The Nordic Talents jury 2026 is announced, and registration opens now

The free registration for industry delegates opens today, May 7. The deadline to sign up is September 2 or until full capacity of the popular event is reached. To register CLICK HERE.

Ten projects will be pitched by upcoming talents to the Nordic industry and the international jury at the National Film School of Denmark on September 10. The Nordic Jury members are Helle Faber (DK), Synnøve Hørsdal (NO), Aníta Briem (IS), Janne Vakio (FI), and Cia Edström (SE). The on-stage conversations between the jury and the pitchers will be moderated by NFTVF’s Ove Rishøj Jensen.

On September 9, the day before the pitch day, all Nordic Talents delegates will have the opportunity to watch the pitchers’ graduation projects on screen in the afternoon. Online screening will also be possible for registered delegates on the days before Nordic Talents.

The focus of the event is building bridges between upcoming Nordic talents and the professional industry, and connecting Nordic industry professionals in general. Join the industry event looking into our Nordic co-financing future, through panels and presentations from production companies and commissioners. Learn about the fresh themes, stories, and concepts that the upcoming Nordic filmmakers bring to the industry, and network with Nordic film and TV professionals and students.

The selected projects/pitchers will be announced on June 25. The application round is open until June 1.

The 2026 Nordic Talents Jury:

Helle Faber is an Oscar-, BAFTA- and Peabody-winning producer of Mr. Nobody Against Putin. In 2010, she founded the Danish production company Made in Copenhagen. The company has produced more than 50 films, many of which have received international acclaim and awards at festivals such as Sundance, IDFA, Hot Docs, CPH:DOX, and DOC NYC, among others. Her recent work includes Mummy’s Boys (Mors drenge), Rebels (Ungeren - overgi’r sig aldrig!), and Theatre of Violence. Her earlier credits include titles such as The Stranger (En fremmed flytter ind), Putin’s Kiss (Putins kys), Warriors from the North (Krigerne fra Nord), and Enemies of Happiness (Vores lykkes fjender).

Synnøve Hørsdal is the managing director, co-owner and one of the founders of the Norwegian production company Maipo Film, established in 2000. She has a long track record in international co-productions, with more than 50 titles across various genres, including box office hit Louis & Luca (Solan og Ludvig), Miss Julie (Fröken Julie) with Jessica Chastain, Sundance winner Happy Happy (Sykt lykkelig), and the CannesSeries-winning series A Better Man (Ølhunden Berit). In 2024 the youth drama series Dates in Real Life, which combined traditional live-action with VR live-action, won several international awards (Prix Europa, Series Mania, Rose d’Or, Creative Courage, Aarhus, Cinema Jove). Hørsdal’s newest film, Low Expectations (Lave forventninger), has been selected for Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes 2026. Hørsdal has participated actively in Norwegian film politics, and holds positions on multiple boards in the business.

Aníta Briem began her career at the age of nine at the Icelandic National Theatre. She later trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, and went on to appear in plays at both the London National Theatre and in the West End. When her focus shifted to film and television, she starred in projects such as Journey to the Center of the Earth for Warner Bros, The Tudors for Showtime, Doctor Who for BBC, and The Evidence for ABC. After returning to her home country of Iceland to pursue her interest in working with European filmmakers, she appeared in a wide range of film and television productions, including the TV series The Minister (Ráðherrann) alongside Ólafur Darri Ólafsson; the feature film Quake (Skjálfti, dir. Tinna Hrafnsdóttir); A Letter from Helga (Svar við bréfi Helgu, dir. Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir); and Beautiful Beings (Berdreymi, dir. Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson). Her work has earned her multiple Edda nominations and wins. Aníta made her debut as a screenwriter with the television series As Long as you Live (Svo lengi sem við lifum), which she wrote, created and starred in. For this work, she received a nomination for Best Screenplay at the 2023 Nordisk Film & TV Prize. She is currently co-writing the drama series Big Brother (Stóri Bróðir) for Act4.

Janne Vakio is a Commissioning and Content Development Manager at MTV Finland, where he is responsible for scripted drama commissioning and content development. He has over 20 years of experience in the audiovisual industry across acting, producing, content management, and commissioning. At MTV, Vakio oversees a broad slate of original drama, ranging from long‑running series to premium scripted productions, and works actively with Nordic and international co‑productions. His background includes senior roles in multi‑territory content strategy, international partnerships and IP development, with a strong focus on audience‑driven storytelling and sustainable drama financing. Vakio is an active participant in Nordic industry collaboration and talent development initiatives, and is particularly interested in new commissioning models, international co‑production structures, and the future of scripted storytelling in the Nordic region.

Cia Edström heads TV Drama Vision, the international conference and co-financing market at the Göteborg Film Festival (GFF), and is part of the editorial team behind the annual Nostradamus report on the future of the screen industries. From 2005 to 2022, she served as Head of Industry at GFF, where she also worked as a film programmer and oversaw initiatives including the Nordic Film Market and TV Drama Vision. She has a background as a content producer of film and cultural events at the Swedish Film Institute, Culture Capital of Stockholm, and other organisations.

For more information, please contact Project Manager Mathias K. Ferre.