The Nordic Council Film Prize celebrates its 20th anniversary with the nomination of five Nordic films that have made a strong mark at leading film festivals during the year.

There are several well-known faces behind the five titles announced today as candidates for the coveted Nordic Council Film Prize 2022 announced by Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

The five films, one from each of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) will be presented on stage at the Norwegian Film Festival in Haugesund as a special tribute to Nordic films.

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The Nordic Council Film Prize is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The coveted Prize was first awarded to the Finnish film THE MAN WITHOUT A PAST by Aki Kaurismäki in 2002; it was made permanent in 2005, and has since, been awarded on an annual basis. It was handed out to FLEE by Jonas Poher Rasmussen in 2021.

CEO Nordisk Film & TV Fond, Liselott Forsman says: "The films produced in our small Nordic region succeed globally disproportionally well. We can thank our long-time Nordic cultural collaboration for opening international paths and our public support systems for funding quality films, but most of all we must thank the strong film makers in a tough industry. For the 20th time The Nordic Council Film Prize sheds light on five extraordinary films selected by national juries and on the Nordic winner to be selected by a pan-Nordic jury. There is no jury lobbying, no promotional campaigns. It is all about the films themselves. This is also the success recipe of our industry and it’s truly well worth celebrating”.

Among the last two decades’ awards-winners are Roy Andersson, Josef Fares, Pernilla August, Lars von Trier, Thomas Vinterberg, Ruben Östlund, Benedikt Erlingsson and Joachim Trier among others.

This year nominees are:

  • Denmark: Godland – directed and written by Hlynur Pálmason, produced by Eva Jakobsen, Katrin Pors, Mikkel Jersin for Snowglobe and Anton Máni Svansson for Join Motion Pictures.
  • Finland: The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic - directed and written by Teemu Nikki, produced by Jani Pösö for It’s Alive Films.
  • Iceland: Lamb – directed by Valdimar Jóhannson, written by Valdimar Jóhansson and Sjón, produced by Hrönn Kristinsdóttir and Sara Nassim for Go to Sheep.
  • Norway: The Worst Person in the World – directed by Joachim Trier, written by Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier, produced by Thomas Robsahm and Andrea Berentsen Ottmar for Oslo Pictures.
  • Sweden: Clara Sola – directed by Nathalie Álvarez Mesén, written by Maria Camila Arias and Nathalie Álvarez Mesén, produced by Nima Yousefi for HOBAB

To read more about the Nordic Council Film Prize: CLICK HERE.

The Nordic Council Film Prize is among the most prestigious and coveted film award in the Nordic region, celebrating a unique filmmaking vision, deeply rooted in Nordic culture.

The prize is awarded to an artistically significant, Nordic-produced full-length feature film with cinema distribution. It is endowed with the honour and a sum of DKK 300,000 (EUR 41,000), shared equally between the winning film’s director, screenwriter and producer underscoring how film as an art form is brought about by the close collaboration of these three main contributors.

A national jury in each of the five Nordic countries has nominated one candidate per country. To be eligible, the film must have premiered between 1st July 2021 and 30 June 2022 and meet the Foundation's requirements as mentioned above.

The winner of the Nordic Council Film Prize 2022 will be announced on Tuesday November 1st 2022, during the Session of the Nordic Council in Helsinki, along with the other Nordic Council prizes for literature, children and young people’s literature, music and the environment.

The purpose of the Nordic Council prizes is to raise interest in the Nordic cultural community and in environmental co-operation, as well as to recognise outstanding artistic and environmental initiatives. In addition, the prizes seek to raise the profile of Nordic co-operation and increase its visibility.