Pan-Nordic documentary projects take centre stage

Nordisk Film & TV Fond is pleased to announce a new initiative from the region’s major public broadcasters - SVT, NRK, DR, Yle, and RÚV - and the Five Nordics (Danish Film Institute, Swedish Film Institute, Norwegian Film Institute, Icelandic Film Centre, and Finnish Film Foundation). This joint call seeks to support the development of high-quality documentary projects that possess broad Nordic relevance and resonate across national borders. The call, available to all broadcasters, was announced Tuesday 17th March at CPH:DOX.

Head of Production at NFI, Teréz Hollo-Klausen, told NFTVF: "Nordic documentaries are strongly positioned internationally, while the competition for audience attention is increasingly challenging. With this initiative, we aim to bring together broadcasters and film institutes earlier in the development phase to elevate stories with broad Nordic relevance. We want to contribute to documentaries that are not only watched, but also set the agenda and spark conversations across national borders.”

The perspective: engaging stories with Nordic impact

The initiative is looking for engaging stories rooted in contemporary issues. Ideal projects should feature accessible storytelling, compelling characters, and narrative arcs that capture attention through investigations, revelations, mysteries, or justice-seeking angles. The focus is on projects with high production value and unique access to people or environments, specifically designed for broad audiences. Pan-Nordic collaboration, involving talent or perspectives from multiple Nordic countries, is highly encouraged.

How to apply

Producers and directors across the Nordic region are invited to submit projects ranging from the idea stage through advanced development, provided they are not yet in production.

To apply, teams must submit the following:

• A pitch deck outlining the narrative arc and the subject’s current relevance.
• An outline of unique access or investigative angles.
• Clear development goals and a team bio.
• A collaboration plan detailing involved Nordic partners, budgets, and funding sources.

The submission deadline is June 1, 2026. Following submission, national film institutes and local broadcasters will review the projects, with each country nominating a maximum of three projects for further consideration. For questions and details on submitting a project, please contact any of the participating broadcasters’ or film institutes’ documentary divisions. More details on how and where to apply will be shared by the parties later this month.

What the initiative delivers

Selected projects will be invited to a closed pitch session in Malmö in September, held just before the Nordisk Panorama Forum. These 20–30 minute sessions allow creators to present directly to key decision-makers to secure Letters of Intent (LOIs) or expressions of interest from other Nordic countries.

The primary goal is to accelerate production; selected projects receive immediate development commitments from their national partners - such as the NFI and a Norwegian broadcaster for a Norwegian project to move quickly. This streamlined process is designed to facilitate rapid co-production decisions and pre-buys across the region.

During its annual partner summits, Nordisk Film & TV Fond has facilitated meetings between the Fund’s film and broadcaster partners to advance a broad collaboration, also internally. CEO Liselott Forsman thanks DR for hosting a strategic border-crossing at Nordisk Panorama in 2025:

“A tightened documentary collaboration has been on the agenda of NFTVF’s yearly documentary think tanks, which seek concrete ways of working together. This is exactly what the documentary meeting organised in Malmö a year ago advanced. It is fantastic to see how, in economic tough times, our public parties join forces for this vital cause. The need for and strength of Nordic documentaries are especially apparent globally today as we celebrate Denmark´s well deserved Oscar for the important film Mr Nobody against Putin”.