The Five Nordics showcase offered a behind-the-scenes look at ten works in progress from the region - an early evaluation of how these projects might travel in the distribution landscape.

Day 1 of Berlin’s European Film Market (12–18 February) hosted a dedicated Spotlight on the Nordics organised by The Five Nordics, showcasing ten features in advanced post-production. While diverse in tone and genre, the slate revealed a striking pattern: a strong leaning toward coming-of-age narratives and projects carefully positioned on the border between auteur cinema and commercial viability.

Danish-French co-pro Girl Beast (Pigedyr), staged by Manna Film and Slot Machine, marks the feature debut of Selma Sunniva. Adapted from Cecilie Lind’s novel and backed by New Danish Screen at the Danish Film Institute, FilmFyn, DR and Creative Europe MEDIA, the psychological drama reframes a “Lolita story from Lolita’s point of view”. With Stephanie Stål behind the camera and Mikael Nørlund editing, the film embraces an eerie, unsettling and visually innovative language. The footage shown suggests something poetic yet disturbing, balancing carnal tension with an intense focus on the protagonist’s inner world and school environment. Distribution-wise, this is clearly an arthouse proposition - but not a niche one. Its provocative contemporary angle gives it commercial potential beyond festivals, provided it is handled with a bold positioning strategy.

Blue Baby (Hetki ennen valoa), directed by Klaus Härö and produced by Making Movies, is a more classical offering. Starring Laura Birn, Oona Airola and Jussi Vatanen, and set against the backdrop of a nurses’ strike, the film centres on Inka, a caregiver torn between professional duty and motherhood. Rooted in social realism, it feels traditional in form, but solid in execution. “Isn’t it in all of our interest to care for the one who’s weakest?” Härö asks, admittedly inspired by a newspaper questioning why patients should suffer as collateral damage of the strike. Developed with writers Kirsi Vikman and Jimmy Karlsson, the drama promises moral complexity anchored by Härö’s signature humanism. This is the kind of film that can travel steadily: festivals, theatrical release in Nordic territories, and a potentially strong life on TV and platforms. It may not be formally daring, but its theme is relatable and exportable.

Also from Finland, Halima by Naima Mohamud (produced by It’s Alive Films, No-Office Films and Vico Films) revisits 1990s rural Finland through the eyes of a 10-year-old Somali girl. Inspired by the helmer’s own childhood, the film blends humour and poignancy with a light yet realistic tone. While the premise - cultural displacement - is not new, the specific lens of a Somali child in late-90s Finland feels genuinely underexplored. From a distribution standpoint, this is broad and inclusive, with strong festival appeal and clear international exportability. It is accessible without being overly simplistic - a combination distributors may appreciate.

Iceland’s Just a Kid (Bara barn), penned and directed by Vala Ómarsdóttir and produced by Ursus Parvus, leans into documentary-like immediacy. The plot zooms in on 16-year-old Julia, who is loaded with responsibilities as she takes care of her eight year old sister while her mother works double shifts. She still longs for social life, friends and intimacy and finds herself at a crossroads as opportunities present themselves.

The rehearsal-driven process translates into fresh, agile performances and sharp dialogue. Yet again, adolescence is central - reinforcing a noticeable generational pattern across the slate. Still, the film’s tonal agility and humour give it broad audience potential. It feels flexible: youth-oriented festivals, arthouse circuits and even wider platforms could all be viable.

In more openly commercial territory stands Norway’s animated feature ViQueens (Vikingjentene), directed by Harald Zwart and produced by Veslemøy Ruud Zwart for Zwart Arbeid. Reimagining Viking mythology through a girls-led adventure, and employing an innovative “reference capture” method, it is fully family-friendly and aligned with contemporary women’s empowerment themes. Among all projects, this is arguably the strongest box-office contender. With the right rollout, it could become a regional - even European - animated hit.

Sweden’s Saturn Return (Saturnus Återkomst) directed by Agnes Skonare and produced by Pine, shifts back toward chamber drama. A darkly comic family reunion story, it balances existential undertones with lively characters and sharp dialogue. While more festival-leaning than ViQueens, it still carries crowd-pleasing elements. Smart positioning could allow it to bridge arthouse and broader audiences.

Jens Sjögren’s Bloody Men (Jävla karlar), produced by B-Reel Films with SVT, Film i Väst and SF Studios, adapts Andrev Walden’s bestselling novel. Set in 1980s Sweden, the film follows seven-year-old Andrev, who discovers that the man he thought was his father isn’t. Instead of despairing, he grows curious, observing his mother’s turbulent relationships in a bittersweet tale of love, resilience and inherited patterns. With SF Studios ensuring strong regional distribution, this looks like another potential Nordic hit. The coming-of-age angle, combined with proven literary success, gives it both commercial grounding and festival prospects.

At the more uncompromising end of the spectrum stand Polyorama, directed by Graeme Maley and starring Sean Harris, produced by Icelandic firms Sagafilm and Fenrir Films, and Woman, Unknown (Kvinde, Ukendt) by May el-Toukhy, produced by Nordisk Film Production with world sales handled by TrustNordisk. Polyorama, set inside Reykjavík City Theatre and centred on an ageing star shaken by the unexpected arrival of a foreign journalist, is atmospheric and intriguing, but clearly cinephile-oriented. It will thrive on the festival circuit rather than in mainstream theatrical runs. Woman, Unknown, set in post-war Denmark and centred on a woman hiding a wartime secret, similarly leans toward auteur territory. Both demand careful, curated distribution strategies.

Taken together, the slate reveals a strong concentration of coming-of-age narratives and broadly accessible stories balancing commercial instincts with auteur sensibility. Not all are natural crowd-pleasers - but most are engineered to be accessible without sacrificing auteur credibility. In musical terms, they are catchy, polished, strategically appealing. The Five Nordics presented a line-up that, above all, understands positioning - and distribution will be the real test of how far these films can travel.