Directors Michael Noer and Frederik Louis Hviid Talk ‘Prisoner’ as DR Sales Close With the BBC, Canal+: ‘Everything in This Show Could have Happened, Has Happened or Will (EXCLUSIVE)
variety.comMarta Balaga DR Sales has been racking up sales for Danish drama series “Prisoner.” Starring Sofie Gråbøl, David Dencik, Youssef Wayne Hvidtfeldt and Charlotte Fich, it has been picked up by BBC (UK and Ireland), Canal+ Group’s channel Polar+ (France), MHz Networks (U.S.), SBS (Australia), NPO (Netherlands) and BeTV (French-speaking Belgium).
Revolving around four desperate prison guards, forced to deal with everything from rampant drug trade to their personal problems and imminent closure of the prison, the show was created by Kim Fupz Aakeson. “‘Prisoner’ is an authentic, complex and compelling portrait of the harsh realities of life in prison, where it isn’t only the inmates who are trapped,” said Sue Deeks, head of program acquisitions at BBC, with NPO’s Evelien Bloemena adding: “It’s about people with good intentions forced into difficult situations.
A series with a great cast and a good fit for us as a public broadcaster.” Produced by Rikke Tørholm Kofoed for DR Drama, it was made in collaboration with NRK, SVT, Yle and RUV, as part of the drama partnership Nordic 12. “It was all about being inspired by real prisons, real guards and real inmates,” noted Michael Noer, who co-created and co-directed the show with Frederik Louis Hviid. “It’s a portrait of a certain system where ‘the house always wins,’ but also of human beings inside of it.” “We did extensive research, listening to their stories.
You could tell that sometimes, they felt embarrassed admitting to certain things, but they had to give in to the prison order to make sure the place didn’t erupt,” added Hviid. “It also adds this socio-political aspect because, as Michael always says, you can judge a country by how they treat their elderly and their.
Read more on variety.com
