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Stars: Scott Adkins, Waleed Elgadi, Tom Berenger, Meena Rayann, Michael Jai White, Aaron Toney | Written by Jamie Russell | Directed by James Nunn

Not only is One More Shot filmed with the illusion of being one long take like its predecessor 2021’s One Shot, it does something more important. It reunites director James Nunn and writer Jamie Russell with the previous film’s leads, Scott Adkins as Navy Seal Jake Harris and Waleed Elgadi as terrorist Amin Mansur.

Following the events of the first film, Harris is escorting Mansur back to the US where they plan to get him to reveal the whereabouts of a dirty bomb set to explode during the State of the Union Address, which the President, of course, refuses to postpone. For leverage, CIA Agent Marshall has brought Mansur’s pregnant wife Niesha to meet his plane. But they’re not the only ones there to meet the flight.

Character actor Richard Brake has a lot of success in his career, racking up almost 90 screen credits over the last thirty years. Those credits include roles in Cold Mountain, Batman Begins, Doom, Munich, and Hannibal Rising, so he started getting cast in major productions with some frequency rather early on. But it’s interesting to see how much more prolific he has gotten since playing The Night King in Game of Thrones and Doom-Head in Rob Zombie’s 31. About half of his credits have come just in the seven years since 31 was released. Next up for him is The Gates, where he co-stars with John Rhys-Davies of the Indiana Jones and Lord of the Rings franchises (in addition to over 250 other projects). The film is scheduled to receive a digital and VOD release in the US and Canada on June 27th, and a trailer for it can be seen in the embed above.

Two special agents with a complicated past. A high profile hostage crisis at an elite event held on Finland’s independence day. International intrigue from the Nordic peninsula to the EU, the Balkans, Belarus and Russia. Attack On Finland – know as Omerta 6/12 in its homeland – is one of those charged political thrillers usually delivered on a blockbuster budget. It was made on a comparatively small one, but most of the time that doesn’t show, and fans of action and espionage will find a good deal to enjoy.

It is not the most intellectually sophisticated of thrillers, but it gets most of the big stuff right and, crucially, knows when explanations are best avoided. We enter it not just in a position of uncertainty but in literal darkness, watching as two people break into a spacious private residence to steal something from a computer. They are interrupted and tragedy ensues.

"We made a deal. You broke it." Samuel Goldwyn has revealed the official US trailer for a Finnish action thriller titled Attack on Finland, which is the international release title. It also goes under Omerta 6/12 or 6/12, which is a reference to December 6 the Finnish Independence Day. A celebration during the holiday in Finland takes a tragic turn when the Presidential Palace is attacked and the president is taken hostage. Soon it is clear that the main target behind the attack is a plan to destabilize the security of Europe. That sounds a lot like Finland's version of Olympus Has Fallen or White House Down. The action film's cast includes Jasper Pääkkönen, Nanna Blondell, Sverrir Gudnason, Cathy Belton, Nika Savolainen, Pertti Sveholm, Juhan Ulfsak, Zijad Gracic, Miodrag Stojanović, and Dragomir Mrsic. This looks hyper-stylized and intense, but it also feels a bit made-for-tv in quality. Still may be an entertaining watch.

Take Two Studios, the recently launched Finnish production banner, has enlisted industry veteran Sara Norberg as partner and COO.

The company was created last October by three of Finland’s top media executives, Eero Hietala, Lasse Koskinen and Ilkka Hynninen. Hietala and Hynninen previously co-founded Aito Media, where they produced the series “Almost True” and “Pirjo,” half-hour comedy “Mother-in-Paw” and procedural crime drama “Lakeside Murders.”

Norberg, who has over 20 years in the entertainment industry, previously oversaw Finland’s Helsinki International Film Festival for six years. She’s joining Take Two Studios from Cinematic, a Finnish film and TV banner where she worked as CEO and executive producer. While at the company, she spearheaded the production of Aku Louhimies’s action thriller “Omerta 6/12,” which ranks as Finland’s biggest-budgeted production ever. The movie was released in local cinemas in November, while a spinoff series will premiere on CMore later this year.

Almost anyone over 30 has owned a Nokia phone at some point in their lives, but not many people know that the iconic brand was created at a Finnish company formerly specializing in rubber boots.

Once the world’s biggest mobile manufacturer at the turn of the 21st century, the company was nearly wiped out of the smartphone market by Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android well before 2010, and ultimately sold its handset division to Microsoft in 2013.

When news broke of Microsoft’s takeover on TV, Finnish director Maarit Lalli’s first thought was, “There’s going to be only one [drama] on Nokia in Finland: It will either be me or someone else, and it’s most likely going to be made by a man,” she told Variety during a set visit in Helsinki.

The next morning, Lalli called Finnish TV channels and the Finish Film Foundation to check if...

The 10th edition of the Finnish Film Affair took place as a hybrid event from Helsinki.

Denmark’s The Great Silence was inaugural winner of the best Nordic project award at the 10th edition of the Finnish FIlm Affair (Ffa) which took place as a hybrid event from Helsinki this week,

The Great Silence is the directorial debut of Katrine Brocks and is produced by Pernille Tornøe of Monolit Film. The pair pitched remotely because they are currently shooting the film The drama is about siblings , played by Ninjababy’s Kristine Kujath Thorp and Winter Brothers’ Elliott Crosset Hove, coming...

Sf Studios has unveiled the trailer for the action thriller “Omerta 6/12,” one of the biggest-budgeted Finnish films ever.

The film is directed by Aku Louhimies with a cast headlined by Finnish star Jasper Pääkkönen (“BlacKkKlansman”) and Swedish actors Nanna Blondell (“Black Widow”) and Sverrir Gudnason (“Borg vs. McEnroe”).

Pääkkönen plays Max Tanner, a Finnish secret service agent operating for the European Union’s special forces. Set during Finland’s Independence Day festivities, when the Presidential Palace is attacked and the heads of state are taken hostage. Tanner is tasked to negotiate the hostage crisis and realizes that the terrorist attack is a plan to destabilize the security of Europe. Blondell plays the Swedish secret service agent Sylvia Madsen, and Gudnason stars as the leader of the Serbian groups, Vasa Jankovic.

“Omerta 6/12” is set for a theatrical release in Finland on Nov. 19, followed by a theatrical release in the Nordics during winter.

Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired U.S. rights to the anticipated Danish epic period drama “Margrete-Queen of the North,” helmed by Charlotte Sieling. The upscale feature, produced by Birgitte Skov and Lars Bredo Rahbek for Scandinavian major Sf Studios, is screening at this week’s Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund (Aug.21-27).

The deal was negotiated by REinvent International Sales, exclusive sales agent of Sf Studios’ feature film slate.

“Samuel Goldwyn Films is a great partner for us, and we are confident that they will release the film with success,” said REinvent’s sales and marketing director Helene Aurø. “They have been keen on the film from the very beginning, and we are certain they will do a great job releasing this epic film in the US.”

An earlier sales deal was closed with Splendid Film for Germany.

Toplining Trine Dyrholm, “Margrete-Queen of the North” is a biopic about...

Seasoned Finnish writer-director-producer Aku Louhimies is plotting multi-season TV drama “Conflict,” a near-future political action thriller that turns on a Finland threatened by an unknown military force.

Comparing the project to high-profile Norwegian TV show “Occupied,” the director said he had the idea for “Conflict” after his war epic “Unknown Soldier,” Finland’s record-breaking movie with over 1 million ticket sales. “I started thinking what if Finland was suddenly threatened by foreign forces. How would we react and how would that affect geopolitics in the Nordic region?” reflected Louhimies, who contemplates building the project as a major international TV drama.

The project is co-penned by actor Andrei Alén, novelist and officer in reserve Helena Immonen, and long-time writing partner Jari Olavi Rantala.

Set on Midsummer’s Eve, the story follows an unknown military unit, as it invades a peaceful sea-side town in Finland. All residents are taken hostage, and civilians, used...

Haugesund’s New Nordic Films industry event will present 17 upcoming features.

Haugesund’s New Nordic Films industry event will present 17 upcoming features in its annual works in progress showcase.

The most high-profile film to show first footage will be Erik Poppe’s The Emigrants, produced by Sf Studios and the latest adaptation of the famed Vilhelm Moberg novels about a Swedish family that moves to America in the 1850s. The cast includes Lisa Carlehed, Gustaf Skarsgård, Tove Lo and Sofia Helin.

Further projects include Sagres, a Sweden-Finland-Belgium co-production sold by Totem Films. The debut feature from Stockholm-based Lovisa Siren...

REinvent International Sales has closed a raft of deals across its slate of family movies, including “A Christmas Tale,” “Twigson and the Sea Monster” and “Nelly Rapp – Monster Agent.”

“Nelly Rapp – Monster Agent,” directed by Amanda Adolfsson, has been sold to the U.S. and Canada (Janson Media), Russia and Cis (Volga Films), Poland (Vivarto), Japan (New Select) and Estonia (Estin Film).

The movie was selected at this year’s Berlinale in the Generation Kplus competition and previously won two Swedish Guldbagge awards. The film stars promising newcomer Matilda Gross as Nelly, an 11-year old girl who is about to spend the fall vacation with her uncle Hannibal and her beloved dog London. It turns out that Hannibal does not live the quiet life she thought and is in fact a monster agent. The cast includes Johan Rheborg, Björn Gustafsson, Lily Wahlsteen and Marianne Mörck. “Nelly Rapp – Monster Agent” was...

Filming is underway on Aki Louhimies Finnish action thriller.

Danish sales firm REinvent has secured further EFM deals, including on Aki Louhimies’ Finnish action thriller Omerta 6/12 following promo reel screenings at the EFM this week. The project is now in production.

Splendid film has picked up rights for Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Poland. It sold to Spain earlier this week.

Omerta 6/12 is based on Ilkka Remes’ best-selling novel 6/12, about a hostage crisis that occurs on Finland’s Independence Day. The cast includes Jasper Pääkkönen, Nanna Blondell and Sverrir Gudnason.

The film is now shooting in Finland with...

Filming is underway on Aki Louhimies Finnish action thriller.

Danish sales firm REinvent has secured further EFM deals, including on Aki Louhimies’ Finnish action thriller Omerta 6/12 following promo reel screenings at the EFM this week. The project is now in production.

Splendid film has picked up rights for Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Poland. It sold to Spain earlier this week.

Omerta 6/12 is based on Ilkka Remes’ best-selling novel 6/12, about a hostage crisis that occurs on Finland’s Independence Day. The cast includes Jasper Pääkkönen, Nanna Blondell and Sverrir Gudnason.

The film is now shooting in Finland with...

Other deals include for Erik Poppe’s The Emigrants and Bille August’s The Pact.

Rikke Ennis’ Danish outfit REinvent has closed a string of deals on its slate of upcoming films at the EFM.

They include Aku Louhimies’ Finnish action thriller Omerta 6/12, which has sold to Spain (A Contracorriente). Filming is underway on the feature, which will be delivered by the end of the year, while a four-part series version of the project is also being readied for mid-2022.

The story is based on Ilkka Remes’ best-selling novel 6/12, about a hostage crisis that occurs on Finland’s Independence Day.

Magnolia has acquired U.S. rights to the Swedish horror film “The Other Side,” the debut feature from Oskar Mellander and Tord Danielsson. The movie is represented by REinvent Intl. Sales.

“The Other Side” follows a family of three — Shirin, her partner Fredrik and his 5-year old son — who move into a small-town duplex and begin to hear mysterious noises from a supposedly uninhabited part of the house. Shirin comes to realize that they are haunted by an evil that only she can stop. The cast includes Dilan Gwyn (“Love Me”) and Linus Wahlgren (“Blue Eyes”).

REinvent has also scored sales on the film for Spain (A Contracorriente Films), Poland (Best Film) and Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia (Vertigo Media).

Mellander and Danielsson are well-established TV drama directors, with credits including “The Last Reality Show,” “Vikingshill” and “Nurses.”

“The Other Side” was released in Sweden in October 2020 and ranked as...

Scandinavia’s film industry has proven resilient in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, bolstered by well-established production and sales banners, as well as high-profile talent who have seized opportunities from streamers and broadcasters.

Spanning Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Finland, the Nordic film biz has been able to ride through the health crisis better than those in many

other territories.

The industry’s robustness lies in the strength of a handful of local players, including vertically integrated powerhouses such as Sf Studios, which is delivering some big-budget local and international movies including “Omerta 6/12,” “The Emigrants” and “The Pact”; and Nent Group’s streaming service Viaplay, which is releasing original movies.

Scandinavia also boasts the sales banners TrustNordisk, a sister company to Zentropa, the leading Nordic production outfit behind Lars Von Trier, Thomas Vinterberg (“Another Round”); REinvent Intl. Sales, which handles Nordic titles from Sf Studios; and a wide network of indie production banners,...

Sf Studios has released the first teaser trailer for the anticipated action thriller “Omerta 6/12” which just wrapped shooting. The big-budget film is directed by Aku Louhimies and stars Finnish actor Jasper Pääkkönen and Swedish actors Nanna Blondell (“Red Dot”) and Sverrir Gudnason (“Borg vs. McEnroe”).

“Omertà 6/12″ is expected to premiere in theaters in Nov. and is being represented in international markets by REinvent International Sales. Sf Studios will distribute the film in the Nordics.

Based on llkka Remes’s bestselling novel “6/12,” the film follows Max Tanner, a Finnish secret service agent operating for European Union’s special forces. Jari Olavi Rantala wrote the adaptation based on the screenplay by Antti J. Jokinen and Mika Karttunen.

The teaser trailer takes the viewers right in the middle of Finland’s Independence Day. Festivities take a tragic turn when the Presidential Palace is attacked, and the heads of state are taken hostage.

Finnish cinematographer Rauno Ronkainen is continuing his collaboration with director Antti J. Jokinen with the action films “Omerta 6/12” and “Omerta 7/12,” based on Ilkka Remes’ popular novel “6/12,” and starring “BlacKkKlansman’s” Jasper Pääkkönen. The films are shooting in Estonia.

Ronkainen and Jokinen previously worked together on three film: “Purge,” which brought Ronkainen the second of his three Jussi awards, period romance “The Midwife,” and most recently Laura Birn-led biopic “Helene,” about to take a bow at the EnergaCamerimage Film Festival in the main competition.

The “Omerta” films, which will be followed by a TV series, follow a secret unit of European special forces and their international operations, set in the near future and kick-starting with an attack by Serbian terrorist group.

Unlike in some other action thrillers “the world we are trying to show is not realistic,” Ronkainen tells Variety. The films could even be compared with nightmarish operas,...