‘Utoya: July 22’ Director Erik Poppe Sets Cast For Adaptation Of Classic Swedish Tale ‘The Emigrants’

Tom Grater
·4 min read

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Norwegian filmmaker Erik Poppe has set cast for his upcoming feature adaptation of Vilhelm Moberg’s classic Swedish tale The Emigrants, which is aiming to shoot in Sweden from September.

Lisa Carlehed, who was nominated for a prestigious Bodil Award this year for her role in Until We Fall, will star alongside Gustav Skarsgård (438 Days, Vikings). Also cast are The Bridge star Sofia Helin, and Liv Ullmann, the filmmaker and actress who appeared in the 1971 Oscar-nominated adaptation of The Emigrants alongside Max Von Sydow.

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Ullman played female lead Kristina in the original film and will this time play her mother Anna, with Carlehed as Kristina, while Skarsgård will play Karl-Oskar. The epic story chronicles the one and a half million Swedes who sought a better life across the Atlantic.

The Emigrants is produced by SF Studios, which will also distribute in the Nordics and is aiming for a release on Christmas Day 2021. REInvent International Sales, which is partnered with SF, is handling international sales.

The project is made in co-production with TV4/Cmore, Film i Väst, Nordsvensk Filmunderhållning, Paradox, SF Studios Danmark and Fantefilm with the support from the Swedish Film Institute, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, The Norwegian Film Institute, The Danish Film Institute and DR.

“With The Emigrants, I want to show, through Kristina’s eyes, the love story between her and Karl-Oskar as well as their struggle for a better life. How far are you willing to go to save your children? Their fearless resilience as refugees who embarked on a magnificent but also dramatic journey from Småland and across the Atlantic to Minnesota is awe-inspiring. The Emigrants will make audiences feel a range of emotions – hope, fear, love and sorrow. It’s a timeless and relevant story about who we are, where we come from and how to achieve our dreams,” said Erik Poppe.

”The story that Vilhelm Moberg told over 70 years ago is a timeless classic and more relevant today than when it was first written,” said Fredrik Wikström Nicastro, producer, SF Studios. “In The Emigrants, we follow Kristina and Karl-Oskar’s courageous choices to leave everything behind for the chance to start over and build a new, better life for themselves and their family. It’s a sensational adventure they take us on, which is about finding their place in the world, finding a new home. This is a dream project that we have developed for many years and the film is now finally, with this fantastic ensemble cast, ready to be made.”

”To take on the almost mythical role of Kristina feels incredible,” said Lisa Carlehed. “Gustaf and I have had great chemistry during rehearsals, where I have been able to discover the complexities of the character, and I hope to depict a side of Kristina that hasn’t been seen on screen before. I have also always wanted to play the leading role in a Swedish epic drama of this magnitude, so I am very much looking forward to working with SF Studios to portray the love and the courage that characterizes the emigrants’ journey from Sweden to America.”

”To work on such a classic tale as The Emigrants and a character like Karl-Oskar is a dream come true. I was immediately drawn to the powerful and strong relationship between Karl-Oskar and Kristina. Their love, courage and desire to survive at all costs are universal themes which shine a light on humanity as a whole. It is a story about love for your family, love for your country, love for what we call home and I can’t wait to get started on the project,” said Gustaf Skarsgård.

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