20/04/2010

Swedish directing duo Johannes Stjärne Nilsson and Ola Simonsson will unveil their feature debut, Sound of Noise, in the Critics Week sidebar of the upcoming Cannes Film Festival (May 12-23). The co-production between DFM Fiktion (Sweden), Bliss Production (France) and Nordisk Film (Denmark) is sold internationally by Wild Bunch.

Nilsson and Simonsson are no newcomers to the Croisette, however, having been at the festival three times before with their short films. In 1996 and 2006 in Critics Week, with Nowhere Man and Woman and Gramophone, respectively; and in 2001 in Official Competition with Music for One Apartment and Six Drummers.

Sound of Noise is a musical thriller exploring the relationship between sound, music and noise, like the directors’ previous works that brought them fame. In it, a gang of eccentric drummers enact a musical assault on the city, playing anything but common instruments. Police officer Warnebring is put in charge of the strange case, but his chase of the serial musical terrorists soon turns into a more personal vendetta. The leads are played by the six percussionists of Music for One Apartment and Six Drummers.

The film is the first majority Swedish production for Olivier Guerpillon, the French founder of Stockholm-based DFM Fiktion, which facilitates co-productions between Sweden and France. Other financial partners include Film i Skåne, Film i Väst, SVT, Canal+, Europa Sound, and Ljud & Bild Media. The film was supported by the Swedish and Danish film institutes, MEDIA Programme and Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

“Our goal has always been to present the film in Cannes,” said Guerpillon. “It took us longer than expected because the film was quite complicated to put together.”

Sound of Noise will be released in Scandinavia by Nordisk Film and in France by Wild Bunch Distribution.