Göteborg 2026: Tricky balancing acts gone well in the moment of truth

On the film programme side of things, the solid line-up of the 49th edition of the Göteborg Film Festival was taken to heart by the loyal and passionate local audience (including out-of-towners who make the pilgrimage to the city solely for the festival). Here they enjoyed Oscar favourites, worldwide festival gems, acclaimed series, uncompromising auteurs, stranger-than-fiction documentaries, films scrutinising the concept of “Truth” (this year’s special focus theme), and, not least, a number of world premieres, primarily of Nordic origin.

The Nordic Competition presented five world premieres out of its eight entries: the Finnish Tell Everyone (Kerro kaikille), Alli Haapasalo’s visually dazzling venture into a women’s mental institution at the turn of last century; The Quiet Beekeeper (Biodlaren) by up-and-comer Marcus Carlsson, a tender family drama from the Swedish Midwest; the intricate thriller with social commentary The Patron (Mecenaten) from Sweden’s Julia Thelin, as well as two works by Norwegian directors, both portraying Nordic family dynamics and both playing out in the Canary Islands – Butterfly by Itonje Søimer Guttormsen and The Last Resort (Paradis), by Maria Sødahl. The Last Resort also received the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film, accompanied by the prize sum of SEK 400,000 (€37,000), provided by Region Västra Götaland and the City of Gothenburg.

This Danish-Norwegian co-production is the third feature from Sødahl, celebrated for her previous works Limbo (2010) and Hope (Håp, 2019). The Last Resort portrays a Danish middle-class family during a recreational week under the sun of beautiful Fuerteventura, full of gorgeous beaches, cultural heritage and, as of lately, refugee migrants. It’s the encounter with one such migrant that will shake the foundation of our Danish protagonists, including their perceived sense of humanitarian compassion. Sødahl calls it “a tricky balancing act”, as well as “not Ruben”, as she went full-on in pursuit of “true and unmanipulated credibility”.

“I knew straight away that the tone of voice was everything here, and things could get really out of hand – which I admit felt quite pleasant, considering the challenge. The opinions I’ve met along the process are like in no other project I’ve been involved in. The Ruben Östlund question has arisen time and time again: ‘Oh, it’s in his ironic style, isn’t it?’ – while I wanted to avoid all irony and satire here, and exactly not being Ruben Östlund.”

First and last, and possibly most provocatively, this is a film about “us”, she feels, in light of the two very decent and likable leads, played in the film by Danica Curcic and Esben Smed.

“My own headline for this story is ‘What lies in the notion of being a good person?’ The film is about us, the privileged Scandinavians, brought up by Christian decency, by Social Democrat righteousness, by the Astrid Lindgren credo of being a human being and not just a little speck of dirt… We can sit here, up North, and have all sorts of opinions, but the moment things get too close is also the moment of truth.”

As for the marketplace platforms Nordic Film Market (NFM) and the TV Drama Vision (TVDV) the 2026 edition counted 2,600 industry and press accredited participants. 1,370 of these, representing 47 countries, attended NFM and TVDV. The overall increase of accredited participants is up 40% from 2023, with a 50% increase for NFM and TVDV. The breakdown of occupational groups at the marketplaces was 50 sales agents, 500 producers, 134 fund and film institute representatives, 86 festival representatives, 142 buyers and distributors, and 109 broadcasters and streamers.

Even head of industry Josef Kullengård, providing these handsome and record numbers, can’t be quite sure as to how this 50% increase has come about.

“My own evaluation is the accessibility and the intimacy that we offer – you’re in town for a manageable amount of days and you get to see all those you want to see – in combination with a very high-class programme regarding both panels and projects. That’s an effective combination, I’d say, and I think it’s the key to why we’ve done well and why we receive appreciation from those in attendance. Also, of course, we’ve built things up ever so gradually. TVDV turns 20 this year and NFM 27; we’ve been around. I’d give some prominence to our Nordic roots, which in themselves are a kind of quality guarantee. That equation of various variables should more or less add things up.”

In light of assorted disruptive challenges that the industry is currently undergoing – regional vs. global, legacy vs. streaming, scripted vs. unscripted, Peak TV vs. After Peak TV – Kullengård does observe a state of hope, despite all.

“It’s been hard times for many, and for all sorts of reasons. But we also experience an array of very strong upcoming projects and some very inspiring talks and, first and last, a faith in the future. As long as there are strong and creative voices, and as long as those voices can reach an audience, the industry will keep existing. Our films and series and projects have been very well received this year, without a single doubt.”

As for reaching her own audience, and jury, a relieved Maria Sødahl currently looks at the next steps of The Last Resort.

“It opens in Denmark early March. We’re looking at Sweden and Norway right now, and some other territories, and we’re taking it to the Berlin market. A lot of things happen when you win a prize. Very, very happy things.”

For the other Nordic winners: CLICK HERE (Only available in Swedish).