Finnish director Juho Kuosmanen – awarded the Grand Prix at Cannes for “Compartment No. 6” – has joined forces with Finland’s Elisa Viihde on upcoming six-episode series “Yours, Margot.” Elisa Viihde is an entertainment service of Elisa, which has been commissioning original drama series since 2014.
“The project has been in stand-by mode and I’m happy to see it proceed with Elisa. We are still writing, because the script is crucial – even more in TV than in cinema,” he told Variety.
“We are not interested in making a TV series; we are interested in making a good TV series. And that takes time.”
What makes a good TV series? “A good script and a great ensemble. And a brilliant location scout,” he added. Previously, Kuosmanen directed series “Zone B” and “Alice & Jack,” the latter starring Andrea Riseborough and Domhnall Gleeson. He also served as the show’s executive producer.
“Yours, Margot,” based on a novel by Meri Valkama, zooms in on Vilja, who spent her childhood in East Berlin. After the death of her father, a foreign correspondent, she finds old letters from the mysterious “Margot,” uncovering her family’s traumatic past in the 1980s. Now a journalist herself, she decides to find Margot – and finally get some answers.
“We’ve been doing the adaptation for quite some time now. Adapting is never as simple as you first think. You cannot just ‘write’ the book into images and dialogue. You really have to discover what touched you in the original material, what took you in and what emotions and themes were the most important to you. And then you have to build on that,” explained producer Jussi Rantamäki of Aamu Film Company.
Jussi Rantamäki
“Juho is very demanding when it comes to scripts, especially regarding the tone of the story. Andris Feldmanis and Livia Ulman [also behind ‘Compartment No. 6’] wrote quite a lot of versions until we were all happy. Now, we developed a great pilot and bible together with Beta Film.”
In 2023, the show was already adjudicated one of the Seriesmakers’ Beta Development Awards and €50,000 ($54,000). The initiative, then in its first edition, is led by SeriesMania and supported by Beta.
“It was a great start for the project. We realized that others see great potential in the team and the story. We were very early in development and the prize and partnering with Beta Film, pushed us further,” recalled Rantamäki, ready to “start international financing.”
“We think the series really suits [Elisa’s] editorial line and we have been working on the development with them from the very early stages.”
Sari Lempiäinen, executive producer at Elisa Viihde, noted: “We are proud to have this series as part of our original series slate and to start working with Juho and Jussi.”
According to Ani Korpela, Elisa’s chief content officer, the show “perfectly encapsulates what Elisa Viihde strives for in its original series: bold, high-quality European drama with a distinct creative vision and international appeal.”
“With ‘Yours, Margot’, everything came together in such an organic way. Juho Kuosmanen saw in Meri Valkama’s novel the kind of layered, deeply personal story that needed a larger canvas,”
“The project is also a great example of our approach to international co-productions: since much of the story is set in Berlin, it is natural to seek German partners. Beyond that, its themes are universally relevant, which is why we believe it will speak to audiences far beyond Finland.”
Ferdinand Dohna, Head of Content & Co-Production at Beta Film, called the new partnership a “milestone” for the series.
“It’s great to see that the creative initiative that is Seriesmakers serves its purpose: fostering creativity and nurturing global talent eager to dive deep into television storytelling. With the support of outstanding partners, mentors and speakers, we’re proud to accompany ‘Yours, Margot’ and unveil its cinematic approach to a global audience.”
