Tre Vänner

Tre Vänner, formally Tre Vänner Produktion AB, was a Swedish production company established in 1995 by screenwriters Michael Hjorth, Johan Kindblom, and Tomas Tivemark. The name means “Three Friends” in Swedish and reflected the company’s founding partnership. Its activities covered television programs, feature films, television episodes, and commercial production, making it part of Sweden’s independent screen-production sector rather than a consumer-goods brand. The company developed a broad Swedish television portfolio. Its credits included the comedy series Svensson, Svensson, the drama series Cleo, and Mannen som log. Tre Vänner also produced episodes or installments associated with programs such as Världarnas bok, Poliser, Ett gott parti, and Det okända. These projects placed the company across several television formats, including scripted drama, comedy, crime-oriented programming, and factual or mystery entertainment. In feature films, Tre Vänner was associated with productions including 7 miljonärer, Ett öga rött, and Kid Svensk. One of its most internationally visible film projects was Easy Money, released in 2010 under the original Swedish title Snabba cash. The film adapted Jens Lapidus’s novel of the same name and became a significant Swedish crime-film production. Tre Vänner’s work therefore connected commercial television production with literary adaptations and theatrical cinema. Commercial production was another part of the company’s business. It made advertisements for the Swedish grocery retailer ICA and the financial-services company Swedbank, demonstrating that its production capabilities extended beyond entertainment programming into commissioned brand communications. Tre Vänner also created a wholly owned production company together with author Camilla Läckberg. That venture produced Fjällbackamorden, a set of ten television episodes, each approximately ninety minutes long. The project linked the company to Swedish crime storytelling and to Läckberg’s creative work. A major ownership change occurred in 2013, when Tre Vänner was acquired by Svensk Filmindustri. In 2016, Svensk Filmindustri merged with another studio operation to form SF Studios. Tre Vänner’s independent corporate identity consequently ended within the restructuring, although its productions remained part of the Swedish film and television production history associated with the SF Studios group. Because the available reference material does not provide later standalone operating information, Tre Vänner is treated here as a defunct or absorbed production-company brand rather than as an independently active company.

Tre Vänner Produktion AB was founded in Sweden in 1995 by screenwriters Michael Hjorth, Johan Kindblom, and Tomas Tivemark. The founders established the company as a screen-production business capable of developing and producing television, films, and advertising. Its name, Tre Vänner, translates as “Three Friends,” referring to the founding trio. The company’s early and continuing television work included the series Svensson, Svensson, Cleo, and Mannen som log. It also produced episodes connected with Världarnas bok, Poliser, Ett gott parti, and Det okända. These credits show a production slate spanning scripted entertainment and other television formats rather than a single specialized genre. Tre Vänner expanded into feature-film production with projects such as 7 miljonärer, Ett öga rött, and Kid Svensk. The company’s best-known film credit was the 2010 crime drama Easy Money, whose Swedish title was Snabba cash. The film was adapted from Jens Lapidus’s novel of the same name and represented the company’s involvement in a major contemporary Swedish literary adaptation. Alongside entertainment programming, Tre Vänner produced advertising for major Swedish brands and institutions, including the grocery chain ICA and Swedbank. This commercial work formed a separate but complementary part of its production activities, using the company’s screen-production capabilities for commissioned campaigns. The company also established a wholly owned production operation with author Camilla Läckberg. That collaboration produced Fjällbackamorden, consisting of ten television episodes with runtimes of approximately one and a half hours. The project further connected Tre Vänner with Swedish crime fiction and long-form television storytelling. In 2013, Svensk Filmindustri acquired Tre Vänner. The acquisition changed the company’s status from an independent production house to an operation within a larger Swedish film-industry organization. In 2016, Svensk Filmindustri merged to form SF Studios. Tre Vänner was consequently absorbed into the new studio structure, and its standalone corporate identity ceased to operate as an independent brand. The available reference material does not identify a subsequent independent relaunch or a current operating company under the Tre Vänner name.

• 2016

  Formation of SF Studios

  [1]Tre Vänneren.wikipedia.org

  Svensk Filmindustri merges into the new SF Studios structure, ending Tre Vänner’s independent corporate identity.

• 2013

  Acquisition by Svensk Filmindustri

  [1]Tre Vänneren.wikipedia.org

  Svensk Filmindustri acquires Tre Vänner.

• 2010

  Easy Money is released

  [1]Tre Vänneren.wikipedia.org

  Tre Vänner produces Easy Money, released in Swedish as Snabba cash, an adaptation of Jens Lapidus’s novel.

• 1995

  Tre Vänner is founded

  [1]Tre Vänneren.wikipedia.org

  Michael Hjorth, Johan Kindblom, and Tomas Tivemark establish Tre Vänner Produktion AB in Sweden.

A Swedish independent screen-production company working across television, feature films, literary adaptations, and commercial advertising before being acquired and absorbed into the SF Studios structure.

• Television series

  Svensson, Svensson

  A Swedish television comedy series produced by Tre Vänner. It is among the company’s named television credits and illustrates its early role in Swedish scripted programming.

• Television series

  Cleo

  A Swedish television series produced by Tre Vänner as part of its scripted television portfolio.

• Television series

  Mannen som log

  A television series associated with Tre Vänner’s Swedish production work.

• Feature film · 2010

  Easy Money (Snabba cash)

  A 2010 Swedish crime film produced by Tre Vänner and adapted from Jens Lapidus’s novel of the same name. The production is one of the company’s most prominent feature-film credits.

• Television film series

  Fjällbackamorden

  A collaboration between Tre Vänner and Camilla Läckberg that resulted in ten television episodes, each approximately ninety minutes long.

• Feature film

  7 miljonärer

  A feature film listed among Tre Vänner’s film productions.

• Feature film

  Ett öga rött

  A feature film produced by Tre Vänner.

• Feature film

  Kid Svensk

  A feature film included among Tre Vänner’s Swedish film-production credits.

• ICA advertising production

  Sweden

  Tre Vänner produced advertisements for ICA, the Swedish grocery chain, extending its work into commercial and branded screen content.

  Source
• Swedbank advertising production

  Sweden

  Tre Vänner created advertising for Swedbank as part of its commercial production activities.

  Source

• 2016

  Integration into SF StudiosM&A

  Background

  Svensk Filmindustri merged in 2016 to create SF Studios.

  Action taken

  Tre Vänner was absorbed into the newly formed SF Studios structure rather than continuing as a standalone production company.

  Aftermath

  The independent Tre Vänner corporate identity ended, while its production history became associated with the SF Studios group.

  Source

• 2013

  Accept acquisition by Svensk FilmindustriM&A

  Background

  Tre Vänner had operated as an independent Swedish production company since 1995 before being acquired by Svensk Filmindustri.

  Action taken

  Svensk Filmindustri purchased Tre Vänner and brought the company into its broader studio organization.

  Aftermath

  Tre Vänner subsequently became part of the corporate structure that was reorganized into SF Studios in 2016.

  Source

1. 1Tre Vänneren.wikipedia.org