Beta previously sold the sprawling Finnish drama series “Estonia” to German broadcasting group Seven.One Entertainment Group, the parent company of ProSieben.
The eight-hour drama, which is about the most serious civilian naval disaster in modern European history, has entered its third week of shooting.
Produced by Fisher King, a subsidiary of Beta Nordic Studio, the dramatized the sinking of the MS Estonia on September 28, 1994 that killed more than 850 people. The series also chronicles the tentacle investigation that began in the aftermath of the tragedy.
Miikko Oikkonen (“Bordertown” and “Helsinki Syndrome”) created the series based on numerous survivor testimonials, which were cataloged until recently. The story is told through the perspectives of survivors, investigators, and journalists.
Estonia unites the creative team behind Chernobyl, including award-winning Swedish director Mance Monsson (“Snapa Cash”), cinematographer Jani Petteri Pacey and VFX firm DNEG.
The series is directed by Månsson and Finnish director Juuso Syrjä (“Bordertown”, “Helsinki Syndrome”). Filming is currently taking place on the world’s most advanced inland water stage located in Belgium, and will continue in Turkey, Finland, Sweden and Estonia.
“Estonia” starring Katja Winter (“Dexter,” “Sleepy Hollow,” “Agent Hamilton”), Jussi Nikkilä (“Love and Other Troubles”), Peter Andersson (“Jack Ryan”), and Arndt Schwering-Sohnrey (“Inglourious”). Basterds”, “Who Am I”, “White Ribbon”), and Pelle Heikkilä (“Hidden Heroes”), among others.
Talking to diverse During filming, Manson said he had to overcome his initial fears of committing to a complex, emotionally charged, multinational project once he found out he would once again be working with “worldwide team” Pacey and DNEG.
“Like ‘Chernobyl,’ there’s definitely some movement, but it’s all about the characters,” Manson said. “It has to be meaningful, otherwise why would we make a series about a disaster?” He said directing “Estonia” was a “healing experience” because the shipwreck caused It is in shock in Sweden and is still considered an open wound due to the fact that a lengthy investigation by Sweden, Finland and Estonia has never established the cause of the tragedy.
“The sinking of the MS Estonia is one of the great unresolved tragedies of recent times and therefore provides plenty of space for conspiracy theories. This is moving material that moves anyone who encounters it,” said Henrik Pabst, CEO of Seven.One Entertainment Group.
Pabst continued, “Having already had real success on ProSieben and Joyn with Månsson’s ‘Chernobyl’ series, I’m glad we can also introduce his new project Estonia to our viewers and users on our platforms.”
Justus Riesenkampff, CEO of Beta Nordic Studios, said Estonia is a milestone for Fisher King and Finland. “It’s a whole new level. Estonia has a budget three times higher than the average Finnish series,” Risenkampf said, adding that it’s also Fisher King’s most ambitious show to date.
“It is one of the biggest mysteries in the region and it remains a closely related story to this day, so we knew we had found a different angle from the usual romance plot and the shipwreck,” said the CEO, who praised the show’s “unique approach,” as well as its “new, contemporary way of storytelling.” “.
“Miikko Oikkonen was able to come up with real testimonies about what went wrong and how this could have happened, so the series draws audiences inside the ship, like a fly in the wall,” Risenkampf continued. He noted that ProSieben rarely grabs non-US offerings at such an early stage. “They hadn’t previously bought the kind of Europeans investigating drama in a while and were interested in the team behind Estonia, especially Mann who was the director of the second unit at Chernobyl.”
Martin Haakansson, CEO of Beta Nordic Studios, described Estonia as “one of the most demanding and ambitious productions from Finland” and said it “sets new standards for Scandinavian productions” due to its “style of approaching the story with very honesty and the talented creators attached”.
“The unresolved issue of Estonia’s catastrophic sinking and its complex investigation remains relevant to all audiences today,” Hakanson continued.
‘Estonia’ is produced by Mate Halonen and Johannes Lassila of leading Finnish producer Fisher King, co-produced with Martina Stoer and Petra Johnson at Kärnfilm AB of Sweden, André Logie of Panache of Belgium, and Estonian Oü. The show has also been co-produced with C More Finland, Sweden, TV4, MTV Finland and Telia Estonia, in collaboration with Beta Film, which handles global sales.
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