêtes Sauvages Finland was launched at last week’s Finnish Film Affair, the industry strand of Helsinki International Film Festival – Love and Anarchy (HIFF).
The company’s inaugural slate includes a TV adaptation of Finnish novelist Pajtim Statovci’s 2019 novel Bolla, a love story about a man fleeing the Kosovan war of the 1990s.
Through its UK base, Bêtes Sauvages produced Makela’s second feature Sebastian, which premiered at Sundance in January, in co-production with Finland’s Helsinki-film, Belgium’s Lemming Film and the UK’s barry crerar. Having played HIFF earlier this month, the film will open in Finland through Cinemanse on October 25. LevelK handles world sales.
“It’s no surprise that my first two films [Sebastian and 2017 debut A Moment in the Reeds] were set in Finland and London respectively,” says Makela, who was born in Finland but has lived in the UK for almost half his life. “Whilst those two films were in English, there are stories we’d like to tell in both languages, in both countries.”
“This seems like the logical step to making that happen, allowing us to develop and originate projects in-house in Finland,” added Watson. “It also gives us more flexibility in being able to support projects as co-producers.”
Makela and Watson are the UK co-producers on Anke Blonde’s upcoming Dust, on which production is led by Dries Phlypo of A Private View in co-production with Poland’s Shipsboy and Greece’s Heretic.
Watson was named a Screen UK-Ireland Star of Tomorrow this year; while Sebastian cast Ruaridh Mollica and Hiftu Quasem have been named Rising Stars Scotland, alongside barry crerar producers Ciara Barry and Rosie Crerar.
No comments yet