Bavaria Media and Solar Films Start Collaboration with Finnish Crime Movie Cycle

Munich/Helsinki/Cannes, April 4, 2011 – (Virtual Press Office) – Right in time for this year’s MIPTV, Bavaria Media teams up with Solar Films from Finland. The Munich-based company will handle distribution of Solar’s spectacular new cycle of crime movies, “Vares”, in all territories except Scandinavia, where Nordisk Film is responsible.

The “Vares” deal, which was initiated by Bavaria Media Acquisition Manager Dana Höfinger, marks the first time these two partners join forces. Solar Films Inc. is Finland’s leading film and television production outfit, while Bavaria Media is a subsidiary of German Bavaria Film, one of the biggest media companies in Europe with a tradition reaching back to the early 20th Century.

Both companies regard “Vares” as the beginning of a long-term collaboration. “We are very happy about this unique co-operation with Bavaria in selling ,Vares’ to worldwide audiences”, says Markus Selin, producer and Chairman of the Board of Solar Films, „this will certainly be continued with other movies in the future“.

Philipp Kreuzer, Vice President International and Co-Production with Bavaria Media, adds: “We are very happy about this collaboration with Solar Films and to have this exceptional crime movie cycle as a highlight in our catalogue. We are sure it will excite our buyers just as much as it has excited the Finnish audiences.”

“Vares”, based on the novels by Reijo Mäki, adds a very special Finnish touch to the popular Scandi-Crime genre. The atmospheric tales centre around Jussi Vares, a private investigator, ladies’ man and hard-drinking pub regular based in Turku on Finland’s southwestern coast. Vares has to cope with all kinds of difficult cases, ranging from intimate family score-settlings to big-time Russian Mafia trouble.

Shooting for six 90-minute “Vares” films, featuring actor Antti Reini in the title role, took place in Finland last year. The movie cycle, produced by Solar Films in association with commercial broadcaster MTV3 and the city of Turku, The first “Vares” movie, entitled “The Kiss of Evil” and directed by experienced thriller director Anders Engström (“Irene Huss”, Wallander”), was successfully premiered in Finnish cinemas in January 2011, still being the number one movie of the year.

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