The producers and commissioners behind the Swedish series Blood Cruise that won the 2026 Creative Courage Award: "An award that gives hope"

For the second year in a row, the Creative Courage Award was presented at the Göteborg Film Festival. The award recognises bold creative risk-taking, innovative storytelling, and individuals and companies that push creative boundaries within the Nordic film and television landscape. This year it went to the Swedish Blood Cruise (Färjan), adapted from Mats Strandberg's 2015 novel. In this 6-episode horror series, we follow 1,200 passengers on a Baltic Sea ferry between Sweden and Finland. As the ship is isolated, a "vampire contagion" spreads, turning passengers into monsters, forcing a small group to fight for survival.

The Creative Courage Award winner is selected by Liselott Forsman, CEO of Nordisk Film & TV Fond, and Cia Edström, Head of TV Drama Vision, Göteborg Film Festival. Forsman said in her speech:

“With so many variations, we went back to why we founded this prize. It was: To honour those who dare to take risks for new directions in Nordic drama. During Nordisk Film & TV Fond’s 2022 theme year “20-something”, we asked young professionals: ‘What is lacking in the Nordic industry?’ Many upcoming filmmakers, especially from Sweden, said it would be vital to get other than realistic series commissioned, pointing out the lack of Nordic genre series.”

And Cia Edström continued:

“Among the Nordic countries, Sweden is suddenly the forerunner here. Tonight we want to honour the commissioner(s) and producer(s) who dared to make this extraordinary horror series come to life, by combining a family story with a Sweden in a microcosmos with multiplying vampires on a ferry.”

To begin with, how does it feel to receive this award?

Johanna: I actually shed a small tear in my eye when the news was announced. An award that celebrates creative courage - that highlights playfulness and creative curiosity - is so important. It gives hope.

Alexander: It’s an honour, really, and incredibly gratifying that the series is being recognised – and that SVT and the financiers who took a chance on it are being acknowledged as well.

How did the project come about?

Alexander: It all started when I had read “The Circle”, and Mats Strandberg began talking about various ideas he had. One of them was a horror story set on a Baltic Sea ferry. I bought the rights, and at first we tried to make it as a feature film. We got in touch with Imaginarium, and Will Tennant had read the book and wanted to do something with it. That’s when we started discussing: “If we can’t make a film, could we make a series instead?” We didn’t know exactly how or what it would become, but we decided to develop it together. The Head of Development at SVT really liked the project, and wanted to do something more daring.

What made SVT want to invest in this project?

Johanna: We are constantly looking for stories that combine boldness in genre with originality, a strong creative sensibility, and relevance to a broad audience. In this case, all those elements were in place, together with strong creatives and, not least, a beloved IP at its core, Mats Strandberg’s novel “Blood Cruise”.

How did the collaboration work?

Sonja: Northern Fable and Imaginarium Productions have been fantastic partners throughout the process. Together, they bring broad experience in producing high-quality series, and a deep understanding of genre storytelling, which made it feel reassuring that they were jointly steering the ship.

Alexander: They’ve been very strong partners, and the fact that they believed in the project at such an early stage meant a lot to us.

What were the biggest challenges, and what did you learn along the way?

Alexander: There were constant challenges. We never imagined we’d end up building a ferry in a studio, for instance. Every time you solve one problem, another one appears, and then another. But there’s something quite beautiful in that. You can’t dwell on what you might have done differently – you just have to keep moving forward.

Sonja: In many ways, we were newcomers in the role of commissioning horror. It became a process of constant learning, in which we, as commissioners, had to challenge ourselves, stay forward-leaning, and remain curious about the genre and about what audiences expect from it.

The award is called the “Creative Courage Award”. What do you think is needed to encourage more producers and broadcasters in the Nordics to take risks?

Alexander: There isn’t just one audience, but many different audiences. We’re a small company working in this industry, and I’m driven by stories. I get excited by certain ideas, and I only work on projects I genuinely like. You have to believe in what you’re doing, and anchor it properly.

Johanna: It is difficult for companies and creatives to be brave if commissioners do not actively ask for genre diversity and encourage originality. That is our responsibility as commissioners, in my view. Audiences are smart, and want series that dare to do something new. But one should not pretend otherwise - challenging conventions requires more, and it is also harder to finance. An award that highlights creative courage at least helps pave the way for more attempts.