TV giant buys rights to Faroese crime drama

The body of an animal rights activist is found in the bloody waters after a whale killing. Journalist Hannis Martinsson investigates the murder, which sends shockwaves across the Faroese community.

This is the plot of Faroese crime TV series “Trom”, based on the crime novels of Jógvan Isaksen, to which German/French TV station ZDF/Arte has now bought some of the rights.

“Since the Faroese national broadcaster does not have the same financial capacity as national broadcasters in other countries, the series is financed on a so-called pre-sales model,” explains Faroese producer Jón Hammer.

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A few investors have already signed up to the series, including Viaplay, which offers streaming services across the Nordic region.

“And now with a TV giant like ZDF/Arte onboard, we now have the financing we need to start filming,” says Hammer.

It is, however, uncertain whether the series will be shot in the Faroe Islands.

“The Faroese tax rebates for filmmakers – the so-called production incentives – are very low compared to e.g. Iceland,” says the Faroese producer.

“So it is likely that we will be doing most of the filming in Iceland because after all only 50,000 people in the Faroe Islands will see the difference.”