EXCLUSIVE: Shut Up (Oro Jaska), a Norwegian-produced drama set within the Sámi community, is set to launch at MIPCOM.
Norse Key Distribution, which makes its Cannes debut next week, has boarded the series and lining up a launch for the International Emmy- and Prix Europa-nominated show. A screening will be held on Tuesday, October 14.
Norse Key said the series, from showrunners Silje Bürgin-Borch and Vegard Bjørsmo, has been hailed for its representation of the indigenous Sámi people, as sparked local dialog around social issues, identity and justice.
Set in a small town in the heart of Sápmi, the cross-country region where the Sámi people live, it follows Elli Anne, a young Sámi woman whose world collapses after a brutal rape. As she searches for truth and justice within a tightly bound community, suspicion falls on Issat, a local snow-cross champion – a revelation that threatens to expose his own deeply-held secret: That he is queer.
“We are thrilled to bring Shut Up to the international stage,” said Maria Kivinen, founder of Norse Key Distribution parent Norse Key Studios. “This series embodies everything we want to stand for: authentic voices, bold storytelling, and stories that resonate far beyond their origin.”
The series comes from Alfredfilm, Feelgood SFT, Snowreel and Rabbit Films. It was nominated in the Kids: Live Action category. Locally, it aired on NRK in Norway, YLE in Finland and SVT in Sweden.
As we reported first earlier this year, former YLE sales exec Kivinen set up the Helsinki-based Norse Key as a TV and film distribution and financing business. The debut slate included Influencer Apprentice, which was a top performing show at YLE and comes from Podzilla Studios. It has since added British curios format Curiosity to its catalog.