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Don Cheadle’s Miles Davies’ biopic to get international premiere.

The Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 11-21) has unveiled the eight-strong line-up for its Berlinale Special strand, which includes recent works by contemporary filmmakers and biopics of renowned personalities.

The programme includes the world premiere of Terence Davies’ drama biopic A Quiet Passion, which stars Sex and the City’s Cynthia Nixon as the celebrated American poet Emily Dickinson, charting her life from her early days as a young schoolgirl to her later years as a reclusive artist. Jennifer Ehle (Fifty Shades Of Grey) and Keith Carradine (Nashville) co-star.

The line-up also includes the international premiere of Miles Ahead, Don Cheadle’s directorial debut in which he also stars as jazz pioneer Miles Davis in late 1970s Manhattan, dealing with sycophants, industry executives, career highs and lows and memories of the love of his life, Frances Taylor.

Pernilla August’s A Serious Game will also world premiere...

Pernilla August’s new adaption of A Serious Game, scriped by Lone Scherfig, is among the 11 works-in-progress set to be introduced at Haugesund’s New Nordic Films

Swedish actress-turned-writer/director Pernilla August, whose latest film Beyond (Svinalängorna, 2010) garnered her three Guldbaggar – Sweden’s national film award – and the Nordic Council Film Prize, will introduce her new feature A Serious Game (Den allvarsamma leken) in New Nordic Films at the Norwegian International Film Festival (Aug 15-21) in Haugesund.

Norwegian director Anja Breien’s 1977 adaptation of Swedish author Hjalmar Söderberg’s 1912 novel is also screening in the festival programme.

Danish writer-director Lone Scherfig has scripted the new version of the passionate love between Arvid and Lydia (Sverrir Gudnason, Karin Franz Körlof), which Patrik Andersson, Frida Barzgo and Fredrik Heinig are producing for A B-Reel Production.

A Serious Game is one of 11 new Nordic productions, which will be presented tomorrow and Thursday (Aug 19-20) at Haugesund’s Scandic Maritim: six from...

World premiere of Nordic disaster movie The Wave to open festival in Haugesund.

Joachim Trier’s Louder Than Bombs, starring Jesse Eisenberg, has been named as the closing film of the 43rd Norwegian International Film Festival (Aug 16-21) in Haugesund.

The drama, about how a father and his two sons confront their feelings of their deceased wife and mother, was Norway’s first Palme d’Or contender at Cannes in 36 years and is set to play at Toronto next month.

As previously announced, Niff will open with the world premiere of Roar Uthaug’s disaster movie, The Wave (Bølgen), when the festival is launched by Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon on Aug 16.

It means Norwegian films will both open and close the festival.

Tonje Hardersen, who was named the new Niff festival director in March, said: “I am very happy to see that local cinema is so well represented, and in so many genres.”

Considering the wider...

Pernilla August and Lone Scherfig join forces on an adaptation of Hjalmar Söderberg’s 1912 novel.

Swedish actor Sverrir Gudnason (Monica Z) and Karin Franz Körlof (Nobody Owns Me) are to play the leading roles in The Serious Game.

The film will be directed by Pernilla August (Beyond) and has been scripted by Lone Scherfig (An Education, The Riot Club).

Based on Hjalmar Söderberg’s novel, published in 1912, the story centres on a man and a woman who fall in love when young, and remain in love, but stay separated and marry others.

The book was previously adapted for a 1945 film directed by Rune Carlsten and a 1977 feature, titled Games of Love and Loneliness, directed by Anja Breien.

August said: “The Serious Game is about the dream and longing for the one great love. About Lydia and Arvid who say no, when we want them to say yes.”

Producers are Patrik Andersson and Frida Bargo for B-reel in cooperation...

If you weren’t immediately distracted by Alexander Skarsgard’s nakedness in the True Blood finale, you may have noticed that Eric was reading a book while lounging on a snow-covered mountaintop in Sweden. EW has confirmed that the book is Den allvarsamma leken by Hjalmar Söderberg. Translation: The Serious Game. According to True Blood showrunner Brian Buckner, it was Skarsgard’s pick: “This was the book that Alex wanted to be reading because it is an old Swedish favorite.”

Per a synopsis on Amazon, the tale, published in 1912, is Sweden’s most celebrated and enduring love story: “Sweden at...