From Vikings to Centaurs: Nordic cinema commands Toronto

From Mads Mikkelsen’s wild turn as a Lennon-obsessed misfit to a radioactive odyssey involving centaurs, this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, 4–14 September) will see the Nordics deliver one of their boldest and most eclectic showings to date. With high-profile gala slots, daring discoveries, and a flurry of North American premieres, the Canadian gathering’s line-up confirms the region’s creative momentum on the world stage.

Leading the charge is Anders Thomas Jensen’s The Last Viking (Den Sidste Viking), a riotous Danish-Swedish co-production fresh from Venice and now bowing in TIFF’s Centrepiece section. Mikkelsen reunites with Jensen for their latest dark comedy, joined by long-time collaborator Nikolaj Lie Kaas. The Danish star has taken on many strange guises for the director over the years, but here his commitment is signalled by an almost comically unflattering hairstyle, perfectly in tune with Jensen’s grisly, outrageous humour. The Danish and Swedish branches of Zentropa handle production, with TrustNordisk in charge of the pic’s world sales.

Equally attention-grabbing in the Discovery section is the world premiere of Egghead Republic, the latest collaboration between Sweden’s Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja. Known for Aniara, the pair now fuse freaky science fiction with razor-sharp satire. Produced by You Saved Me and set in an alternate timeline where a nuclear strike has hit Soviet Kazakhstan, the film follows Sonja Schmidt (Ella Rae Rappaport) on a gonzo journalistic trip to a joint Soviet/American base — one rumoured to be populated by irradiated Centaurs. Behind the madness is a powerhouse of Swedish backers, including the Swedish Film Institute, Film Stockholm, and Gotlands Filmfond, with Belgian outfit Best Friend Forever handling international sales and NonStop Entertainment in charge of Nordic distribution.

Denmark is also involved in the making of another Discovery world premiere, As We Breathe (Aldığımız Nefes), Şeyhmus Altun’s tense and intimate portrait of an Anatolian family under siege. When a fire at the local chemical plant sends toxic smoke rolling over their village, young Esma watches her father battle both the authorities and his own stubbornness as evacuation orders are ignored and livelihoods vanish. Punktur Pictures is producing with Turkey’s Jurnal Kolektif.

Meanwhile, Annemarie Jacir’s Palestine 36, a lavishly mounted period piece supported by Denmark’s Snowglobe, opens in the Galas section as a world premiere. Set in 1930s Palestine under British rule, it weaves together the personal and the political, with Jeremy Irons and Hiam Abbass leading an international cast. The project is a co-production between Palestine, the UK, France, Denmark, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan.

The Centrepiece section also welcomes the North American premieres of two titles that debuted at Venice: Milk Teeth(Dinți de lapte), Mihai Mincan’s chilling Romanian drama backed by Denmark’s Ström Pictures among the co-producers. The plot follows 10-year-old Maria (Emma Ioana Mogoş) in 1980s Romania, whose life is upended when her sister Alina vanishes without a trace. What starts as an ordinary day turns sinister when Maria becomes the last to see her sibling. Left with no clues, she and her parents confront a broken justice system as revolution brews.

In the non-fiction realm, Lucrecia Martel’s Landmarks (Nuestra tierra) is set to celebrate its North American premiere in the TIFF Docs sidebar. The feature promises to be a visually striking documentary, co-produced by Denmark’s Snowglobe, which explores the murder of an Indigenous leader in Argentina and its ties to colonial legacies. The project, led by Argentina’s Rei Pictures, involves co-producers from the US, Mexico, France, and the Netherlands.

Moreover, Primetime, TIFF’s sidebar dedicated to new series, will showcase Åse Kathrin Vuolab and Pål Jackman’s A Sámi Wedding (Heajastallan - Bryllupsfesten). Staged by Norwegian firms Tordenfilm, Mer Film and Forest People, the show takes us to Kautokeino, where Garen, stuck in a loveless marriage, supports her ungrateful family. When her son is set to marry into a wealthy reindeer-herding clan, she sees a chance to boost her status by planning the perfect wedding. But with traditional Sámi customs placing all responsibility on the groom’s family, Garen must rally her chaotic siblings—Henry, Belle, and Johan—as the whole town watches.

Finally, the Nordic presence is rounded off by three Cannes-bound highlights also screening in Centrepiece: Joachim Trier’s acclaimed Norwegian drama Sentimental Value (Affeksjonsverdi), Hlynur Pálmason’s The Love That Remains (Ástin Sem Eftir Er), an Icelandic-Danish-Swedish-French co-production, and Tarik Saleh’s Eagles of the Republic, a Swedish-French-Danish political thriller. They arrive in Toronto for their North American premieres, adding further prestige to an already formidable regional showing.