The 27th Gothenburg Film Festival’s Scandinavian Film Market, to be held from January 28th to 30th, is gearing up for a deluxe edition, with new projects from Sami Blood director Amanda Carnell (Brace Your Heart), Ullah Salim (Candy Kings) and Quisling director Eric Poppe (Beloved).
Director May El Tuky, known for “Queen of Hearts,” will screen “Woman, Unknown,” produced by Michael Rieks for Nordisk Film Productions. Norwegian up-and-comer Rikke Gregersen (“Requiem for Selina”) wins titles in both the Discovery and Works in Progress sections, while Alex Schulman presents “Once in the Archipelago.”
“Schulman is very well known to Swedish audiences. He is both a writer and a podcaster. This is one of those titles that resonates with both audiences and festivals. Our priority has always been to have a clear voice, and we strive to have a strong mix of new and veteran directors, as well as films that are not just festival films, but have a clear target audience and commercial ambitions,” said Josef Klengaard, Head of the Nordic Film Market.
“Over the last few years, we have continued to grow slightly. We are expecting 650 participants at the Nordic Film Market and 1,200 participants at NFM and TV Drama Vision. But for us, growth is not a value in itself. It has always been about serving the industry,” he added.
“Judging by the selections so far, we expect 2026 to be a vintage year for Nordic cinema.”
On the Discovery co-production platform, which promotes feature films in development, director Dag-Johan Haugerd presents “Light and Shadow”, a follow-up to the acclaimed “Sex/Love/Dream” trilogy, produced by Yngve Cesar for Motlys. Frieda Kempff will perform “Swine.”
“‘Pig’ is about what happens when women are reduced to surface and function,” said Kemp, known for her roles in “Knocking” and “Swedish Torpedo.”
“By working with body horror and black comedy, I want to make films that are confrontational, sensual, and disturbing without asking for permission. The genre becomes a way to be brutally honest.”
Particular highlights include Hafstein Gunnar Sigurdsson’s action thriller The Silver of Egill and Augusto Joensalo’s This Body Is My Final Address.
“We’re thrilled to be releasing ‘Egil’s Silver’ in the Nordic film market. It’s a really exciting script set in modern-day Iceland, which sheds new light on the story of Iceland and the origins of the Icelandic people, and which resonates strongly with the turbulent political climate of our time,” said Hafstein Gunnar Sigurdsson, also the producer of ‘Under the Tree’ and ‘Either Way’ (later remade as ‘The Prince’). avalanche. ”
“It’s an unexpected take on an adventure thriller, or as we like to call it, a Viking twist on ‘The Da Vinci Code.'”
Emilia Hauka, a producer at Finland’s Arm Film Company, said in “This Body Is My Last Speech” that Joensalo “set out to make an intimate film about what it feels like to change your gender in Finland.”
“They have a special opportunity to document what it feels like to go through a second adolescence, navigate transgender health care, and fall in love while your body and mind are constantly changing. August is a new talent in the Arm Film Company family of filmmakers, and we are fascinated by their ability to take deeply personal subjects and transform them into compelling storytelling for the screen.”
There will also be films in the gory genre, including Elin Grenblom’s Bloodsuckers, Ilya Lautsi’s Red Snow, and Arild Fröhlich’s Vampire.
“It’s a great honor to be able to present such a diverse range of films, and to be able to present films that are more genre-defying than usual, with both ‘Red Snow’ and ‘Bloodsuckers,’ both of which were in last year’s Discovery lineup,” said Klengaard, who called the film a “horror film of a very high standard.”
Overall, this year’s lineup includes 15 films that have been screened in the Nordic market, 19 in progress, and 16 in development, as well as six titles shown at Nordic Gateway (Alors on Dance, Chentian, Element, Euro Pop Bubble, Our Sister Angela – Black Power in East Germany, and Two Little Nightmares).
Many NFM projects later return to the festival. This includes past Works in Progress titles ‘Redoubt’, ‘Weightless’, ‘The Last Resort’ and ‘The Love That Remains’, all part of this year’s lineup.
“It’s a beautiful cycle. We want Gothenburg to be part of the entire journey of Nordic creators and projects, from engaging with emerging talent at Nordic film schools to premiering debut films within the festival’s program. Being able to connect that circle is something we are very proud of,” added Klengaard.
“Gothenburg is where people meet Scandinavia.”
Or with Ruben Østlund himself, who won the Palme d’Or at Cannes twice. The director of “The Square” and “Triangle of Sadness” will be in the spotlight thanks to an exclusive on-stage conversation about his upcoming seventh film, “The Entertainment System Is Down.”
“The purpose of this session is to get in touch with the production process and artistic ambitions of the project. This is a case study, not a work in progress. Ruben is honorary president (of the Gothenburg Film Festival), so it is a way for participants to get closer to his artistic talent,” Klengaard said.
Additional reporting by Annika Pham
“Female, unknown”
Provided by Gothenburg Film Festival
work in progress
“Almost There” (NO), directed by Rikke Gregersen, produced by Ingvir Cesar Berger, Motlys
“Beloved” (NO), directed by Eric Poppe, produced by Finn Gjeldrum, Paradox (distributed by Reinvent Yellow)
“Bloodsuckers” (SE), Director: Erin Grenblom, Producers: Patrick Anderson, Jakob Abrahamson, Mylla Films (Sales: TBA)
“Brace Your Heart” (SE), directed by Amanda Carnell, produced by Eva Åkergren, Nordisk Film (distributor: Trust Nordisk)
“Candy Kings” (DK), directed by Ullah Salim, produced by Daniel Muehlendorf (distributed by Reinvent Yellow)
“Halima” (FI), directed by Naima Mohamud and produced by Anita Hypponen, Jani Poso, Hannu Aukia, It’s Alive Films
“Lionheart” (DK), directed by Naguib Kaja, produced by Signe Reik Jensen and Morten Kaufmann, Toolbox Film
“Low Expectations” (NO), directed by Eyvind Landsvik, produced by Sinov Holsdal, Lotte Sandbu, and Mypo
“Maia Against the World” (DK), directed by Hanna Erpke, produced by Maria Möller Kristoffersen, Frau Film
“Once in The Archipelago” (SE), directed by Alex Schulman, produced by Kristina Legkova, Sophie Palage, Warner Bros.
“Push The Button” (SE), directed by Anton Kerlot, produced by Ylva Olejson, Madeline Ekman, Ögat Film
“Red Snow” (FI), directed by Ilja Lautzi, Misha Djali, Mark Lewoff, produced by Bufo (sales: Charade)
“Saturn Return” (SE), Director: Agnes Sconare, Producer: Joel Rostmark, Adam Meinking, Saturnus Film
“Sãp” (SE), directed by Alessio Arachi, produced by Stina Iković, Alicia Hansen, Prolaps Productions
“Transfer Window” (DK), directed by Caroline Sascha Kogges, produced by Jesper Morthorst, Lise Olheim Stender, Motor
“Vampyr” (NO), directed by Arild Fröhlich, produced by Petter Onstad Locke, Cornelia Boysen, and Mypo (distributed by TrustNordisk)
“Weird Elliot” (SE), directed by Johannes Nyholm, produced by Nima Youssefi, Peter Krupenin, HOBAB
“Would You Care If I Die?” (SE), directed by Loida Sekersos, produced by Helen Aarsson and Sandra Harms, Nordic Drama Queens (distributed by TrustNordisk)
“Woman, Unknown” (DK), Director: May El Tuky, Producer: Michael Rieks, Nordisk Film Production (Distributor: Trust Nordisk)
“Blood Suckers”
Provided by Gothenburg Film Festival
Discovery co-creation platform
“A Root of Evil” (SE), directed by Henrik Bjorn, produced by Emma Nyberg and Johanna Bergenstrohle, Nordisk Film Sweden
“Beautiful Misfits” (SE), Director: Andre Vara, Producer: Erika Malmgren, Annika Helström, Cinenic Film
“Bitte Leben” (SE), directed by Elsa Rosengren, produced by Peter Krupenin, Christopher Zitterbart, Margarita Amineva, Hovab
“Cartas” (SE), directed by Juan Pablo Ribosato, produced by Anna Maria Cantarius, Mimi Spann, Garage Film International
“Labour Day” (FI), directed by Joel Karpanen, produced by Pasi Hacchio, Wacky Tie Films
“Light and Shadow” (NO), directed by Dag Johan Haugerd, produced by Yngve Cesar, Motlys
“Minated” (DK), directed by Russ Dirkrohn, produced by Daniel Muhlendorf, HiN Film
Ghosts (DK), directed by Milad Alami, produced by Stina Lassen, Uma Film
“Neela” (DK), directed by Nivetha Balasubramaniam, produced by Matilda Apelin, New Day Productions
“Out of Athens” (NO), directed by Badruddin Gaur, produced by Vibeke Lingen, Nordisk Film Production.
“Racer” (SE), directed by Johan Strom, produced by Per Janelas and Björn Karlström, Harmonica Films.
“Swine” (SE), directed by Frieda Kempff, produced by Eric Anderson, David Hardys, and Läsk
“The Silver of Egill” (IS), directed by Hafstein Gunnar Sigursson, produced by Grimmar Jonsson, Netop Films
“This Body Is My Final Address” (FI), directed by Augusto Yoensalo, produced by Emilia Hauka, Arm Film Company
“Tiger” (NO), directed by Lykke Gregersen, produced by Rebecca Rognoy, Gary Craner, Bacon
“Worldbuilding” (SE), directed by Balder Ljungren, produced by Stina Iković, Alicia Hansen, and Prolaps.
nordic gateway
“Alors on Danse” (BE), directed by Peter Van His and produced by Roxanne Sarkozy and De Welerdvrede
“Chentian” (PS), directed by Suha Araf, produced by May Odeh, Odeh Films
“Element” (DE), Director: Mariko Minoguchi, Producer: Jorgo Narges, X-Filme
“Euro Pop Bubble” (UK), directed by Grant Gurczynski, produced by Harry Silverlock, Crystal Compass
“Our Sister Angela – Black Power in the GDR” (DE), directed by Jascha Hannover and Katharina Warda, produced by Markus Auger, Florianfilm
“Two Little Nightmares” (HR), directed by Nebojša Surijepčević, produced by Danijel Peck, Katarina Prpic, Antitalent
