Sweden’s Platform Productions, the makers of Ruben Østlund’s Palme d’Or-winning films “Triangle of Sorrow” and “The Square,” has entered into a co-production partnership with Norway’s Motleys for the psychological thriller series “En Telefon Ringer Mitt i Natten.”
The four-part project, which marks the platform’s first foray into television fiction, has been selected as a co-pro series for the Berlin Co-Production Market and will be pitched to commissioning editors, distributors and series investors looking for early export drama on February 17th.
Produced and directed by platform partner Mikkel Sy Karlsson, The Phone Rings at Midnight is in development with support from Swedish Television and the regional fund Film i Väst. Additional development support is provided by the Swedish Film Institute and MEDIA Development.
As previously announced, two of Sweden’s best-known actors, Henrik Drusin (The Triangle of Sorrow, Solsidane) and Shanti Ronny (Nymphomaniac, Together) will also be joining the project.
Producers are Eric Hemmendorf, Axel Danielsson and Maximilian van Aertrik.
The story begins on a summer night in a small Swedish town. Mats – the drummer of a popular middle-aged dance band – wakes up to an anonymous text message, “You fat, disgusting pig!” What at first appears to be random abuse escalates into a relentless campaign of terror against Matts and his family, and the situation begins to reveal a dark, layered story with roots more than 40 years ago.
“We set out to create a different kind of revenge drama inspired by real events,” said writer-director Carlson. “Told in four parts, altering the perspectives of victim and perpetrator, past and present, at its core is a provocative question: Is revenge justified, and who ultimately owns the truth?”
For the platform, this series extends a company profile built on unique authors and international launch positioning. In addition to Östlund, other films include Ninja Thyberg’s “Pleasure” and Berlin and Sundance Award-winning director Danielsson and van Eertrik’s “Fantastic Machine.”
Motlys brings Norwegian co-production capabilities and a proven track record of filmmaker-led storytelling with global reach. His credits include the drama series “Home Ground,” as well as the Berlin Golden Bear Award-winning films “Dreams,” “Thelma,” “Louder Than Bombs,” “Blind,” “Oslo, August 31st,” and “Welcome to Norway.”
