Sweden's Ostlund preps 'Tourist'

GIJON, The country -- Swedish helmer-scribe Ruben Ostlund is preparing "Tourist," his follow-as much as breakthrough hit "Play." A Swedish-French language movie, "Tourist" is to establish at Ostlund's Gothenburg-based Plattform Produktion. Plattform is within talks for Philippe Bober's Coproduction Office to co-produce and handle "Tourist's" worldwide sales, as on "Play," Ostlund stated at Spain's Gijon Festival, which began its 49th edition Friday. Plattform's Erik Hemmendorff and Marie Kjelson will produce. The Swedish Film Institute and Swedish regional fund Film I Huge, that has set up development costs, are backing "Tourist." A 3-part movie, "Tourist" highlights "behavior that individuals have observed in others -- mostly incompatible areas -- think they'll never turn to, after which need to admit they have that side for their character," Ostlund told journalists at Gijon. One part includes what Ostlund hopes to become probably the most spectacular avalanche in film history. It activates a contented Swedish family -- father, mother, two kids -- vacationing within the French Alps. An avalanche sparks a spontaneous act of cowardice in the father, who can't realise why he responded this way. Ostlund, an expert ski filmmaker, is presently focusing on the script. Plattform aims to trigger the avalanche this winter, mixing shots with bluescreen vfx. Principal photography is skedded for spring, Ostlund told Variety. A discomfiting chronicle, according to true occasions, of 5 black boys slowly destroying three whitened kids -- "the concept ended up being to open discussions about a thing that individuals have difficulties speaking about, Ostlund stated -- "Play" was one Competition standout throughout Gijon's early running. Valeria Donzelli's French B.O. breakout "Promise of War" confirmed its overseas potential, drawing applause as well as tears in a press screening. Belgian Bouli Lanners "The Titans" elicited glowing press plaudits: "A piece of genius," reported Asturias' El Comercial. Playing Monday, Gijon's initial world preem, "Iceberg," from Spaniard Gabriel Velazquez ("Sud Express"), demonstrated a contemplative three-story coming-of-age drama, set beside Salamanca's couch potatoes Rio Tormes, by which three adolescents face their first character-shaping large problems in existence. Underscoring a brand new industrial model in The country of ratcheting lower budgets to limit contact with a seriously contracting local market, Velazquez stated that, as they required a danger starting production on "Iceberg" before closing its budget, the drama was eventually fully-funded by incentives. Within the Rellumes sidebar, the near phantasmagoric docu "Hollywood Talkies," from Barcelona's Oscar Perez and Marly Ribot -- activating the development of The spanish language-language version of early seem photos -- also had its fans. "Copito," a three dimensional live-action/toon movie from Filmax, among Spain's foremost forces in feature film animation, world preems in a few days. Fest fetes eclectic Austrian helmer Michael Glawogger ("Whore's Glory," "Contact High"), Bertrand Bonello ("House of Tolerance") and festive NY-based indie cineaste Marie Losier, who presented her feature "The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye." Spaniard Montxo Armendariz -- whose films have usually twinned critical and commercial success in The country -- will get the Nacho Martinez National Cinema Prize. Fest shuts Saturday with thriller "The Lady within the Fifth," from Pawel Pawlikowski, whose "The Last Measure" capped Gijon in 2000. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com