Mikael Marcimain’s ‘The Cold Song’ Marks a Rare Return to Big Swing European TV Drama (Exclusive First Look)
The six-part Swedish drama *The Cold Song*, directed by Mikael Marcimain, is being presented to buyers at Mipcom as an example of ambitious European television at a time when budgets are tightening. Adapted from Linn Ullmann’s novel, it follows a wealthy family whose secrets and guilt surface after their young nanny disappears during a summer holiday.
Producer Christian Rank says the New8 public-broadcaster collaboration helped increase the series’ budget by an estimated 20 to 30 per cent, through funding and access to other incentives and investors. The project also involves Miso Film, SVT and Film i Väst. Its creators had room to pursue a locally rooted story rather than shape it around international market expectations, though its prospects beyond Northern Europe, especially in the United States, remain uncertain.
- *The Cold Song* is a six-part Swedish family drama.
- New8 support raised its budget by an estimated 20 to 30 per cent.
- Its international sales prospects are still uncertain.
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European television dramas are often financed by combining money from broadcasters, producers, public funds and other investors. This can make it harder to fund costly projects, especially as budgets tighten across the industry.
The Cold Song is based on a novel by Swedish writer Linn Ullmann and directed by Mikael Marcimain. Its story centres on a wealthy family and a nanny who disappears during a summer holiday, bringing the family’s hidden tensions into view.
The series is backed by several Swedish and Nordic partners, including public broadcasters working together through New8. That collaboration can help finance ambitious local stories, while a series’ appeal to buyers in markets such as the United States is not guaranteed.
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