Icelandic Drama ‘Elma’ Set For Siminn Bow As Glassriver Debuts ‘NCU’ At MIPCOM

EXCLUSIVE: Icelandic crime thriller series Elma, will launch domestically on Síminn’s streaming service on October 15, as its producer brings new title NCU to MIPCOM.

Elma, adapted from global bestselling author Eva Björg Ægisdóttir’s book series, is set in the small port town of Akranes in Iceland. It will launch via Icelandic telecommunications company Síminn operates Sjónvarp Símans, a domestic television broadcasting and streaming service, which includes Sjónvarp Símans Premium, a subscription video-on-demand service.

Elma follows police detective Elma (Unnur Birna Backman), who returns to her hometown having fled a romantic affair that left her in pieces, and is assigned to the local force as a woman’s body is found lying at the foot of a lighthouse. Terrible secrets resurface from the past, and Elma’s colleague, Saevar (Nikulás Hansen Daðason), could prove to be her only salvation.

The creative and production team for Elma includes directors Katrín Björgvinsdóttir (Entrapped, As Long As We Live) and Þóra Hilmarsdóttir (The Rising, Katla), scriptwriter and showrunner Karen Björg Eyfjörð Þorsteinsdóttir, and series producer Andri Freyr Hlynsson. The co-production with Belgium’s Lunamine is represented globally by Mediawan, with a pre-sale to Finland’s MTV also in place.

Alongside Elma, Glassriver’s extensive scripted slate includes Avalanche, a co-production with Whatevergroup; Konráð, based on the book series by Arnaldur Indriðason; and another literary adaptation Reykjavik Noir, based on Lilja Sigurðardóttir’s novels. Also on the slate of scripted series is Hot Stuff, an Icelandic-Romanian coproduction with IDEA Film and Tango Metal, an Icelandic-Finnish coproduction with Helsinki-filmi.

“The Icelandic premiere marks an important moment for Elma, bringing a story that has resonated with Icelandic readers back to audiences in a new form,” said Andri Ómarsson, CEO of Glassriver.

“We’re delighted to have found a home for the series with Síminn, and to introduce local viewers to the world we have created – from the talent in front of the camera to the creative team who have brought this adaptation to life. We hope the series will feel both familiar and fresh to audiences who know the books, while also opening Elma up to viewers discovering it for the first time.”

‘NCU’ Launch

Meanwhile, Glassriver is headed to MIPCOM Cannes for the next week’s international TV confab. New for the market is NCU, which is being billed as Iceland’s first scripted procedural series.

Per the synopsis, “The NCU is an elite task force of investigators drawn from every corner of the Nordic region, united to solve the toughest crimes. The Nordic nations have long prided themselves on low crime rates and high levels of social trust. Each episode sees the team dispatched to a different Nordic country, where they must navigate local tensions, cultural nuances, and political pressures – all while solving a new case.”

NCU will join titles such as the Nicholas Weinstock-EP’ed Masquerade, Konrad, Reykjavik Noir and Manifesto on Glassriver’s slate.