Foto: Casten på «Blackport»

Den norske serien Jordbrukerne var også nominert, men nådde altså ikke opp. Den islandske serien Blackport (Verbúðin) er skrevet av Gísli Örn Gardarsson, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson og Mikael Torfason.

Handlingen i serien er satt til en liten fiskelandsby på Island på 1980-tallet. Her følger vi ekteparet Harpa og Grimur som bygger opp en fiskeribedrift sammen med noen barndomsvenner. Men et nytt kvotesystem og privatisering av fiskesonene leder i maktkamp og feider. Handlingen er løselig basert på faktiske hendelser som ga Island deres første milliardærer.

Det er femte gangen denne manusprisen er delt ut. Det skjedde under en seremoni på Gøteborg Internasjonale Film Festival. Det er Nordisk Film & TV Fond som finansierer prisen på 200 000 norske kroner. Tidligere norske vinnere er Sara Johnsen og Pål Sletaune for 22.juli og Mette Bølstad og Stephen Uhlander for Nobel.

Izer Aliu og Anne Bjørnstad var nominert sammen med forfatterne bak fire serier fra de andre nordiske landene:

DE NOMINERTE:

Blackport (Verbúðin)
Iceland, 2021, 8×50’
Nominated writers: Gísli Örn Gardarsson, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Mikael Torfason
Broadcasters: RÚV, ARTE France
Produced by: Vesturport
Producers: Nana Alfredsdóttir, Gísli Örn Gardarsson, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Nina Dögg Filippusdóttir
Directors: Gísli Örn Gardarsson, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, María Reyndal
Premiere: December 26, 2021
Sales: About Premium Content

Set in the 1980‘s in a small Icelandic fishing village, the story follows a married couple, Harpa and Grimur, as they build a small fishing empire along with their childhood friends. Due to the introduction of a new fishing quota system in the country, where the fishing grounds are privatised, the struggle for power results in a feud of jealousy, greed and betrayal. A collective venture, that mirrors true events as they played out and dramatically changed the political landscape in Iceland, creating the countries first billionaires.

Countrymen (Jordbrukerne)
Norway, 2021, 8×45’
Nominated writers: Izer Aliu, Anne Bjørnstad
Broadcasters: NRK, ARTE France
Produced by: Rubicon
Producers: Mikael Diseth, Fridrik H. Mar
Directors: Izer Aliu, Aurora Gossé, Brwa Vahabpour
Premiere: October 28, 2021
Sales: Banijay Rights

Countrymen follows a group of young men from inner city Oslo, who move to a farm in picturesque Telemark. While pretending to be driven by a shared interest for agriculture, their real intention is something entirely different. One thing leads to another, and against their will the guys from Oslo end up as founders of Norway’s first halal cheese making business. Countrymen is a story about community and belonging, and about finding meaning in your life where you least expect it.

Transport (Transport)
Finland, 2022, 8×45’
Nominated writer: Auli Mantila
Broadcaster: Yle
Produced by: Tekele Productions
Producers: Miia Haavisto, Tia Talli
Director: Auli Mantila
Premiere: March 25, 2022
Sales: REinvent

A journalist wants to trace a microchip found in baby food. Her inquiries lead her to the illicit horse trade in Europe. A bank manager makes a mistake. When she fails to cover it up, she falls prey to something bigger. A border control veterinarian goes missing. An insurance investigator wants to know what happened. Transport is a story about ordinary people who all have their skin in the game.

The Shift (Det største)
Denmark, 2022, 8×40’
Nominated writer: Lone Scherfig
Broadcaster: TV 2
Produced by: Creative Alliance
Producer: Malene Blenkov
Directors: Lone Scherfig, Ole Christian Madsen, Søren Balle
Premiere: May 2022
Sales: Beta Film (World Sales), TV 2 Denmark (Nordic territories)

The Shift, an emotional, contemporary workplace drama, transpires in a maternity ward: a special, almost secret arena, where a vast majority of us still at some point spends the most crucial hours of our lives. Throughout a busy and stressful workday, they experience their biggest conflicts and most heartfelt joys, while striving to meet sky-high professional and personal standards.

Vi i villa (Vi i villa)
Sweden, 2022, 6×30’
Nominated writer: Tove Eriksen Hillblom
Co-writers: Henrik Schyffert, Maria Nygren
Broadcaster: Discovery + / Kanal 5
Produced by: FLX
Producer: Lejla Besic
Director: Henrik Schyffert, John Nordling
Premiere: Spring 2022
Sales: TBD

Couple dinners with endless talk of pointless home renovations. Playing paddle tennis. Quality time and shared family calendar. Anders’ dreams are long gone and he’s sick of trying to fit into an existence he loathes. The charade of middle-class adulthood could well have continued, however, until Anders finds out his daughter is being ostracised at school and has had enough. Desperate in his yearning for change he starts harassing his neighbours.