Yahoo News ABBA Benny Andersson’s Son Ludvig Andersson Talks Taking a Chance on Berlin-Bound Levan Akin, ABBA Voyage (EXCLUSIVE)
Hot Swedish helmer of Georgian descent Levan Akin is due to kickstart Berlin’s Panorama Feb. 15 with his feature drama “Crossing.” Nine years earlier, he walked the Berlinale red carpet with his youth sci-fi “The Circle,” showcased at Generation. Next to him were his Swedish producers of RMV Film – ABBA’s Benny Andersson and his son Ludvig Andersson.
The latter who met Akin over 20 years ago, has stayed by his side since his debut pic “Certain People” in 2011, serving also as executive producer on the 2019 Swedish Oscar entry “And Then We Danced,” and as co-producer this year of “Crossing”.
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“RMV Film spotted Levan from his very first film and has supported him all along,” confirms French Quarter’s Mathilde Dedye, producer of “Crossing” and “And Then We Danced,”, who believes “trust and continuity to be very important for the development of auteurism.”
“I met Ludvig through Levan and he is one of the few producers who in my opinion can really nurture and protect a creative process. I’m impressed by his skills,” she insists. “We’ve been through quite a few challenges together now in our productions, and that’s when you really can tell how your relationship is working. I can easily say it meant everything to have Ludvig as my partner. Without him we probably wouldn’t be here,” she reckons.
Speaking to Variety ahead of the Berlinale, from his RMV Studios’ London headquarters, Ludvig Andersson says the banner RMV (Riksmixningsverket) set up with his father more than a decade ago, covers music publishing, recording studios and film production. Their very first picture was Akin’s “The Circle,” based on Mats Strandberg and Sara B Elfgren’s novel.
“At the time, the project was running into financial problems. I had read the book, loved it and with my dad, we agreed to help Levan by producing his film. We had enjoyed being involved in the making of “Mamma Mia” and its sequel and thought if we had a chance to get into film – that was it!”
Andersson says working alongside Akin since 2011 has been ‘an amazing journey.” “We grew up together, watching the same stuff – “Back to the Future,” “ET,” Hollywood blockbusters that made us who we are.”
“OK,” he admits, “it might be strange to say Levan watched that stuff, but it’s a combination of those films, Levan’s background, cultural heritage and vision that make his movies unique. They all have a strong emotional chord and a meaning. Even “The Circle,” which was sci-fi for young adults, was at its core about being an outsider, growing up and dealing with identity,” he underscores.
For the London-based music and film exec, “Crossing” carries the same humanistic qualities. “It is beautiful, vibrant, alive, heart-breaking, plus it’s set in Istanbul, a cradle of civilisation.”
The story follows the retired teacher Lia as she travels from Georgia to Istanbul, to find her long lost niece. She meets Evrim, a lawyer fighting for trans rights who might be the key to find her niece.
Speaking earlier to Variety, Dedye said the movie is “about finding your family, not your blood relatives, but those that accept and love you unconditionally, without prejudice, for who you are.”
Sold by Paris-based Totem Films, the pic has been snagged by multiple territories ahead of Berlin including MUBI for North America, the U.K., Germany, Latin America, New Story for France, Lucky Red for Italy, and Avalon for Spain.
RMV Film’s other hand-picked Swedish film bets include the documentary “Yung Lean: In My Head” which bowed at Tribeca 2020, the erotic queer drama “The Shoolmaster Games” and Rotterdam Tiger competition entry “100 Seasons.”
“We board projects where we feel we can make a difference,” says Andersson who is considering expanding into bigger international projects. “It’s not a question of scale, but a question of talent,” he observes.
For now, Andersson focuses on his own pop music creation, and the mega hit London-based “ABBA Voyage,” which he produced with Svana Gisla.
Since its launch in 2022, the virtual concert in which the iconic Swedish ABBA pop group performs digitally as avatars, with a live 10-piece band, has been a mega smash hit. “Around 3,000 people watch it every night and we do seven shows a week so we sell 21,000 tickets a week. So far we’ve had more than 1.7 million visitors. It’s very very nice,” says the producer who has spent seven years working on the show and is finalising deals for the “Abba Voyage” music event to go on tour worldwide.
With its complex motion capture and performance techniques from the four ABBA band members, the input from a thousand VFX experts from Industrial Light & Magic, on top of the purpose-built venue, the show was a major investment.
“It cost around £140 million ($176.2 million) to do it the first time and will cost as much to do it again,” says the producer. “It’s a huge investment, in time and money, as it involves a three-year process. But we are trying to make it happen in many other cities around the world,” Andersson declares.
Asked if ABBA members would consider reuniting for their 50th anniversary and the Eurovision contest to be held in Sweden this year, Andersson said: “They did the ABBA Voyage, a new album. They are not interested in doing any celebration, as far as I know, but you should ask them!”
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