SF Studios produces Mats Strandberg’s bestseller “The Conference” for Netflix - Starring Katia Winter, Adam Lundgren, and Eva Melander

1 February 2023

Copyright: Photo credit: Robert Eldrim

Today Netflix announced the new Swedish comedy slasher film The Conference (Swedish title: Konferensen) starring Katia Winter and Adam Lundgren in the leading roles as Lina and Jonas alongside Eva Melander as Eva. Patrik Eklund is directing the film that is based on the novel by Mats Strandberg and a script by Thomas Moldestad. The film is produced by SF Studios, that also has produced Snabba Cash, Red Dot, Loving Adults, Troll and upcoming Ehrengard and A Beautiful Life for Netflix. The Conference has recently finished shooting and will be released globally on Netflix in 2023.

The Conference is a comedy horror about a teambuilding conference attended by municipal employees that spirals into a nightmare when accusations of corruption begin to circulate and plague the work environment. Simultaneously, a mysterious figure begins stalking and murdering the participants one-by-one in this Swedish comedy slasher with warm, humoristic characters.

Produced by SF Studios, The Conference is based on the Swedish author Mats Strandberg’s novel of the same name, which was originally published in 2021. Strandberg is one of Sweden’s most prolific horror writers, and his books have been published in over 30 countries. His successful book The Circle (2011), written together with Sara B. Elfgren, was also adapted into a feature film in 2015. Strandberg is also an executive producer of film.

“It has been fantastic to serve as an executive producer on The Conference. We’ve had way better atmosphere in our meetings, than the characters in the film. Thomas Moldestad and Patrik Eklund have done an incredible job of capturing not only the blood and the tension, but also the humor and the everyday awkwardness that can only take place at a Swedish conference. And the cast is better than I could ever have imagined”, says Mats Strandberg.

The Swedish director and writer Patrik Eklund is directing the film. He has previously directed series such as The Gambling Scandal (2022) and We Got This (2020) and the short films Finito (2021) and The Infection (2018).

“It is an honor to bring The Conference to the screen together with SF Studios and Netflix. With Mats Strandberg’s unique novel as a model and a phenomenal cast, this film has all the potential to become a future classic. A very bloody, entertaining, and gripping story about the unsung anti-heroes of the public sector”, says director Patrik Eklund.

The film is produced by producer Ina Sohlberg for SF Studios.

"To be able to make a film like The Conference is a dream come true. The collaboration with Mats Strandberg, our screenwriter Thomas Moldestad and director Patrik Eklund has been inspired and joyful. We have also had the privilege of working with a fantastic team who have given their all to the film and an ensemble of actors who excel in every scene. We hope to be able to deliver a unique Swedish film experience and pure entertainment to the audience", says producer Ina Sohlberg at SF Studios.

For Netflix, SF Studios has also produced the upcoming Danish dramas Ehrengard and A Beautiful Life, the recently released Norwegian film Troll, the Swedish series Snabba Cash, the Swedish thriller Red Dot and the Danish thriller Loving Adults that have been well received by international media and audiences.

About the film
Based on the book The Conference by Mats Strandberg
Director: Patrik Eklund
Starring: Katia Winter, Adam Lundgren, Eva Melander, Bahar Pars, Maria Sid, Marie Agerhäll, Christoffer Nordenrot, Amed Bozan, Lola Zackow, Claes Hartelius, Cecilia Nilsson, Jimmy Lindström, Martin Lagos.
Scriptwriter: Thomas Moldestad
Production company: SF Studios
Producer: Ina Sohlberg, SF Studios

The Conference will release globally on Netflix in 2023.

For more information, please contact: 
Ina Sohlberg, Producer, SF Studios, ina.sohlberg@sfstudios.se, +46 72 322 75 33
Malin Strihagen, Vice President Brand & Communications, SF Studios, +46 70 780 39 35, malin.strihagen@sfstudios.se

About SF Studios
SF Studios, established in 1919, is one of the world’s oldest film companies. Today SF Studios is the leading film studio in the Nordic region with its headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden and offices in Oslo, Copenhagen, Helsinki and London. The company is producing and distributing feature films and TV series as well as providing the streaming service SF Anytime. SF Studios is part of the leading Nordic media company Bonnier.

About Netflix
Netflix is one of the world's leading entertainment services with 231 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.