SF Studios Romantic Comedy 'True Love' Sets Stockholm and Croatia Shoot for October 2026 With Kristofer Hivju and Frida Hallgren

A Scandinavian-Croatian romantic comedy is quietly shaping up to be one of the more charming European co-productions on the horizon. True Love, a feature from SF Studios and Croatia's Kinorama, has entered pre-production with cameras expected to roll across Stockholm, the Swedish region of Dalarna, and Croatia beginning October 8, 2026. With delivery planned for fall 2027, the film is well into its staffing window, and crew with experience on Scandinavian productions or international European co-productions should take note now.

The project reunites director-writer Martina Haag with screenwriter Peter Arrhenius, a creative partnership that Nordic film audiences will recognize from their previous collaboration. Haag is best known in Sweden as an actress, author, and filmmaker, and her work behind the camera has reflected the same warmth and psychological sharpness that defined her on-screen performances. Arrhenius brings additional structural craft to the screenplay, which centers on two flawed, fully-formed characters navigating the unexpected terrain of love after fifty. Ellinor, recently separated and suddenly in possession of a forty-million-euro lottery win, finds herself unable to trust anyone around her. Henrik, her counterpart, is a charming and practiced liar whose habits were formed at an elite boarding school. The logline alone suggests a script with real wit and emotional intelligence, and the returning creative partnership signals a set culture built on established trust and a clear shared vision.

The cast is already generating attention. Norwegian actor Kristofer Hivju, internationally recognized for his years as Tormund Giantsbane on Game of Thrones and more recently seen in The Witcher, brings considerable global name recognition to the project alongside genuine comedic range. Swedish actress Frida Hallgren, a beloved and critically respected presence in Scandinavian film and television, is a natural fit for the emotionally grounded tone the story demands. The pairing of a Norwegian lead with a Swedish lead opposite each other, in a Swedish-Croatian co-production, adds a pleasing cross-border dimension that should serve the film well in Nordic and broader European markets.

SF Studios is one of Scandinavia's most established and well-resourced production companies, with a long history spanning theatrical features, television, and international co-productions across the Nordic region. The studio has backed everything from mainstream Swedish commercial cinema to prestige Nordic noir, and producer Helen Ahlsson has specifically noted that True Love represents SF Studios' first romantic comedy in years, framing it as a deliberate and enthusiastic return to the genre. The broadcaster attachment of SVT, Sweden's public broadcaster, and NRK, Norway's equivalent, provides a meaningful distribution foundation for the Nordic market. Funding support from the Swedish Film Institute, Film Stockholm, and the regional fund Film i Dalarna rounds out a financing structure that reflects solid institutional confidence in the project. The Croatian co-production partner Kinorama is one of the more active and internationally connected production houses in Southeast Europe, with a track record of facilitating exactly this kind of cross-border collaboration.

The filming geography is one of the most appealing aspects of this production for crew. Stockholm offers a robust, experienced local crew base and strong stage infrastructure, with well-equipped facilities that have supported both domestic and international productions for decades. The Dalarna region, a picturesque area of central Sweden known for its lakes, forests, and traditional red cottages, adds a distinctly cinematic visual texture to the shoot and is already home to Film i Dalarna's regional support structure, which actively facilitates productions in the area. Croatia, meanwhile, has emerged over the past decade as one of Europe's most sought-after production destinations, offering competitive tax incentives, a growing local crew base, and locations that range from Adriatic coastline to historic old-town architecture. Dubrovnik and Split have been the most common Croatian bases for international productions, though the specific Croatian locations for True Love have not yet been confirmed publicly. The multi-location nature of the shoot means the production will likely require strong logistics coordination across two countries, making experienced unit production managers, location managers, and production coordinators particularly valuable hires.

As a mid-to-upper-tier European co-production with broadcaster and film institute backing, True Love is almost certainly structured as a union-affiliated production under Nordic collective agreements, which is standard for SVT and NRK-attached projects of this scale. The romantic comedy format, while lighter on the VFX pipeline that genre films often require, still demands strong contributions from the costume and production design departments to establish the contrasting worlds of its two leads. A lottery-winning protagonist and an elite boarding school backstory both carry visual storytelling weight, and a skilled art department will be central to making those environments feel authentic. The Croatia leg of the shoot will also require a bilingual or internationally mobile production team comfortable navigating cross-border logistics and local permitting.

With filming still roughly nine months out, True Love is in the phase where key department heads are beginning to be approached and attached. This is the right moment for cinematographers, production designers, costume designers, location managers, and assistant directors with Scandinavian or international European experience to get on the radar of producer Helen Ahlsson and the SF Studios team. The full production listing on ProductionList.com includes available contact details, confirmed crew, office addresses, and will be updated as the production moves through pre-production. Bookmark it, check back regularly, and if your credits align with what this production needs, now is the time to make your move.

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