Miso Film Sweden is adapting Norwegian author Linn Ullmann's celebrated novel The Cold Song into a six-episode television series for SVT and Film i Väst.
The series, directed by Mikael Marcimain (Blackwater, The Hunt for a Killer), is a co-production between our team at Miso Film, SVT, Film i Väst, and Northern European public service broadcasters through the New8 initiative. Fremantle is handling international sales.
The Cold Song is a gripping and suspenseful drama that explores the strength and fragility of family bonds. Siri, a restaurant owner, and her husband Jon, a novelist, lead a busy life in Stockholm with their two daughters. Every summer, they seek tranquillity at Siri's childhood home on the Swedish West Coast. This summer, Siri plans an unwelcome 75th birthday party for her mother Jenny and hires a nanny, Mille, to help. When Mille disappears during the party, the family is forced to confront hidden secrets and guilt. What happened to Mille, and who bears responsibility?
Mikael Marcimain, director, said: “The Cold Song is a story about three generations of women, their fractured relationships, and their struggle for reconciliation. It’s a drama that moves between bright summer and dark autumn, between idyll and tragedy. It’s a story as beautiful as it is unsettling, and I’m very much looking forward to bringing it to television.”
Author Linn Ullmann eagerly anticipates seeing her work transformed into a major TV production, which has so far been published in 14 countries, and recently made it onto The New York Times list of the year's best books, commented: “The Cold Song is a multifaceted story about love and doubt, about secret lives and painful relationships. I am delighted to follow Mikael and the entire team as they bring this story to the screen.”
Filming will commence on the Swedish West Coast this autumn. Most of the series will be shot in the picturesque archipelago, with production concluding in the darker, wintry atmosphere of Stockholm. The series is slated for release on SVT in the fall of 2026. As part of SVT's 'New 8 collaboration', the series will premiere across the Nordics, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, reaching a broad international audience.
Miso Film Sweden has recently promoted Christian Rank to Managing Director and Producer following a robust slate of new projects in development and production emanating from the region. The company has just completed Tomas Alfredson’s limited series adaptation of Ingmar Bergman’s Faithless, which premiered on SVT on 26 January, following its official selection at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.
Miso Film Sweden is also shooting romantic comedy Couples Therapy in Gagnef, written by Wille Behrmann and directed by Lisa James Larson, while principal photography has begun on the upcoming Swedish Christmas series Tidstjuven (The Time Thief), written and directed by Calle Åstrand. The production team includes producers Rachel Bodros Wolgers and Daniel Gylling (Wallander).
Christian Rank, Managing Director and Producer at Miso Film Sweden, comments: “In a time when the industry faces considerable challenges, we’re thrilled to see Miso Film Sweden prospering. We’ll aim to build on this momentum to further establish our position as a leading home for distinctive Swedish series and films.”
The Cold Song is produced by Christian Rank and Daniel Gylling at Miso Film, with Amna Maksumic as executive producer for SVT and Kristina Börjeson executive producing for Film i Väst. Peter Bose and Jonas Allen are acting as executive producers for Miso Film.
