A vibrant 27^th New Nordic Films, almost back to pre-pandemic times, will be opening its doors August 24, to more than 176 on-site international delegates on top of at least 110 online attendees.

“It will be so exciting to meet so many people face to face again,” said a joyous Gyda Velvin Myklebust, managing director of the Nordic market, held parallel to Haugesund’s Norwegian International Film Festival (August 21-27). “Last year we had only 70 people on-site due to the pandemic, but we’ll be more than 176 this year. Being together again will be so cool!”, she said, although she regrets the absence in Haugesund of non-EU delegates due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.

Juho Kuosmanen’s Compartment No.6, co-winner of the Grand Jury Prize in Cannes, will kick-start the event August 24, where 17 works in progress, 19 projects in development at the Nordic Co-production Market, and more than 24 market screenings will set the tone for what’s coming from the North in 2021-2022.

Amid Covid-19, Myklebust said selecting quality works in progress was challenging, as many titles suggested by sales agents and film institutes, were too far in the production process. “Many films were actually completed, just waiting for release,” noted the head of the market.

Meanwhile, the uncertain global distribution context, putting pressure on sales agents and producers, designing launch strategies for their films, was another hurdle when lining up the market screenings. “Everyone is a bit afraid of cannibalisation, with the distribution bottleneck creating an overflow of films ready to launch at the same time,” said Myklebust. “On the other hand,” continues the seasoned market executive, “festival programmers are those benefitting from the overflow of content available, and we can see this with Haugesund’s official programme, which has a very strong line up this year,” she stressed.

This year’s officially selected Nordic films at the festival will be showcased as market screenings both online and in Haugesund’s cinemas, such as the anticipated biopics I am Zlatan and Margrete-Queen of the North, set to open respectively September 10 in Sweden and September 16 in Denmark, Tribeca selected a-ha The Movie and Cannes’ Un Certain Regard’s entry The Innocents, both slated for September 03 national release in Norway.

WORKS IN PROGRESS

Works in progress to watch out for include Nordisk Film Sweden’s Diorama, in which actress-turned director Tuva Novotny explores monogamy and togetherness, Erik Poppe’s revisiting of Vilhelm Moberg’s classic The Emigrants, the Finnish/Bulgarian film The Good Driver, first fiction film by established Bulgarian documentary filmmaker Tonislav Kristov, based in Helsinki, and Aku Louhimies’s intimate love story The Wait, first Finnish film since his 2017 hit The Unknown Soldier. Louhimies will also pitch the actioner Omerta 6/12, based on the best-selling novel 6/12 by Ilkka Remes.

Female directors making their anticipated debut include Cecilie MacNair, set to pitch the Danish psychological drama about childlessness Baby Pyramid starring Danica Curcic, and Lovisa Sirén’s Sagres, road movie about three women from different generations striving to be independent. The latter repped by Totem Films, is one of only four works in progress with a sales agent attached, alongside The Emigrants and Omerta 6/12, sold by Reinvent, and Diorama, sold by TrustNordisk, which makes New Nordic Films all the more essential for sellers to attend.

Indeed 15 sales specialists will attend Haugesund on-site (including REinvent, TrustNordisk, Les Films du Losange, Wild Bunch, Totem Films, The Match Factory), on top of 22 online sales delegates.

Co-production Market
Projects in development most likely set to attract attention at the Nordic Co-Production Market include Stranger by Danish rising talent Mads Hedegaard, a suspenseful drama set in the Stone Age, co-written by Jesper Fink (Before the Frost) for Motor, Acts of Love by Bridgend’s Jeppe Rønde, produced by Denmark’s Paloma Productions, and Art & Bob Sweden’s Amina by Ahmed Abdullahi, picked as talent to watch by the EFM’s Future Frame programme.

Several award-winning Finnish female directors will introduce their next project: Selma Vilhunen (Little Wing) with Four Little Adults, Miia Tervo (Aurora) with Missile, and Katja Gauriloff (Kajsa’s Enchanted Forest), with the first Skolt Sámi-spoken drama Je’vida.

Looking at trends, Myklebust said many projects are smaller in scope and tackle relationships and existential issues, a possible backlash of the pandemic.

Female directors are still under-represented across the entire slate of upcoming features (4 out of 17 projects in post, 9 out of 19 in development). “We’re always doing our best to have a better gender balance, but we still strive in our selection process based on the best quality projects. I believe the push for gender equality should come at an earlier stage, at film school and financing stage,” observes Myklebust .

Diversity seminar
Diversity and representation on screen will in fact be the central theme of a seminar on Wednesday August 25, co-organised by Nordisk Film & TV Fond as part of its Audiovisual Collaboration initiative (for further information see our previous story HERE). Details will soon be announced.

Another seminar on Tuesday August 24 will focus on Talent development, and on Thursday 26^th, Europa Distribution will hold a discussion dedicated to Nordic films’ varying reach potential abroad.

FULL LIST OF WORKS IN PROGRESS:

• Baby Pyramid by Cecilie MacNair (Nordisk Film Production, Denmark)
• Bubble by Aleksi Salmenperä, (Rabbit Films, Finland)
• Chrysanthemum by Christian Bengtson (Hyæne Film, Denmark)
• Diorama by Tuva Novotny (Nordisk Film Production, Sweden)
• Locals by Måns Nyman (Gran Slam Film, Sweden)
• Omerta ½ by Aku Louhimies (Cinematic Inc , Finland)
• Sagres by Lovisa Sirén (sic] Film , Sweden)
• So Damn Easy Going by Christoffer Sandler (Cinenic Film, Sweden)
• Sous les pavés! La plage by Henrik Hellström (Overmars, Sweden)
• The Cat Kingdom by John Hellberg, (Doppelganger, Sweden)
• The Emigrants by Erik Poppe (SF Studios, Sweden)
• The Good Driver by Tonislav Hristov (Making Movies,Finland/Soul Food, Bulgaria)
• The Mushroom Trip by JP Silli (Aurora Studios, Finland)
• The Store (WT) by Hanna Sköld (Tangram Film, Indyca, GötaFilm, Fidalgo Film Production, Sweden/Italy)
• The Wait by Aku Louhimies (Backmann & Hoderoff, Finland)
• Thomas in the Multiverse (WT) by Jakob Rørvik (Maipo Film, Norway)
• To Practice by Laurens Pérol (Filmhagen Pérol, Norway)
  
  

For further information, check: www.newnordicfilms.no