Germany’s Seven.One Entertainment Group Boards Estonia

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Germany’s Seven.One Entertainment Group has secured the rights for the Finnish drama series Estonia in German-speaking territories.

C More, TV4 Sweden, MTV Finland and Telia Estonia are already on board the series, which is being produced by Fisher King, part of Beta Nordic Studio (BNS). The project is helmed by Swedish director Måns Månsson (Chernobyl, Snabba Cash) and Finnish director Juuso Syrjä (Bordertown, Helsinki Syndrome).

The eight-hour drama captures the deadliest civil maritime disaster in recent European history: the sinking of the MS Estonia on September 28, 1994, which claimed the lives of over 850 people. It will follow the real investigation protocols that come after the events of the fateful night and the attempt to find the cause.

The first-ever Finnish-Swedish-Estonian co-production, the drama is created by Miikko Oikkonen (Bordertown, Helsinki Syndrome) and produced by the executive producers Matti Halonen and Johannes Lassila of Finland’s Fisher King in co-production Swedish Kärnfilm, Panache Production Belgium and Estonian Estonian Amrion Oü for C More, TV4 Sweden, MTV Finland and Telia Estonia, in collaboration with Beta Film, which is handling sales.

Henrik Pabst, chief content officer of Seven.One Entertainment Group, said: “The sinking of the MS Estonia is one of the great unsolved tragedies of recent times and thus offers plenty of room for conspiracy theories. This is gripping material that moves anyone who comes across it. Director Måns Månsson tells the story through powerful images from the perspective of survivors, journalists and investigators. Having already had a veritable hit on ProSieben and Joyn with Månsson’s series Chernobyl, I’m delighted that we can also present his new project Estonia to our viewers and users on our platforms.”

Martin Håkansson, CEO of Beta Nordic Studios, added: “We are very proud to have Germany’s Seven.One Entertainment Group with us on Estonia at these early stages. With its way of approaching the story so truthfully and the talented creatives attached, it’s not only the most demanding and aspiring production coming out of Finland but also sets new standards for Scandinavian productions. The unsolved case of the disastrous sinking of the MS Estonia and its complex investigation remains relevant to all audiences today. We are confident that Estonia will leave its mark around the world.”