NRK’s Atlantic Crossing wins Best TV Movie/Mini-series at International Emmy Awards

During last night’s 49^th International Emmys held on-site in New York, creator and director Alexander Eik dedicated his award to Norway’s Crown Princess Märtha, played on screen by Sofia Helin.

According to NRK, a strong Norwegian delegation of 20+ people who worked on the event series attended the prestigious TV ceremony, hosted by actress/comedian Yvonne Orji from the Great Hall of Casa Cipriani in New York.

Celebrating the win with Eik was his wife and producer Silje Hopland Eik, CEO of Cinenord, as well as Swedish star actress Helin, who toplines the limited series, with two-time Emmy nominee Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks) and Tobias Santelmann.

Speaking to nrk.no, Eik who has worked nine years on the series, said about the award: “There is nothing higher you can achieve in TV drama, so it is of course a huge recognition. Hopefully, it will also open doors for us, so that we can produce new things.” He also hoped that Atlantic Crossing’s win would help inspire colleagues and young Norwegian filmmakers to dare to dream.

Inspired by true events, the lavish series co-written by Eik and Linda May Kallestein, sheds a new light on Norwegian Crown Princess Märtha who fled from Nazi occupation during WW2 to become an influential figure in world politics, through her close relationship with President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The series ordered by NRK’s former commissioning editor Tone Rønning for NRK, was produced by Cinenord, in co-production with Beta Film, with co-financing from DR, SVT, Yle RÚV and support among others from Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

Beta Film has so far sold the show to more than 30 territories including the US, where it aired on PBS Masterpiece as the first Scandinavian drama series in the public broadcaster's 50-year history.

Atlantic Crossing was competing for Best TV Movie/Mini-series at last night’s International Emmys against the UK’s Des, South Korea’s It’s Okay to Not be Okay and Brazil’s All the Women in the World.

Last time Norway picked up an International Emmy was in 2017 with NRK’s Mammon 2, named Best Drama Series, and in 2015, Annette Von Der Lippe was crowned Best Actress for her role in NRK’s Eyewitness.

For the full list of International Emmys, check: www.iemmys.tv

Read our interviews with Alexander Eik and Sofia Helin.