Årsrapport 2024
Distribution
This year, over twenty Nordic distributors received financing to distribute 35 unique film titles from the five Nordic countries across cinemas in the region, including Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and the Åland Islands.
Many of the supported films have earlier received top-up financing from Nordisk Film & TV Fond, for instance the Icelandic When the Light Breaks (Ljósbrot) by Rúnar Rúnarsson, the Swedish Crossing (Passage) by Levan Akin, the Danish The Promised Land (Bastarden) by Nicolaj Arcel, the Finnish Je'vida by Katja Gauriloff, and Dag Johan Haugerud’s Norwegian trilogy Sex Dreams Love (Sex Drømmer Kjærlighet).
Another feature that received both top-up financing and distribution support from NFTVF is Magnus von Horn’s The Girl with the Needle (Pigen med nålen), which at the end of 2024 seemed to achieve a very broad Nordic distribution.
Close to 30% of NFTVF’s distribution support went to films targeted at children and youth. Among films that have reached broad Nordic audiences could be mentioned the Danish The Children of Silverstreet (Börnene fra Sølvgade), directed by Mehdi Avaz, and the Sámi youth film My Father’s Daughter (Biru Unjárga – Føkkings Nesseby), directed by Egil Pedersen.
Both were top-up financed by Nordisk Film & TV Fond. However, earlier Fund financing is not required for a film to get distribution support. To be eligible for distribution funding, a film must have gathered positive reception from national audiences and/or have a significant audience potential within its target group.
Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson’s documentary The Last Journey (Den sista resan) set audience records in Sweden, which triggered interest from neighbouring Nordic countries. With the help of NFTVF’s distribution support, the film has reached Nordic audiences.
Among the other documentaries that received distribution support were the Finnish ISMO – Breaking Bad English (Ismo - maailman hauskin ulkopuolinen) by Illka Hynninen and Saku Pollari, the Norwegian A New Kind of Wilderness(Ukjent landskap) by Silje Evensmo Jacobsen, and the Swedish Some of Us Walk in Raggedy Shoes (Somliga går med trasiga skor) by Magnus Gertten and The Gullspång Miracle (Miraklet i Gullspång) by Maria Fredriksson.
In addition to traditional activities like social media efforts and inviting filmmakers for Q&As at premieres, the financing from NFTVF in many cases enables distributors to tailor the marketing efforts for special groups and/or territories, which increases the cross-border interest in Nordic films.
From 2025 on, there will be some changes in NFTVF’s distribution guidelines. For more information, check the renewed guidelines online.
Dubbing
In 2024, seven films were dubbed for cinema distribution from one Nordic language into another, with the support of NFTVF. All films that applied for dubbing support received funding.
Five animations were granted dubbing support. All the supported animated films for children featured beloved characters from well-known universes. The films were The Brothers Gruff Go to Splash World (Bukkene Bruse på Badeland),dubbed from Norwegian into Danish and Swedish; Arne Alligator and the Jungle Friends (Arne Alligator och djungelkompisarna), from Swedish into Danish and Norwegian; Bamse and the World’s Smallest Adventure (Bamse och vârldens minsta äventyr), from Swedish into Finnish and Norwegian; and Little Ghost Laban (Lilla spöket Laban spökar igen), from Swedish into Danish, Finnish, and Norwegian.
Normally NFTVF only supports dubbing of children’s films. In 2024, Rasmus A. Sivertsen’s and Tommy Wirkola's animated musical sex comedy Spermageddon was made an exception. This animated feature, aimed at young adults, was dubbed from Norwegian into Danish, Finnish, and Swedish, and received support from Nordisk Film & TV Fond.
The two supported live-action films were both based on popular C&Y books: The Finnish film Snot & Splash (Räkä ja Roiskis) by Teemu Nikki, and Tina Mackic’s JerryMaya's Detective Agency: The Lost Mascot (LasseMajas detektivbyrå - Maskoten som försvann), the latest addition to the Swedish film series.
Since 2016 The Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize has been awarded annually to the writer of the best Nordic drama series script. For the eighth consecutive year, the winner of the Prize was presented during Göteborg Film Festival’s TV Drama Vision. The award celebrates outstanding writing. The award sum of NOK 200,000, which goes to the main writer(s), is funded by NFTVF. For 2024, five series were nominated for the Prize – one from each Nordic country. The nominations were announced in December 2023.
The nominated series:
- Prisoner (Huset), directed by Frederik Louis Hviid and Michael Noer, written by Kim Fupz Aakeson,produced by Rikke Tørholm Kofoed for DR Drama
- Estonia, directed by Måns Månsson and Juuso Syrjä, written by Miikko Oikkonen, produced by Tarja Ahava for Fisher King
- Descendants (Heima er best), directed and written by Tinna Hrafnsdóttir, produced by Guðný Guðjónsdóttir, Tinna Hrafnsdóttir and Kidda Rokk for Freyja Filmwork, Polarama, Projects
- Power Play (Makta), directed by Yngvild Sve Flikke, written by Johan Fasting, Silje Storstein and Kristin Grue, produced by Camilla Brusdal and Vilje Kathrine Hagen for Motlys and Novemberfilm
- Painkiller, directed by Gabriela Pichler, written by Johan Lundborg and Gabriela Pichler, produced by Anna-Maria Kantarius for Garagefilm International
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Makta
PHOTO: Motlys, Novemberfilm, NRK -
The winner of the Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize 2024 was chosen by an international jury consisting of actor Joel Spira(SE), producer Kateryna Vyshnevska (UA), journalist and film critic Charlotte Winberg (FI), and editor, producer and screenwriter Vinca Wiedemann (DK). The Norwegian political near-history drama series Power Play was selected the winner.
The jury’s statement: “Choosing a winner from a diverse array of such high-quality drama has been both a privilege and a pleasure for us, the jury. The nominees have been diverse: from politics to human despair, from love for a mother to a tragic disaster at sea, from families to co-workers to friends and enemies. But the series that captured us the most was the one that managed to embrace seemingly dull historical facts with humour and playfulness, and that depicted an epoch of political history with all the nuances of human idealism and flaws. Power Play stayed loyal to its essence of truth, lie and poor memory.”
January 30th, the co-creator, co-director and co-writer Johan Fasting accepted the award on stage on behalf of the three winners. Earlier the same day, he and all the nominated writers participated in an industry session at TV Drama Vision, moderated by Andrea Reuter. All nominees were also interviewed by NFTVF prior to the jury decision and award ceremony.
To read the interview with creators of Power Play: CLICK HERE.
After summer holidays, the nomination call for the Nordic Series Awards 2025 opened, with some reforms being announced. In addition to the Nordic Series Script Award, previously known as the Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize, a new honorable award was introduced. The Creative Courage Award will celebrate the producer and commissioner behind a series that pushes creative boundaries and embraces bold, innovative approaches.
Nordisk Film & TV Fond acts as the secretary to the Nordic Council Film Prize. The Film Prize was introduced in 2002, and permanently established in 2005 as one of the Nordic Council’s culture prizes. The others are the Literature Prize, the Children and Young People’s Literature Prize, the Music Prize, and the Environment Prize.
Each year, the Nordic Council Film Prize awards an artistically significant, Nordic full-length film. A prize sum of DKK 300,000 is shared equally between the main director(s), main writer(s) and main producer(s), underscoring how film as an art form is brought about by the close collaboration of these main contributors.
In 2024, four features and two documentaries were nominated. The nominations were selected by national juries in Denmark, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, out of all the films premiering in national cinemas between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024. The nominees were announced during the Haugesund International Film Festival on August 20.
The 2024 nominees:
- The Son and the Moon (Min arv bor i dig) – Directed by Roja Pakari and Emilie Adelina Monies, written by Roja Pakari and Denniz Göl Bertelsen, produced by Sara Stockmann for Sonntag Pictures
- Fallen Leaves (Kuolleet lehdet) – Directed and written by Aki Kaurismäki, produced by Aki Kaurismäki, Misha Jaari and Mark Lwoff for Sputnik and Bufo
- Twice Colonized – Directed by Lin Alluna, written by Aaju Peter and Lin Alluna, produced by Emile Hertling Péronard for Ánorâk Film, Red Marrow Media and
- EyeSteelFilm
- Touch (Snerting) – Directed by Baltasar Kormákur, written by Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson and Baltasar Kormákur, produced by Agnes Johansen and Baltasar Kormákur for RVK Studios
- Sex – Directed and written by Dag Johan Haugerud, produced by Yngve Sæther and Hege Hauff Hvattum for Motlys
- Crossing (Passage) – Directed and written by Levan Akin and produced by Mathilde Dedye for French Quarter Films
Throughout the autumn season, NFTVF organised official screenings of the nominated films in collaboration with various partners in all the Nordic countries. The Norwegian and Finnish screenings were arranged in collaboration with film festivals: the Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund, the Oslo Pix Festival, and the Helsinki International Film Festival. In Copenhagen, Reykjavik and Stockholm, public screenings of all the nominated films were organised as special events.
All Nordic Council Prize winners were presented in a TV special, produced by RÚV, and distributed linear and online in the Nordics on the evening of October 22. The chairs of all the national juries were summoned to a Nordic jury that selected the winning film. The members of the Nordic jury were: Professor Heidi Hilarius-Kalkau Philipsen (DK), Executive Director of Finlandssvenskt filmcentrum Mikaela Westerlund (FI), Chairperson of Film Greenland Klaus Georg Hansen (GL), producer Jóna Finnsdóttir (IS), and the journalists Inger Merete Hobbelstad (NO) and Emma Gray Munthe (SE).
Of the six nominated films, the jury selected Norwegian writer-director Dag Johan Haugerud’s Sex to be awarded. The film is the first part of Haugerud’s film triology Sex Love Dreams.
The jury’s motivation: “Sex is never just sex. Nowhere is that more evident than in Sex, director and writer Dag Johan Haugerud’s philosophically inclined comedy. In this story of two friends, who discover that their sexuality and gender can expand in surprising ways, the film makes the case that life is fluid and the world is constantly being rearranged. It does so cleverly, compassionately, and hilariously. Sex is produced by Yngve Sæther and Hege Hauff Hvattum for Motlys.”
The winners of the Nordic Council Film Prize 2024, and the other award recipients, were invited to the Nordic Council’s session and award ceremony in Reykjavik, Iceland a week after the announcement. The programme included cultural and social engagements, highlighted by a discussion on Nordic culture with the president of Iceland, Halla Tómasdóttir.
Prior to the award, all the nominated filmmakers were interviewed by journalist Marta Balaga for NFTVF’s newsletter. Later, the winning director Haugerud discussed his art and working methods in the podcast series Nordic Film Talks, produced by Wendy Mitchell for NFTVF.
To read the interview with Haugerud, Sæther and Hauf Hvattum: CLICK HERE.
To listen to the podcast: CLICK HERE.
In early December, the national juries for 2025–2028 were announced. The juries are led by Heidi Hilarius-Kalkau Philipsen (DK) who continues her jury work, and the new jury members Marjo Pipinen (FI), Jóna Finnsdóttir (IS), Anne Gjelsvik (NO), and Jonas Holmberg (SE).
To read more: CLICK HERE.
Nordic Script
Nordic Script was introduced by Nordisk Film & TV Fond in 2022 as a nine-month educational event for film professionals in the Nordic region, in partnership with Oslo Series Days/NRK, TV Drama Vision/Göteborg Film Festival, and the City of Helsinki. The initiative offers a unique opportunity for Nordic scriptwriters, and story editors (producers) to hone their script skills under mentorship guidance, to network with fellow Nordic colleagues, and to get access to masterclasses with international guest lecturers.
Nordic Script 2023/2024 focused on feature films and close-ended mini-series, while the 2024/2025-edition welcomes all formats, provided they have Nordic co-production potential. The mentors are Margrete Soug Kåset (NO), Maria Clauss(SE), and Anton Breum (DK).
Info on 23/24 participants and projects: CLICK HERE.
Info on 24/25 participants and projects: CLICK HERE.
In late January, Lab 2 (of 3) was arranged in Gothenburg for the 2023/2024 participants, and in May Lab 3, the grand final, takes place, with Emmy-winning scriptwriter Susan Soon He Stanton as a mentoring guest.
In september 2024, a new round of Nordic Script started in Oslo with 13 new participants from all the Nordic countries,selected from a record number of applicants.
Nordic Talents 2024
Since the year 2000, Nordic Talents has built bridges between upcoming and experienced professionals. In 2025 the event was once again organised by Nordisk Film & TV Fond in collaboration with the Danish project manager Tina I Dali Wagner at the National Film School of Denmark.
Each year, Nordic film graduates get a chance to pitch their first professional projects to the Nordic industry and to compete for the main project development award of NOK 250,000 and the Special Mention of NOK 50,000. The competition is open to students who are graduating with a bachelor’s or a master’s degree. The selected talents participate in a pitching workshop prior to the event.
September 4th-5th, fifteen new exciting projects in various forms, styles and genres were introduced to the professional delegates in Copenhagen. The programme included pitching sessions, graduation film screenings, and industry sessions. The upcoming professionals pitched their ideas to the experienced ones, and production companies pitched themselves to the graduates.
Info on the pitched projects is available on the renewed website Nordictalents.com.
