Theres been a lot of intrigue surroundingDance Brothers, the first original Finnish series ordered atNetflix.
Their unique club and impressive dance routines quickly bring them fame.
Soon artistic ambitions and personal relationships collide, testing Roni and Sakaris close bond.
(L to R) Roderick Kabanga as Roni & Samuel Kujala as Sakari in ‘Dance Brothers’Hayley Lê / Netflix
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All ten episodes are directed by filmmaker Taito Kawata.
DEADLINE:What are the origins of the show?
MAX MALKA:Ive always wanted to see a Finnish dance film because the genre is so fun.
And it had never been done in Finland.
I was kind of waiting around thinking, Why isnt anybody doing it?
And then I realized, well, hold on.
If theres a gap in the market, why not just make it ourselves?
So the genre came first.
DEADLINE:When did you start writing and what was the process like?
MALKA:Three years ago.
I wrote the concept, the season arc, and the synopsis.
DEADLINE:Where did you find Taito?
MALKA:Taito has an amazing reputation in Finland.
Hes a very established, award-winning commercial and music video director.
I knew that he was working on a feature documentary about a popular artist duo in Finland.
We met a couple of times and talked about things.
The vision he had really impressed me.
Every time you go with someone new, its a risk, but it was definitely worth it.
DEADLINE:Taito, what was interesting about the project to you?
TAITO KAWATA:Firstly, you cant say no to Max.
But this just felt like something I needed to do.
It was the strong entrepreneurship theme that I related to.
Starting your own club and then getting into all this trouble.
Thats something that has been close to me.
I started a restaurant with my sister, so I was close to that in a way.
DEADLINE:One thing thats instantly noticeable about the show is how ethnically diverse it is.
Thats not something thats traditionally associated with Finland.
Was that a conscious, subversive choice?
MALKA:Well, it reflects the world that Taito and I live in.
So for us, it was organic.
This is our Finland.
DEADLINE:Can you explain this tieredNetflix partnership to me?
MALKA:The show will premiere in Finland and everywhere at the same time on Netflix.
It has a global premiere.
And then YLE has the second window in Finland, and the show will be on both platforms simultaneously.
DEADLINE: How did you manage to land this unique partnership?
And for Netflix to say okay, we will make a substantial investment into a Finnish language show.
And nonetheless, a YA show is a way to offer something new for the Finnish youth.
I think thats really great.
DEADLINE:Max, do you think this is the future of financing and producing shows?
MALKA:There will always be a diverse way of making projects which make sense for that specific project.
This isnt a trend that should be copied every time.
We were lucky to have this collaboration with Netflix, and they were very open and generous with us.
They said we dont know your local audience.
DEADLINE:Netflix runs a model where they dont necessarily promote new material.
Projects pop, and then the streamer backs them.
With this, it can be hard to cut through on Netflix.
How do you feel about Dance Brothers opening with this model?
And so many new titles coming out all the time.
We have to trust word of mouth and algorithms.
But we just tried to make the best show that we possibly could.
And I hope as many people as possible can find it.
DEADLINE:Whats next for you both?
MALKA:Ive been holding my breath for the release and just seeing what that brings for the future.
It was a really great collaboration onDance Brothers.
I have nothing else in my mind now.
