Feature film based on Emmi Itäranta’s novel MEMORY OF WATER now shooting in Estonia, soon in Germany and Norwegian Lapland

Film news: Memory of Water feature film, based on Emmi Itäranta’s novel,  now in production!

We are very happy to let you know that MEMORY OF WATER now started filming in and around Tallinn, Estonia for Finland’s established production outfit Bufo, after more than five years in the making and a three-month shoot delay due to Covid-19.

The shoots are set to continue in Germany and Norwegian Lapland later this year

The film is based on the eponymous novel by Emmi Itäranta that has already sold to 22 countries. World English rights are held by HarperCollins.

The translation rights are still available for Albania, Croatia, Greece, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Macedonia, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia etc.

Ask for the full English manuscript of Memory of Water by clicking here.

The story centres on a young woman who finds courage to start a battle over fresh water in the Scandinavian Union, a land dried by eco disasters and controlled by a harsh military government.

ABOUT THE FILM:

The stellar cast for the film comprises Saga Sarkola (Thicker Than Water, Maria’s Paradise), Mimosa Willamo (Aurora), Pekka Strang (Dogs Don’s Wear Pants, Tom of Finland), and Lauri Tilkanen (Deadwind, Ladies of Steel) among others. Depending on travel restrictions, filming is set to move from Estonia to Germany and Norwegian Lapland.

Memory of Water is one of Bufo’s most ambitious projects ever, with a €3.5 million budget. The film is co-produced by Germany’s Pandora, Norway’s Mer Film, Estonia’s Allfilm, with co-financing from Yle, NRW, support from the Finnish Film Foundation, Nordisk Film & TV Fond and Creative Europe.

The premiere via Bufo’s own distribution arm B-Plan is scheduled for 2021.

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Teos (orig.)
ARABIC: Dar Al Muna
BRAZIL: Record
BULGARIA: Perseus
CHINA: Sichuan People’s Publishing House
CZECH REPUBLIC: Albatros Media/Plus
DENMARK: Turbine
ESTONIA: Koolibri
FRANCE: Place des Editeurs
GEORGIA: Palitra L Publishing
GERMANY: DTV/Reihe Hanser
HUNGARY: Metropolis Media
ITALY: Piemme
JAPAN: Nishimura Shoten
KOREA: The Book in My Life
LATVIA: Janis Roze
LITHUANIA: Nieko Rimto
NORWAY: Gresvik Forlag
RUSSIA: Text Publishers
SPAIN: Ediciones B.
SWEDEN: Modernista
TURKEY: Dogan Egmont
WORLD ENGLISH: HarperCollins
FILM RIGHTS: Bufo

About author


Emmi Itäranta

Emmi Itäranta (b.1976) holds two MA degrees, one in Drama and another in Creative Writing. Her award-winning debut novel Memory of Water (Teemestarin kirja) was published in Finland in 2012 to great accolades, followed by The Weaver (Kudottujen kujien kaupunki) in 2015. Her latest novel The Moonday Letters (Kuunpäivän kirjeet) was published in September 2020.

Itäranta’s writing has been compared to that of Ursula K. Le Guin. Her honours include the Young Aleksis Kivi Prize 2013, the Kalevi Jäntti Literary Prize 2012 and first place in the Teos Fantasy and Sci-Fi Literary Contest 2011.

Memory of Water has sold to over 25 languages to date, and it has also been nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award recognizing the best science fiction novel published in the UK in 2014, and the Golden Tentacle award. In addition, Itäranta has been included on the Honor List of the Otherwise Award (formerly James Tiptree, Jr. Award).

Itäranta’s CV is an eclectic mix of writing-related activities, including stints as a columnist, theatre critic, press officer and dramaturge. Her poems, short stories, articles and essays have appeared in anthologies, film magazines and science fiction magazines in the UK and Finland. She now lives in Finland after 14 years in the United Kingdom.

Bibliography


2020, Fantasy & Science Fiction

The Moonday Letters

Emmi Itäranta


2015, Fantasy & Science Fiction

The Weaver

Emmi Itäranta


2012, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Memory of Water

Emmi Itäranta