Articles about YLE
Life of a legend
Vigdís star Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir and producer Rakel Garðarsdóttir outline why they spent a decade trying to make this scripted biopic of Iceland’s first female president and reveal how they overcame the creative challenges posed by making the period drama.
Hail to the Queen
Tiina Lymi, creator of Finnish series Queen of F***ing Everything, joins executive producer Minna Haapkylä to break down this tale of an estate agent’s bid to retain her lavish lifestyle by turning to crime, touching on its themes of isolation and loneliness and how they created a supportive atmosphere on set.
Reach for the ski
Ski jumping gets the television treatment in a Finnish story about a young woman with ambitions to win gold at the Winter Olympics. Producer Antti Kaarlela talks DQ through the challenges of dramatising this soaring sport for Kriittinen piste (Critical Point).
Staying power
Filmed in impossibly challenging conditions, Those Who Stayed tells six stories of people who remained in Kyiv after the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. DQ speaks to the producers and filmmakers behind the series to find out why and how they did it.
Step by step
Director Taito Kawata dissects a key scene from Netflix’s first original Finnish drama, in which two brothers struggle to make a living as professional dancers and decide to open their own club – only to find their artistic drives threaten the business and their relationship.
Road less travelled
Award-winning director Auli Mantila reveals how she made Finnish drama Transport, set within the world of Europe’s illicit horse trade, and explains why there needs to be more bravery in television.
Crime, sand, punishment
Svörtu sandar (Black Sands) star Aldís Amah Hamilton, director Baldvin Z and producer Hörður Rúnarsson reveal how this series takes a new approach to crime drama with a story that unfolds against Iceland’s unique scenery.
Heart of the issue
Director Hanna Maylett and producer Anita Kurvinen discuss how eight-part drama Pala sydämestäni (Piece of My Heart) explores the challenges of the Finnish child welfare system through the eyes of two social workers.
Loading Cargo
Matti Kinnunen, the writer and director of Finnish drama Rahti (Cargo), looks back on the years-long journey to making the human-trafficking drama and discusses the universal themes that link his screen work.
Making peace
Johanna Enäsuo and Marko Röhr from Finland’s Matila Röhr Productions speak to DQ about the making of political thriller Peacemaker, in which a negotiator is pulled into an escalating international conflict.
Welcome to Paradise
Nordic noir collides with the sunny Mediterranean in Finnish-Spanish drama Paratiisi (The Paradise), a crime series inspired by a community of Finns living on the Costa del Sol.
Revealing Invisible Heroes
Mikael Persbrandt and Sophia Heikkilä, two of the stars of Finnish-Chilean period drama Invisible Heroes, talk about making the political thriller, which is set in Chile during General Pinochet’s military coup in 1973.
Diplomacy rules
The true story of a heroic diplomat’s actions in the face of General Pinochet’s Chilean revolution forms the bases for Finnish period drama Invisible Heroes. Writer Tarja Kylmä and YLE executive Liselott Forsman tell DQ about developing the series.
Long haul
International coproductions are nothing new, but as more globally ambitious dramas are emerging, DQ speaks to the producers behind some of these long-distance series to find out how stories spanning multiple countries are made.
Love is Blind
Finnish comedy-drama Blind Donna sees its titular character embark on a search for love, and nothing – not even her blindness – will stop her. Its producer and screenwriters tell DQ about the “risky business” of marrying comedy and disability.
Sky Deutschland bets big on original drama
Sky Deutschland’s latest scripted commission, Eight Days, is part of a heavyweight investment in original drama designed to combat competition from Netflix and Amazon.
Our friends in the frozen north
As Nordic drama continues to thrive, this week we look at some of the shows making headlines both within the region and beyond.
Nordic Noir gets a lighter Finnish
A new crime drama set on the border of Finland and Russia has ambitions to show the lighter side of Nordic Noir.
Moving mountains to make authentic Icelandic thriller
Klaus Zimmermann and Clive Bradley reveal how they kept crime thriller Trapped grounded in its Icelandic setting while navigating the tricky waters around this intricate international coproduction.
The new black: Nordic noir’s unstoppable rise
As the popularity of Nordic noir shows no sign of waning, DQ asks Scandinavian drama’s key players where they plan to take the genre next.