SF Studios has acquired Paradox, the well-established Scandinavian company behind Erik Poppe’s “U-July 22,” to launch Norwegian production operations.
SF Studios, which will be celebrating its centenary next year, has up until now focused on the production of feature films and drama series in Sweden and Denmark. The company also boasts distribution operations in Norway and Finland as well as international sales department.
The acquisition of Paradox underscores SF Studios’ ambition to expand its reach across the Nordic market and become a leading player in Norway. In recent years, Norway has become a key market for content thanks to its booming talent pool.
Under the deal, SF Studios will now be handling the Nordic distribution and international sales of all current and upcoming projects at Paradox, whose credits include “The King’s Choice,” which was Norway’s highest-grossing film in 2016, as well as Berlin competition title “U-July 22,” a drama about the July 2011 terrorist attacks in Norway in Oslo and nearby Utoya island.
“I am very excited and proud that Paradox will be a part of SF Studios,” said Michael Porseryd, CEO at SF Studios. “Finn Gjerdrum, Stein B. Kvae and Erik Poppe are all great creators and I am looking forward to working with them to take SF Studios to the next level.
“Together with the rest of the very talented team at Paradox, they will become a crucial part in making us the leading producer and distributor of feature films and TV series in the Nordics.”
Tim King, the executive vice president of production at SF Studios, described Norway as “an attractive market with several huge film and TV drama successes in recent years,” and said SF Studios had been “for some time looking for a way to establish our own production activities and strengthen our position in that market.”
Kvae, who has been Paradox’s chairman for the last 17 years, will now focus on production with partner Gjerdrum. Kvae described SF Studios has an “experienced, ambitious and international” company.
“In a market that is more exciting and more demanding than ever, we can not imagine a better company to take us forward on our new journey”, Kvae said.
