Ruben Östlund Wraps Fashion World Satire ‘Triangle Of Sadness’ After 9-Month Shoot

Tom Grater
·2 min read
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After a complicated pandemic-affected shoot, Palme d’Or-winning Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund has wrapped his new movie Triangle Of Sadness, a satire set in the world of high fashion.

The project first rolled cameras on February 4 in Sweden, completing its initial 25-day leg as lockdowns were being implemented across Europe. Cast member Woody Harrelson was unable to fly to the Scandi nation until June to shoot his part, while the Greek leg was delayed until late September, when it finally began its nine-week shoot.

Also starring are Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Vicky Berlin, Dolly De Leon, Zlatko Buric, Iris Berben, Amanda Walker, Oliver Ford Davies, Henrik Dorsin, Jean-Christophe Folly and Sunnyi Melles. Pic follows two models who are invited on a luxury cruise. As the yacht sinks, they are left stranded on a desert island with a group of billionaires and a cleaning lady. In the fight for survival, hierarchy is turned upside-down.

Producers Erik Hemmendorff and Philippe Bober said the shoot had been the most challenging of their careers.

“We are very happy and relieved,” Hemmendorff and Bober said. “Financially we had to confront risks, but there was a sense of urgency and momentum. Waiting was not an option so we had to make it work. This is our the biggest achievement so far, shooting wise: 73 days with international cast and expensive locations.”

Östlund added: “I could not have hoped for a production that worked better in these extreme circumstances. Blowing up the luxury yacht felt like an appropriate grande finale to the shooting, not only considering the theme of the film – but as a tribute to the whole team that has worked so hard.”

International sales are being handled by Philippe Bober’s Coproduction Office. SF Studios has Nordic rights to the film, BAC has rights in France and Alamode in Germany. 30WEST and WME will co-represent the sales rights in North America.

The film is produced by Plattform and co-produced by Essential Films, Coproduction Office, SVT, and Arte France Cinéma, with the support of BBC Film, Swedish Film Institute, Eurimages, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Danish Film Institute and the BFI, awarding funds from the National Lottery, with the participation of ZDF/Arte, Nordic Film & TV Fund, Canal+/Cine+ and Hamburg Film Fund. The film was also supported by the Creative Europe MEDIA Programme of the European Union.

Imperative Entertainment is presenting the film with Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas and Ryan Friedkin as executive producers in association with 30WEST, whose Micah Green and Daniel Steinman will also serve as executive producers.

The film is produced in association with Film I Väst, BBC, Bord Cadre Films, Sovereign Films, Heretic and Piano Films. Among the co-producers are Marina Perales Marhuenda, Giorgos Karnavas, Konstantinos Kontovrakis, Per Damgaard, Julio Chavezmontes and Mike Goodridge.

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