Nordic distributors and sales agents weigh in on market volatility, trends, US tariffs and future paths

Cannes’ Marché du Film (13-21 May) remains one of the most vital touchpoints for sales agents and distributors from the Nordic region, who this year arrived with an air of pragmatism, resilience, and caution. From Denmark to Iceland, leading regional players offered an incisive snapshot of how business is faring in the current global landscape — revealing both strong acquisition activity and a deepening awareness of a shifting international film economy. With geopolitical turbulence, economic uncertainty, and a rapidly evolving distribution environment, these industry veterans share their strategies, concerns, and insights on what lies ahead.

TrustNordisk: staying ambitious amid caution

Susan Wendt, CEO of TrustNordisk, continues to position her company at the forefront of Nordic sales by supporting an increasingly diverse and prestigious slate of titles. “We’re selling films, series, and documentaries — both ready and upcoming,” she states. Notable projects include Will You Care if I Die (Innan vi lyfter), a drama adapted from Nicolas Lunabba’s bestselling nonfiction book and helmed by Young Royals director Rojda Sekersöz; Frank & Louis, Petra Volpe’s English-language project starring Kingsley Ben-Adir and Rob Morgan; and Unraveled by Becoming Astrid (Unga Astrid)’s director Pernille Fischer Christensen.

In addition, TrustNordisk’s Cannes presence was bolstered by the bold (re)launch of the Dogma 25 manifesto, backed by Zentropa, Nordisk Film, DR, and the DFI, with a new wave of films from prominent Danish directors May el-Toukhy, Milad Alami, Annika Berg, Isabella Eklöf, and Jesper Just. “Buyers are more cautious and selective,” Wendt notes. “But for the right films, they’re still ready to buy.”

TrustNordisk is aware of the increasing saturation of pre-market project announcements, but remains undeterred. Wendt dismisses any immediate impact from Trump’s proposed tariffs on foreign films, noting that the focus on Nordic and European content keeps the company “insulated” for now.

REINvent: genre is king

Helene Aurø, Sales & Marketing Director at REINvent, reports an active but cautious environment. “There was a good buzz at the market. Buyers were present and active, although hesitant about pre-buys,” she says. REINvent, which specialises in Nordic and English-language content, is seeing clear demand for high-end genre titles. “Disaster films, action, thrillers, and crime are all performing well — especially if there’s a known director or cast attached.”

Despite market nerves, Aurø confirms that the US tariff situation has had no immediate effect on their operations. REINvent remains focused on acquiring and packaging projects that speak directly to these genre trends, leaning into the global appetite for strong Nordic storytelling with international appeal.

LevelK: strategic partnerships over public buzz

While LevelK did not unveil splashy announcements at Cannes, CEO Tine Klint reveals that crucial deals are quietly in the works, pending contractual formalities. However, the big news for the Danish firm is the strategic partnership sealed with audience research firm Publikum.

This partnership will see LevelK and Publikum co-invest in 5–10 film projects over three years, collaborating from development to release with a focus on audience optimisation. “Aggregation is growing rapidly. Cannes is a time where we meet with all partners — new and old — to share market intel and prioritise efforts,” she says.

For Klint, the Marché du Film was the most efficient and productive in recent years, despite the global patchwork of post-pandemic cinema recovery. “Each country is in a different place — whether it’s cinema attendance, streaming collaboration, or TV market status. But we’re seeing a more focused, strategic way of working.” On Trump’s tariff remarks? “No impact for us.”

Fidalgo: a steady hand in Norway’s arthouse scene

For Frank L. Stavik of Fidalgo, business continues much as it has for the past 25 years. “We come to Cannes looking for high-end arthouse titles for Norwegian theatrical release. We also scout upcoming projects and maintain close contact with colleagues and producers,” he shares. This consistency is key to Fidalgo’s identity as an independent distributor that isn’t swayed by every market trend.

Stavik acknowledges that while there’s plenty of pre-market hype, only a handful of projects usually match Fidalgo’s profile. “From our point of view, things are quite stable. We’re doing our thing independently of trends, and have had a pretty good market,” says Stavik, “We look for high-end films, and carry on with our work anyway. But it’s great to see more women directors at the festival.”

As for Trump’s trade war rumblings, Stavik remains unfazed. “We rarely work with US companies. As for the industry as a whole, who knows what that man will come up with? It’s a matter of waiting him out and hoping things will return to normal in due course. We – the industry – have lived through rough times before, and we will weather this storm too.”

NonStop Entertainment: betting on visionaries

Jakob Abrahamsson, of Swedish distributor NonStop Entertainment, came to the Croisette with clear ambitions — and left with a formidable slate. These include Lynne Ramsay’s Die, My Love, Julia Ducournau’s Alpha, and Mascha Schilinski’s Sound of Falling (In die Sonne schauen), as well as Raoul Peck’s documentary Orwell: 2+2=5, Mason Blair’s reboot of The Toxic Avenger, and the Sundance doc André is an Idiot.

Though global box office numbers don’t always reflect the optimism on the ground, Abrahamsson believes in backing bold work. “There’s good energy, even if local box offices around the world may not fully reflect that optimism. It’s a strong competition this year — I haven’t seen all the titles yet, but aside from our own, there were quite a few that stood out. Deals also seem to be happening.”

“The high-end projects are highly coveted and command big money. In the midrange, there’s a variety of quality films, but perhaps not enough buying power to support them all."

Unlike his peers, Abrahamsson sees a potential knock-on effect from Trump’s tariff announcement. “In the short run, we’re dealing with a volatile dollar, which means that shooting budgets in USD will stretch less. The sheer strangeness of his statements creates uncertainty about what might happen next — and film production, distribution, and financing are all confidence-driven industries. If there appears to be a risk of import tariffs on films shot outside the US, or on foreign films in general, then no one will invest equity in US-bound projects or lend against them. That makes it harder to get films made — regardless of whether tariffs are ultimately introduced or not.”

Bio Paradís: Iceland’s singular voice

In Reykjavik, Ása Baldursdóttir and Hrönn Sveinsdóttir run Bio Paradís, Iceland’s only arthouse theatre. Each year, they acquire around 25 titles, which are released in their cinema and on their VOD platform. “We always offer our films to other cinemas, but rarely do they take them — except in rare cases when something huge happens, like an Oscar win.”

This year’s Marché felt marked by uncertainty. “Films are suffering from lack of financing, looming budget cuts in public funding, and being too literal — maybe a response to the short attention span of the public and the abundance of cheap, generic content on streaming platforms.”

The duo found fewer surprises than usual. “We were not blown away by many films, unfortunately. There wasn’t that feeling of playfulness and creativity that sometimes comes when people feel secure in their field. Uncertainty brings on contrived and strange decisions.”

On Trump’s recent tariff announcement, they remain wary. “Having the tariff uncertainty on top of war, extremist politics across Europe and escalating violence is definitely not a good combination. Everything is quite fragile, and people need to be ready for the worst. Maybe COVID was a good exercise after all — we are all benefitting from the mindset we had to adopt going through that.”

Shifting sands, steady compasses

Across the board, Nordic distributors and sales agents seem to be navigating Cannes with a blend of optimism and realism. While some embrace high-profile acquisitions, others are digging deep into strategy, research, and long-term positioning. Genre titles — particularly action, thriller, and disaster films — are still the safest bets, while festival darlings and arthouse gems remain in demand by seasoned buyers with a taste for prestige.

For now, Donald Trump’s tariffs are more of a theoretical threat than a practical obstacle, but the looming anxiety they stir adds to an already tense geopolitical climate. The message from the Nordics is clear: resilience, careful curation, and collaboration are key. As cinemas and streamers alike continue to evolve, these players are ensuring Nordic voices remain a vital part of the global cinematic conversation.