Göteborg’s prime Nordic Film Market where last year’s Cannes sensations “The Girl with the Needle,” “Armand” and “When the Light Breaks” were first showcased as works in progress, has announced exclusively to Variety its full 2025 program.
Over Jan. 29-31, more than 60 completed films, titles in development and post-production will be showcased to 500-plus industry delegates from 38 countries.
As always, several acclaimed-directors will share the spotlight with promising newcomers, as reflected in the centre-piece 15-title Works in Progress lineup.
Five years after his Cannes selection with “Godland,” Iceland’s festival darling Hlynur Pálmason makes a comeback with “The Love that Remains,” a vignette-driven family drama toplining Sverrir Guðnason (“Falling”, “Borg Vs McEnroe”) and Saga Garðarsdóttir (“Balls”).
A Cannes Directors’ Fortnight habitué, Afghan-born Shahrbanoo Sadat (“The Orphanage”) will bring “No Good Men,” her first romcom, set inside a Kabul newsroom in 2021 pre-Taliban ruled-Afghanistan.
Sweden’s Lisa Langseth (“Pure”) returns to feature length after her successful Netflix multi-season series gig with “Love & Anarchy.” Her new feature “The Dance Club” is a humorous look at psychotherapy with an ensemble cast including rising stars Nils Wetterholm (Young Royals), Alva Bratt (Barracuda Queens) and star actress Pernilla August.
Norway’s Maria Sødahl, a Berlin Golden Bear contender in 2020 with her drama “Hope,” will pitch the Danish drama “Ø” (working title), in which a Danish family on holiday in Greece finds itself in a major refugee crisis, an uncomfortable situation that puts to test their well-meaning humanistic values.
Also tackling family values, as well as belonging is “Home,” from actor-turned-director Marijana Jankovic, starring Zlatko Buric (“Triangle of Sadness”), Claes Bang (“The Square”), Jesper Christensen (“Spectre”), Trine Dyrholm (“The Girl with the Needle”) and Dejan Cukic (“Snabba Cash”).
Other anticipated titles include the Danish-Faroese horror pic “No Rest for the Wicked” starring “Game of Thrones”’ Pilou Asbæk; the Danish-Korean “Hana Korea,” a true-life inspired drama about a North-Korean defector starring Kim Minha (“Pachinko”) and Kim Joo-ryoung (“Squid Game”); the Sámi musical “Árru” by Elle Sofe Sara and disability empowering “My First Love” by Mari Storstein, produced by “The Worst Person in the World”’s Thomas Robsahm.
“I’m very happy with the wide-ranging talents, stories and genres to be pitched at the Works in Progress,” said head of industry and Nordic Film Market honcho Josef Kullengård who underlines the large array of projects with strong international dimensions. “The lineup reflects the trend of interesting new and established voices benefitting from the multi-financing and cultural mix brought about by co-productions,” he said.
Kullengård also highlighted the strong collaboration between Göteborg’s market and festival programmers, who often boost the careers of rising talents, from the Nordic Film Lab Forum, the Discovery Co-Pro Platform and Works in Progress program, all the way to the festival’s main competition.
For instance, last year’s Discovery entries “Solomamma” by Janicke Askevold (one of Les Arcs’ biggest buzz titles) and “Weightless” by Emilie Thalud are in this year’s works in progress, while five works in progress in 2024 have made the cut of the festival’s main Nordic film competition: the debut features “Kevlar Soul” by Maria Eriksson-Hecht, “Live a Little” by Fanny Ovesen, “Orenda” by esteemed Finnish cinematographer/director Pirjo Honkasalo (“The 3 Rooms of Melancholia”), Cannes Palme d’or entry “The Girl With the Needle” by Magnus von Horn and Un Certain Regard opener “When the Light Breaks” by Rúnar Rúnarsson.
At press time, six out of 15 works in progress had sales agents officially attached.
The Dance Club
Credit: Johan Paulin
Record titles in development
As ever committed to supporting producers, especially in today’s challenging times to raise financing, Kulllengård and his team will be launching new initiatives to boost projects in development.
For the first time, the 14 Nordic titles showcased in the Discovery Co-Production Platform will compete for a €15,000 ($15.300) cash award, courtesy of Film Finances Scandinavia.
Award-winning helmers Lone Scherfig (“An Education,” “Italian for Beginners”), Mia Tervo (“The Missile”), Suvi West (“Homecoming”), doc filmmaker Nagieb Khaja (“My Afghanistan, Life in the Forbidden Zone”) will pitch projects next to seasoned Swedish cinematographer Maria van Hausswolff (“Godland,” “Parents”), making her feature debut with “Siri Police.”
“We’ve had over 100 submissions for this section, enthused Kullengård, who stressed the notable number of collaborations between seasoned producers and first time directors, such as Norway’s Synnøve Hørsdal (Maipo Film) with Eiving Landsvik (nominated for a 2023 short film), Elisa Pirir (Stær Film) with Tess Quatri, Iceland’s Heather Millard (Compass Films) with Helga Rakel Rafsdóttir and Patrik Andersson and Jakob Abrahamsson (Mylla Films) with Finland’s Elin Grönblom.
The jury of the Film Finances Scandinavia Award includes Paolo Bertolin (New Zealand International Film Festival), Katrin Mersmann (MOIN Film Fund) and Swedish writer/director Goran Kapetanović.
Another novelty is Nordic Gateway, with five selected international projects looking for Nordic co-financiers and/or co-producers, including “Honor of Persia,” the solo directorial debut of Iranian-French multi-awarded actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi (“Holy Spider”). The jury set to hand out the section’s €35,000 ($35,800) Tint Post-Production Award includes film consultant Claus Ladegaard, the head of ACE Producers Jacobine van der Vloed and producer Maria Ekerhovd (Mer Film, Norway).
The Nordic Film Market’s other main section, the Market Screenings, will be showcasing 15 new Nordic films, such as Sundance and Rotterdam entries “Sauna” and “Orenda” respectively, Göteborg festival opener “Safe House” and closing pic “Stranger.” Kullengård highlighted Jon Asp’s “Being Bo Wideberg” about the celebrated Swedish director of “Elvira Madigan” produced by B-Reel, to be screened as a special presentation.
Six documentaries at the festival’s main doc competition and Nordic Light such as “Mr Nobody Against Putin” and “About a Hero” will round out the market screenings, while an additional nine projects from Nordic film schools’ alumni will be presented at the Meet the New Nordic Voices strand.
Quizzed about gender parity across the program, Kullengård praised the perfect balance in the Discovery Co-Pro Platform, Works in Progress and Nordic Gateway sections with 27 male, 26 female directors and one non-binary directing talent.
Beyond the film program, another high point of Nordic Film Market’s 26th edition will be the launch Jan. 29 of the Nostradamus Collective, described by Kullengård as an extension of the industry reference Norstradamus report, disclosed annually at the Cannes Film Festival.
The goal of this new initiative is “to create a collaborative space for industry professionals to share insights and perspectives” and to strengthen the audiovisual sector’s “collective ability to navigate change.” Around 30 European decision-makers will be invited at the closed industry session. Key findings from the meeting will be announced around Berlin.
As in 2024, industry guests will be able to network at the landmark Clarion Hotel Draken venue, while market screenings will be held at Göteborg’s Biolapatset multiplex.
Göteborg’s other leading market showcase, the drama series focused TV Drama Vision, will be held Jan. 28-29.
Josef Kullengård
Credit: Liisa Nurmela
Full Works in Progress Lineup:
“A Light That Never Goes Out” (Finland) by Lauri-Matti Parppei, produced by Ilona Tolmunen and Vincent Saunders (Made, Goodtime Pictures). Sales TBA.
“Árru” (Norway) by Elle Sofe Sara, produced by Elisa Fernanda Pirir and Court Ropp (Stær Film). Sales TBA.
“A Sweetness from Nowhere (Sweden) by Ester Martin Bergsmark, produced by Anna-Maria Kantarius (Garagefilm). Sales TBA.
“Biodlaren” (Sweden) by Marcus Carlsson, produced by Lovisa Charlier Ginday (Mariedamfilm). Sales TBA.
“Hana Korea” (Denmark/Korea) by Frederik Sølberg, produced by Sara Stockmann and Heejung Oh (Sonntag/Seesaw). Sales REinvent.
“Home” (Denmark), by Marijana Janković, produced by Mads-August Grarup Hertz (Nordisk Film). Sales TrustNordisk.
“My First Love “(Norway) by Mari Storstein, produced by Tøri Gjendal and Thomas Robsahm, (Nordisk Film Norge). Sales TrustNordisk.
“No Good Men” (Denmark/France/Norway) by Shahrbanoo Sadat, produced by Katja Adomeit (Adomeit Film). Sales TBA.
“No Rest for the Wicked” (Denmark) by Kasper Kalle, produced by Lars Bredo Rahbek (SF Studios) Sales Charades.
“The Squirrel” (Finland) by Markus Lehmusruusu, produced by Mark Lwoff and Misha Jaari, (Bufo). Sales REinvent.
“Solomamma” (Norway) by Janicke Askevold, produced by Rebekka Rognøy, Magne Lyngner, Magnus Albertsen, and Gary Cranner (Bacon Pictures Oslo). Sales TBA
“The Dance Club” (Sweden) by Lisa Langseth, produced by Maria Walter Dahlin and Veronika Öhnedal (Meta Film). Sales REinvent.
“The Love That Remains (Iceland) by Hlynur Pálmason, produced by Anton Máni Svansson and Katrin Pors (Still Vivid, Snowglobe). Sales TBA
“Weightless”(Denmark) by Emilie Thalund, produced by Anna Dammegaard Søllested and Clara Jantzen Kreinøe (Snowglobe). Sales TBA.
“Ø” (working title, Denmark/Norway) by Maria Sødahl, produced by Thomas Robsahm and Sigurd Mikal Karoliussen (Nordisk Film Production). Sales TBA
Discovery Co-Production Platform
“A Certain Type” (Norway) by Christoffer Lossius, produced by Louise Beyer and Jonas Bruun (Storm Films).
“Bloodsuckers” (Sweden) by Elin Grönblom, produced by Patrik Andersson and Jakob Abrahamsson (Mylla Films).
“Colossus of Tenderness” (Denmark) by Søren Peter Langkjær Bojsen, produced by Mads-August Grarup Hertz (Nordisk Film).
“Elion” (working title, Denmark) by Nagieb Khaja, produced by Morten Kaufmann and Signe Leick Jensen (Toolbox Film).
“Flowers of Farewell” (Finland) by Pavel Andonov, produced by Inka Hietala. Sales TBA.
“Girl Beast” (Denmark) by Selma Sunniva, produced by Maria Møller Kjeldgaard and Ann-Sofie Grøndal (Manna Film).
“Honeytrap” (Sweden) by Lone Scherfig, produced by Rebecka Hamberger (Art & Bob).
“Idrix” (Sweden) by Theresa Traore Dahlberg, produced by Mirjam Gelhorn (Mantaray).
“Low Expectations” (Norway) by Eivind Landsvik, produced by Lotte Sandbu and Synnøve Hørsdal (Maipo).
“Like There is No Tomorrow” (Sweden) by Tess Quatri, produced by Elisa Pirir (Stær Film).
“When Johan Johanaš Disappeared to the Mountains” (Finland) by Suvi West, produced by Julia Elomäki (Tekele).
“Siri, Police (Sweden) by Maria von Hausswolff, produced by Sigrid Helleday (New Land).
“Whale” (Iceland) by Helga Rakel Rafnsdóttir, produced by Heather Millard (Compass Films).
“You Crazy Thing” (Finland) by Miia Tervo, produced by Marko Talli (Yellow Film).