Producers on the Move 2026: fresh Nordic foursome set for five full Cannes days

A cherished event since its 2000 launch by European Film Promotion (EFP), the Producers on the Move initiative recently surpassed 500 partakers, many of whom have indeed moved on, at times to greatness. For the 27th edition, 20 Europe-based up-and-comers with at least one international co-production, a feature at a major film festival, and a project fit for international co-production under their belts, are set for five full days of sessions, networking and promotional events, moving them further greatness-wards.

Selected through EFP in collaboration with the national film institutes and other member organisations across Europe, 2026 brings four fresh representatives from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden. Here they share some missions and visions.

Maria Møller Kjeldgaard, Denmark, runs the Copenhagen-based Manna Film. Her productions include Isabella Eklöf’s Kalak (2023), Malene Choi’s The Quiet Migration (Stille liv, 2023), and Zara Zerny’s Echo of You (Ekko af kærlighed, 2023), all travelling A-festivals and winning awards.

What does it mean for you and your company to represent Denmark at the Producer on the Move event in Cannes?

A paramount and valuable step for me as an emerging producer and to showcase my slate of projects. The spot is a unique opportunity to expand my international network, and offers the essential promise of international collaborations, which is vital for the future and survival of independent and risk-willing filmmaking, artistically and financially.

What projects will you bring to Cannes, and what will be your priorities there?

Isabella Eklöf’s The von Sydow Murders, a true crime love story set in 1932 that I’m really excited about, Selma Sunniva’s fiction feature debut and film adaptation Girl Beast (Pigedyr), a Lolita story from the female perspective, and Frigge Fri’s second documentary feature, Land of Forever (Eviglandet), an artistic late bloomer coming-of-age documentary.

I’m looking for partners at Cannes – be it co-producers, funders, sales, distributors – or perhaps even just an inspiring discussion over a drink.

What drives you as a producer, and what do you feel are the essential skills needed for a producer to make a project stand out in the market?

Quite the adrenalin junkie, I like to take risks and try and make the impossible possible. That being said, an important skill is pragmatism. Both in your communication, in how you lead people, and in how you tackle challenges in the creative process, where compromises always need to be found.

To me, film and filmmaking are about opening doors into new worlds, to challenge, and to offer a different perspective than what you thought you needed. Just like “manna”, an unexpected gift from heaven, I strive to produce surprising film experiences that experiment with film language and storytelling, always making sure that you never know what will drop down next.

Daniel Kuitunen, Finland, is the founder of the Helsinki-based Komeetta Filmi. His works have screened at over 130 international festivals and garnered numerous awards, and he was nominated for a Finnish Film Academy Award in 2025 for Miia Tervo’s The Missile (Ohjus). His latest feature Nightborn (Yön lapsi, 2026), directed by Hanna Bergholm, premiered in the Berlinale competition.

What does it mean for you and your company to represent Finland at the Producer on the Move event in Cannes?

I’m super happy to be selected into this group of very skilled people; producers with a notable history in film producing. Already after the first online sessions I feel I’m among people with whom I’m able to share and reflect the ups and downs of being a producer. I’m looking forward to long-lasting connections and partnerships.

What projects will you bring to Cannes, and what will be your priorities?

Liar’s Paradox (Valehtelijan paradoksi), a feature by Zaida Bergroth, and the TV series The Serpent (Käärme) by Hanna Bergholm. Both are in the psychological thriller/drama genre. My priorities will be to discuss the best possible co-production set-ups for these projects.

What drives you as a producer, and what do you feel are the essential skills needed for a producer to make a project stand out in the market?

When I jump into a project, it means that I want to see it – that’s my driving force. Also, the people I work with. The passion of others, the ideas exchanged, the energy, all this definitely keeps me going.

Sunna Guðnadóttir, Iceland, is the founder of Bjartsýn Films. With a background in psychology, cultural management and film production, her credits include Hlynur Pálmason´s A White, White Day (Hvítur, hvítur dagur, 2019), Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson’s Beautiful Beings (Berdreymi, 2022), and Helena Stefánsdóttir’s Natatorium (2024), Sunna´s first feature as a producer, opening at Rotterdam.

What does it mean for you and your company to represent Iceland at Producers on the Move in Cannes?

It’s exactly the right moment. The past two years have been a period of deep reflection – I’ve been digging into industry practices and expanding my network through programmes like Filling the Gap and EAVE. Now I feel like the DNA of the company is aligning perfectly with my values and perspectives, both as a human being and as a producer, and with a clear sense of purpose. The participation feels not only as a recognition of where I’ve been, but of the direction I’m heading in.

Iceland may be a small country, but our creative voice reaches far beyond our borders, and I am proud to be part of representing that in Cannes.

What projects will you bring to Cannes, and what will be your priorities?

Three projects, all with youth content: True North (Vetrarlandið), a feature by Nanna Krístin Magnúsdóttir, The Double Life of Jagoda (Leynilíf Jagodu), a series, and 18 Winters (18 vetra), a documentary by Ukrainian director Anastasiia Bortuali. My priorities in Cannes are connecting with potential future partners, whether co-producers, financing partners or sales agents. And equally, connecting with producers looking for a committed Icelandic co-production partner.

What drives you as a producer, and what do you feel are the essential skills needed for a producer to make a project stand out in the market?

I’m driven by stories that have some kind of relevance to what is happening in our society. Stories that carry a social commentary, even when it lives merely in the subtext. If I can influence young people through the content I produce to encourage compassion and understanding toward each other and toward our planet, then my mission is accomplished. That sense of purpose is what drives me, and I hope that translates through my slate.

Beyond that, I believe the ability to hold artistic integrity and strategic thinking in equal measure is perhaps the most essential skill a producer can have. And of course, a large dose of patience and passion.

Linda Mutawi, Sweden, is the Jordanian-Swedish founder of the Stockholm-based Fikra, which develops films between Scandinavia and the Middle East. The EAVE alumna is a key collaborator on Tarik Saleh’s Cairo Trilogy, whose third instalment Eagles of the Republic (2025) premiered in Cannes Competition, won six Guldbagge Awards including Best Film, and became Sweden's Oscar submission.

What does it mean for you and your company to represent Sweden at Producers on the Move in Cannes?

A lot. I came to Sweden twelve years ago with almost no industry contacts, but I was lucky to meet people who recognised what I had to offer. I founded Fikra to operate precisely at the intersection of identities, regions and languages, the spaces I thrive in as an international person.

We’re building a slate of internationally oriented films defined by politically resonant storytelling, strong directorial voices, and cross-border collaborations. Representing Sweden in this programme means carrying that bridge identity and ambition into one of the most concentrated rooms of European producers, financiers, and partners.

What projects will you bring to Cannes, and what will be your priorities?

The Replaceable (Utbytbara), a Swedish-Danish feature with writer-director Abbe Hassan, Dear Tarkovsky, a feature with Palestinian director Firas Khoury, developing as a Palestine-Sweden-Jordan co-production, and Zein, a television drama series.

More broadly, my priority is to expand my network and have real conversations with other producers about how they're navigating the complexity of a changing industry while staying sustainable, and with potential partners and decision-makers about how they see the market and what kind of stories they're looking for.

What drives you as a producer, and what do you feel are the essential skills for a producer to make a project stand out in the market?

A conviction that stories are vehicles for empathy, and that film is our most powerful form of storytelling. A good film has something to say about the world we live in and what it means to be human in it. To capture an audience and have emotional resonance, producers must be bold, and able to hold the human and cultural complexity of the story without flattening what makes it unique and specific. I'm drawn to films and series that move into worlds the international market doesn't yet know how to read – hidden, marginalised, politically uncomfortable, daring - and finding a way to make them entertaining and impactful without losing their edge. I think it shows in the projects I'm developing.