Hybrid New Nordic Films announces 2020 Line-up

“It’s been a real challenge organising New Nordic Films this year, but we’re very proud to present a strong and varied programme, and are expecting around 60/70 professionals in Haugesund and 150 online participants,” said Gyda Velvin Myklebust, head of the industry event.

Indeed both the programme of the 26^th New Nordic Films (August 18-21) and industry attendance have been impacted by the global pandemic, which is forcing its organisers to constantly keep up-to-date to the latest government health and safety recommendations and travel restrictions.

The slightly slimmer programme this year will open on Tuesday August 18 with Magnus von Horn’s Polish/Swedish film Sweat, which benefitted from the Cannes 2020 label.

Sixteen works-in-progress films in post-production and 16 projects in development at the Nordic Co-Production market will be pitched by their respective directors or producers, both live in Haugesund and online, and around 30 recent Nordic films will be available for screening online via Cinando.

“The online viewing facilities have allowed for more films to be showcased, but there will be no curation in the market screenings,” stresses Myklebust.

The works in progress section includes a majority of titles from emerging directors and smaller production companies, with a few exceptions such as Sihja by seasoned Finnish director Marja Pyykkö (Paradise, Hooked) produced by Tuffi Films.

Other established directors include Finland’s Nikki Teemu (Euthanizer) who will pitch A Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic, and Iceland’s Marteinn Thorsson (XL, One Point O), who will introduce his fourth film Backyard Village.

Emerging directors to watch out for include Turkey’s Emre Kayis (Anatolian Leopard) who received global festival attention with his graduation film from the London Film School The Translator, Denmark’s Thomas Daneskov (The Elite) whose project Wild Men is produced by The Guilty’s Lina Flink (Nordisk Spring), and Sundance recipient Torben Bech, set to pitch Beautiful Land (WT), mostly shot in the US.

Around nine works in progress are eligible for the coveted Eurimages Lab Project Award and its €50,000 cash prize.

Cia Edström, head of Göteborg’s Nordic Film Market, Svend Bolstad Jensen, CEO at Arthaus Distribution, Norway and Georgian director Nino Kirtadze are this year’s jury members. The final line-up will be announced soon.

Regarding the Nordic Co-production Market, Myklebust says the selection was ‘easier’, with more projects in development to choose from across commercial and arthouse fare.

Standout projects include Kalak by the talented Swedish writer/director Isabella Eklöf (director of Holiday, co-writer of Border), Loss co-directed by Iceland’s maestro Fridrik Thor Fridriksson and Ari Alexander Ergis Magnusson, as well as Mister by award-winning German director Emily Atef (The Stranger in Me).

Regarding industry attendance, recent Norwegian government travel restrictions from Iceland and France created last minute challenges for Myklebust and her team, while most Swedish professionals based in Stockholm and Gothenburg have moved to online registration, due to Covid-related regional restrictions in Sweden.

“This year’s New Nordic Films will definitely be cosier”, admits Myklebust. Looking ahead, she believes the hybrid online/on-sight industry model will become a norm. “The good thing about the online market is that you can have participants from festivals who normally can’t attend, due to financial or travel difficulties such as Tribeca or Seattle. And for those present in Haugesund, we’ll have a fun programme of activities that we couldn’t have put together for the usual 300+ physical participants,” adds Myklebust.

New Nordic Films is held parallel to the Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund (August 14-21).

For more information: www.filmfestivalen.no

Full list of Works in Progress

• Anatolian Leopard by Emre Kayis (Tato Film/Asteros Film-TR/DE/DK/PL)
• Backyard Village by Martinn Thorsson (Tender Lee-Icelandic Academy of Storytelling IS)
• Band: This is Not a Band by Álfrún Örnólfsdóttir (Compass Films, IS) -Beautiful Land by Torben Bech (20/20 Pictures-US/NO/DK)
• A Blind Man Who did not Want to See Titanic by Teemu Nikki (It’s Alive Films-FI)
• Excess will Save Us-The Movie by Morgane Dziurla-Petit (Vilda Bomben-SE)
• The Food Club by Barbara Topsøe-Rothenborg (Nepenthe Film-DK)
• No Man’s Land by Ali Parandian (Anicca Pictures-NO)
• The Penultimate by Jonas Kærup Hjort (Tambo Film-DK/NO)
• Quake by Tinna Hrafnsdóttir (Ursus Parvus-IS)
• Shall I Compare You to a Summer’s Day by Mohammad Shawky Hassan (DE/EGY)
• Sihja by Marja Pyykkö (Tuffi Films-FI)
• Sputum by Dan Geesin (Rots Filmwerk-NL)
• Stand Up-Kill It or Die by Reetta Aalto (Zodiak Finland-FI)
• Wild Men by Thomas Daneskov (Nordik Film Spring-DK/NO)
• Wood and Water by Jonas Bak (Trance Films-DE/DK/HK)
  
  

Full List of Nordic Co-production Market projects:

• Cop Secret by Hannes Þór Halldórsson (Pegasus Pictures-IS)
• Dog Born by Isabella Carbonell (Momento Film-SE
• Friday by Alli Haapasalo (Citizen Jane Productions-FI)
• Kalak by Isabella Eklöf (Manna Film-DK/GL)
• Loss by Ari Alexander Ergis Magnusson, Fridrik Thor Fridriksson (Spellbound Prods-IS)
• Malecón by Jan Vardøen (Beacon Isle Films-NO)
• Mister by Emily Atef (Niko Film/Samsa Film-(FR/LUX/DE/NO)
• Norwegian Dream by Igor Devold (Spætt Film -NO/PL)
• Raven Girl by Christian Lo (Filmbin-NO) -Resistance by Dalia Huerta Cano (Mer Film-NO)
• Room for Travellers by Åsa Kalmér (Göta Film-SE)
• The Scars of Ali Boulala by Max Eriksson (Sisyfos Film Production (SE/NO)
• Snot & Splash by Teemu Nikki (It’s Alive Films-FI)
• The Squirrel by Markus Lehmusruusu (Citizen Jane Productions-FI)
• Tiger Martindale’s Survival Experts by Pavel Gumennikov(Baltic Pine Films-LV)
• Tuesday Club by Annika Appelin (Anagram Sweden-SE)