Walter Presents sets February premiere for Scandi thriller Greyzone
David Farnor | On 04, Feb 2019
Walter Presents’ new Scandi thriller, Greyzone, will touch down this February.
The programme, which brings a timely, terrifying theme of cyber terrorism to the world of Nordic Noir, a poignant and absorbing drama that raises moral dilemmas and heartbeats alike.
Starring Denmark’s Birgitte Hjort Sorensen, it follows software engineer Victoria, who, during a business trip abroad, meets reporter Iayd, a former university acquaintance. Victoria agrees to an interview with him at her home, but what should have been a harmless conversation about her work turns into a dangerous situation where Victoria and her son Oskar are taken hostage. Iyad exposes that he is part of a terror cell planning an attack somewhere in Scandinavia. Victoria works at SparrowSat, a Swedish company that develops drone technology and Iyad’s accomplices have singled out Victoria to gain access to vital components to facilitate the attack.
A huge success in Denmark, Greyzone has been nominated for two Kristallen awards for Best Actress (Birgitte) and Best TV Drama. Now, it lands on UK TV, with a premiere set for 10.45pm on 13th February on Channel 4 – with the entire box set then released afterwards on All 4.
Walter Presents secures Scandi hit Greyzone, starring Birgitte Hjort Sørensen
9th May 2018
Walter Presents has secured the UK rights to the hit Scandi series Greyzone, starring Birgitte Hjort Sørensen.
The foreign-language TV service, which is available for free on All 4, launched back in 2016 to provide a platform to the world’s best TV series. While that has seen it venture as far as South America and Afganistan in the last two years, it’s now returning to Scandinavia for its latest acquisition, the hit thriller Greyzone.
The 10-part series is a co-production between TV2 Denmark, TV4 Sweden, C More Sweden, Germany’s ZDFneo, NRK Norway, SF Studios Sweden, Nadcon Film and ITV Studios Global Entertainment, and was created by Oskar Sӧderlund, Morten Dragsted and Rasmus Thorsen.
Set in Copenhagen, Stockholm and Frankfurt, it stars Borgen’s Birgitte Hjort Sørensen as Victoria, a drone engineer who is taken hostage by terrorists in her own home but somehow manages to get a message to the secret services, who desperately try to prevent an attack on Scandinavian soil.
Co-founder and curator Walter Iuzzolino says: “After being boxed for too many years into the ‘dead girl and moody detective’ corner, Scandi drama is in the midst of a sensational phase of creative reinvention. Greyzone is a perfect example of this: an ambitious, glossy and utterly compelling thriller which completely subverts the Homeland-style premise of a terrorist plot to tell the powerful and affecting story of the ambiguous relationship between a hostage and her captor. Nothing is as it seems in this complex moral world in which good and evil are just two sides of the same coin. This is Nordic drama at its very best: sexy, fun, commercial and crafted with exquisite artistic vision and depth of feeling.”
Thorsen, co-creator and producer, adds: “I’m really excited that Greyzone will be coming to the UK. The level of ambition for this series has always been high and with an international audience in mind. We are thrilled to be partnering with Walter Presents, and together really looking forward to having a British audience engaging in our story and our characters.”
Jayne Redpath, SVP EMEA at ITV Studios Global Entertainment, comments: “With audiences becoming more and more receptive to foreign-language drama, we believe Walter Presents is an ideal fit for GREYZONE and we are excited that UK viewers will have the chance to immerse themselves in this tense, gripping thriller.”