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In Between by Jakob Hardeberg / Photo: Malthe Ivarsson

This year’s two Nordic Talents prize projects turn intimate experiences into bold stories about identity, growing up, belonging and the search for direction.

Norwegian director Jakob Hardeberg won the 2026 Nordic Talents Pitch Prize for his coming-of-age documentary In Between (Brytningstid), while Swedish director and screenwriter Clara Vida received a Special Mention for her feature film project The Whores (Horene).

The winners were announced last week at the National Film School of Denmark. Two of the ten projects pitched at this year’s Nordic Talents were awarded development grants. The yearly event is organised by Nordisk Film & TV Fond (NFTVF) in collaboration with the film school. An international jury selects the winners of the awards that are financed by NFTVF. This year, both the pitching and industry sessions were moderated by NFTVF’s advisors Ove Rishøj Jensen (documentary) and Cecilie Aspenes (fiction).

Hardeberg, who studies at the Norwegian Film School – University of Inland Norway, received the NOK 250,000 Pitch Prize for a documentary following young people navigating the uncertain transition between adolescence and adulthood. Through intimate observations and personal stories, the film explores identity, relationships, expectations and the search for direction at a formative stage of life.

Hardeberg picked up a camera for the first time while in foster care, and realised that filmmaking could become his future language. During his five-minute pitch, he also explained how In Between came about.

“Last year, I was driving home and saw a group of teenagers, one on a skateboard. They reminded me of myself at that age, so I slammed on the brakes, rolled down the window, and called to them: ‘I am Jakob, I‘m a documentary filmmaker, and I want to make a film about you!’”

Jakob Hardeberg / Photo: Malthe Ivarsson

Hardeberg seemed right at home on stage, delivering an intense five-minute pitch.

“In Between is a documentary with a scripted feeling, which I have explained many times in Norwegian, but making it sound credible in English was a new experience,” he said, adding that he was heading straight back to filming this week.

Looking five years ahead, Hardeberg has one particularly personal ambition.

“I expect to be a father in five years, which is important to me. I expect to be working on some project. Maybe fiction, if the right story turns up that needs to be told as fiction.”

A burst of rage and love

The 2026 Special Mention went to Swedish director and screenwriter Clara Vida for her feature film project The Whores (Horene), a raw and troubled journey into adulthood.

Set around Helsingborg, Helsingør and Copenhagen, it follows Agnes and Amina as they navigate the sex-selling industry while searching for belonging, freedom and happiness. The project combines a bold, energetic perspective with a story about love, identity and self-discovery.

“My film is not a discussion for or against, but explores why people want to buy other people,” Vida told the audience.

The Whores by Clara Vida / Photo: Malthe Ivarsson

Vida’s interest in film and moving images developed early in life, when she would often watch films rather than play with other children. As an adult, that interest was confirmed when she saw the Swedish film Pleasure, directed by Ninja Thyberg, she told NFTVF.

Vida is now eager to get started on The Whores, following her Nordic Talents prize. This week, however, she is in an editing room in Göteborg working on another project.

Looking five years ahead, Vida expects to have completed The Whores, for it to have performed well at the box office, and to be working on another feature film project. She already knows which story she wants to tell.

What ultimately connected Thursday’s two winning projects was their deeply personal starting points: Hardeberg found his protagonists almost by chance, while Vida draws directly on her own experience.

A close look at branding and distribution

The afternoon shifted the focus from the ten emerging filmmakers to the business realities facing Nordic producers and the international positioning of Nordic content, built around producer strategy, branding, distribution, and financing — reflecting Nordisk Film & TV Fond’s 2026 theme, “Branding & Distribution.”

A group of Nordic production companies presented their current strategies and priorities, giving the session a practical industry perspective. Participants included producers from Uma Film, Gigglebug, Rabbit Films, Eye Eye Pictures, Motlys and Anagram.

Two case studies illustrated how producers are trying to build projects beyond the traditional film/TV release: Anttu Harlin of Gigglebug presented Tadpoles, focusing on its 360-degree universe, including content designed for both horizontal and vertical screens. Ingunn Rensel of Anti discussed the branding and distribution strategy behind the Norwegian series Requiem for Selina.

Ingunn Rensel / Photo: Malthe Ivarsson

Anttu Harlin / Photo: Malthe Ivarsson

Positioning of Nordic titles panel / Photo: Malthe Ivarsson

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The final discussion moved to the international positioning of Nordic titles. Danish Film Institute CEO Tine Fischer and Elina Pohjola, Executive Producer at Yle, discussed the challenge of getting Nordic productions positioned internationally, with Cornelia Klimkeit of European Film Promotion.

Jury members acknowledged bold authenticity

The 2026 jury were British creator, screenwriter and playwright David Farr; Danish documentary producer Helle Faber; Norwegian fiction producer Synnøve Hørsdal; Icelandic actor and writer Aníta Briem; Finnish MTV commissioning manager Janne Vakio; and Swedish Head of TV Drama Vision at Göteborg Film Festival Cia Edström.

The six members, among other things, praised the documentary In Between for its authenticity:

“The winner is a beautifully intimate film about friendship. The film is surprising, physical, funny, and wonderfully accidental. There is nothing self-conscious, but everything authentic. We love the narrowness of its focus.”

The jury described The Whores as “fearless and bold”: “In her short film, this director has already displayed an intense and memorable visual style. In her new project she is broaching an important subject matter with energy and urgency. This film feels like a much-needed burst of rage and love.”