celand’s leading film and TV production company Glassriver has announced it has partnered with Italy’s True Colours for the global distribution of its new original psychological thriller series BRKN, adapted from Jón Atli Jónasson’s novel BROTIN. True Colours will handle the international distribution of the series, which is currently in development.
Set against the brooding backdrop of Reykjavik, BRKN tells the story of Dóra and Rado, thrust together to investigate the disappearance of a nonbinary teenager, Morgan. What begins as a missing minor case, escalates into a high-stakes investigation. Dóra is recently back on duty after a traumatic incident where she received a gunshot to her head while attempting to prevent her boyfriend’s suicide. Meanwhile, when members of Rado’s family emerge as suspects in the investigation, he struggles to reconcile his loyalty to them with his responsibilities as a police officer. As they race against time to find Morgan, a complex web of organised crime, corporate power, and police corruption begins to unravel.
BRKN is created by playwright, screenwriter, and author Jón Atli Jónasson (The Deep, Arctic Circle), director Thorleifur Örn Arnarsson (King Lear, Hamlet, The Ring of the Nibelungen, The Case) and screenwriter, novelist and composer Margrét Örnólfsdóttir (The Valhalla Murders, Trapped, Fanger, The Flatey Enigma).
Jón Atli Jónasson is also the author of the crime novel Brotin. He co-wrote the 2013 Oscar short-listed feature The Deep, and his works have been performed at major theatres including The National Theatre of Iceland. His TV credits include the German-Finnish crime series Arctic Circle, and his radio drama on the Guðmundur and Geirfinnur case won third prize at Prix Europa. Brotin has been sold to several territories worldwide.
Thorleifur Örn Arnarsson has staged plays and operas across Iceland, Germany, and Europe, and served as artistic director of Berlin’s Volksbühne. He has directed major works including King Lear, Hamlet, and The Ring of the Nibelungen. In 2018, he won the FAUST PRIZE as Director of the Year, and his staging of Njála won a record ten “MASKS” at the Icelandic Theatre Awards. He also co-wrote the Netflix series THE CASE, which was nominated for writer of the year at the Icelandic TV and Film Awards.
Margrét Örnólfsdóttir has been at the forefront of Icelandic TV drama for the past two decades. Her work includes TV series The Valhalla Murders, Trapped (season 2), Fangar (aka Prisoners) and The Flatey Enigma. Her upcoming work includes the Finnish-Icelandic series Hildur, based on Satu Rämö’s phenomenal international bestseller. Margrét has been nominated twice for the Nordic Film & TV Fund Prize, and three times for Prix Europa (TV drama category), as well as multiple wins and nominations for the Icelandic Film Awards, Eddan.
Expanding Glassriver’s slate of high-end scripted series for the global market, BRKN is a fresh take on the Nordic crime genre, blending classic police procedural drama with psychological suspense. The series joins Glassriver’s Avalanche, a co-production with Whatevergroup, the recently optioned Konráð book series from author Arnaldur Indriðason which is being adapted for the screen and the comedy drama Hot Stuff, a coproduction with Romania’s IDEA Film currently in production.
Andri Ómarsson, co-owner and producer at Glassriver said, “BRKN pushes the boundaries of the Nordic crime genre and represents the distinctive and original storytelling that we champion at Glassriver. We are delighted to be partnering with True Colours, as we continue to share bold and unique stories from Iceland, with the world.”
Elliot Gustin at True Colours commented, “One year after launching our series distribution business, we are delighted to be partnering with Glassriver. This demonstrates our ability as an independent distributor to support bold, high-quality projects. BRKN is a series with tremendous potential, and we firmly believe it will have international acclaim and success.”
