Thomsen joins Audi's 'Frost'

Catalan Institute boards pic

By EMILIO MAYORGA

SITGES — Danish actor Ulrich Thomsen ("Kingdom of Heaven," "The International," "Opium") is attached to topline Ferran Audi's "The Frost."

Set up as a co-production between Barcelona's Alta Realitat and Norway's Frost Media, "Frost" has a third co-production partner in Christer Nilson's Swedish production house Gota Film.

The Catalan Institute for Cultural Industries film board also approved subsidy coin for "Frost" in early October.

Freely inspired by Ibsen's short story "Little Eyolf," "Frost" is a psychological drama turning on the disintegration of a marriage after a son's death.

"The work of the actors will be decisive in the film," Audi told Daily Variety.

The mixed Spanish-Scandinavian cast also includes Ingmar Bergman muse Bibi Andersson ("Persona"), Sweden's Annika Hallin ("Kissed by Winter"), Norway's Eva Morkeset ("Sleepy Hollow"), Spanish actor-helmer Tristan Ulloa ("Pudor") and Catalan Fermi Reixach ("Perfume: The Story of a Murderer").

The $3.3 million budgeted "Frost" is the first feature from Audi, who is a well-known Catalan theater director. He also wrote "Frost's" screenplay, alongside Swedish dramatist Lars Noren.

"Frost" will shoot mainly in Norwegian and Swedish, rolling from March, lensing largely in Scandinavia.