Bronson Club Ups Production Stakes
A new satellite company to Finland’s production powerhouse Solar Films, Bronson Club is keeping its distinct profile as a boutique for edgy films, such as its co-production with Estonia The Temptation of St Tony, screening in Rotterdam’s main competition programme, and Love and Other Troubles by first time filmmaker Samuli Valkama, selected for the Berlinale’s Coproduction market.
In only two years, Jesse Fryckman, (photo) CEO for Helsinki-based Bronson Club, has established his name among the up and coming Finnish producers, with his first feature film Sauna, as calling card. AJ Annila’s horror film was last year’s Finnish entry for the Nordic Council Film Prize and sold to nine territories. Since last summer, Bronson Club is majority-owned by Markus Selin’s Solar Films, itself part of the Nordisk Film Group. “We’re still focusing on edgier films, but are now able to properly develop our projects and offer filmmakers the right budgets for their films,” says Fryckman.
Bronson Club has several projects in the pipeline. The first film that just started shooting on February 3 is The Night is Still Too Young by Lauri Nurkse (Playing Solo). Fryckman describes The Night as portrayal of his own generation of 30 something men clinging to their lives as single persons and refusing to enter adulthood. In the title roles are Mikko Leppilampi, Antti Luusuaniemi, and Pihla Viitala (Shooting Star 2010). The €1.5m project received co-financing from Finnish broadcaster Channel Four and support from the Media programme and Nordisk Film & TV Fond. The €2m romantic comedy Love and Other Troubles, selected for Berlin’s Co-production market, will be the feature debut of commercials director Samuli Valkama. Bronson Club is also working on the documentary film Reindeer Spotting by Joonas Neuvonen, featuring drug addiction in Lapland, and a new film by AJ Annila.
