Beta Cinema secures sales for "Operation Napoleon"

The Islandic thriller produced by Tinna Proppé and Hilmar Sigurðsson of Sagafilm was acquired in France by Mediawan, Spain by Twelve Oaks, Poland by Hagi Film, Former Yugoslavia by MegaCom, Japan by Tohokushinsha and Taiwan by AV-Jet.

2 FEB 2023

Share
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Linkedin
  • Whatsapp

Beta Cinema unveiled its first set of deals for "Operation Napoleon" the film’s market premiere at EFM. The company also revealed that "Sam Film" releases theatrically in Iceland on 3 February, and "Splendid Film/24 Bilder" will follow on 9 March. Beta Cinema will host 2 market screenings at the upcoming European Film Market in Berlin.

"Operation Napoleon" was acquired in France by Mediawan, Spain by Twelve Oaks, Poland by Hagi Film, Former Yugoslavia by MegaCom, Japan by Tohokushinsha and Taiwan by AV-Jet. The title is produced by Tinna Proppé and Hilmar Sigurðsson of Sagafilm, Iceland, alongside Dirk Schweitzer and Anita Elsani for Splendid Entertainment, Germany, and  directed by Óskar Þór Axelsson, Kjartan Thor Thordarsson, Ralph Christians and Adalsteinn Jóhannsson serve as executive producers. 

 The title originates from within the Beta family, being one of the first theatrical movies since Beta Nordic Studios had acquired a 25% stake of Reykjavík-based Sagafilm in 2020. Support came from the Icelandic Film Fund, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, Film- und Medienstiftung NRW and Deutscher Filmförderfonds. German public broadcaster ZDF is co-producing and has secured free TV rights. The cast includes  Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Jack Fox, Wotan Wilke Möhring, Atli Óskar Fjalarsson, Adesuwa Oni, Anette Badland, Birna Rún Eiríksdóttir, Höskuldur Þór Jónsson, Nanna Kristín Magnúsdóttir, Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson and Hjörtur Jóhann Jónsson.

The  English-language thriller is based on the eponymous best-selling novel by Iceland’s master of crime, Arnaldur Indriðason and features a stellar cast, led by Icelandic newcomer Vivian Ólafsdóttir (It Hatched), Iain Glen, best known for his role as Dr. Alexander Isaacs in the Resident Evil film series and as Ser Jorah Mormont in Game of Thrones. The sweeping story takes us from modern Iceland to America and Nazi Germany at the end of World War II. It centers on young Icelandic lawyer Kristin, who gets drawn into the vortex of an international conspiracy when she receives grainy footage of an old airplane wreck, recently revealed by the melting of one of Iceland’s largest glaciers. The old German World War II plane not only brings ruthless criminals onto the scene, but also CIA vice director William Carr, who had already been secretly trying to remove the wreck for a long time. Kristin places herself in great danger, refusing to rest until the key has been discovered that will solve the riddle of “Operation Napoleon."