20/08/2019 - Four full-on days of intriguing projects and activities await attendees as Haugesund’s New Nordic Films market kicks off

A note of lingering summer, a touch of approaching autumn and oodles of anticipation – it’s all in the air as the New Nordic Films market kicks off today in parallel with the Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund. Four full-on days of market screenings, work-in-progress presentations, pitching forums, panels and networking await attendees as programmers, sales agents, producers, directors and a wide variety of international industry members gather around the very latest fare when it comes to high-quality Northern European cinema.

The market screenings – 19 in all – open with Iceland’s Hlynur Pálmason and his recent Cannes Critics’ Week favourite A White, White Day [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Hlynur Pálmason
film profile]. Two upcoming Venice titles, Denmark’s Psychosia [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marie Grahtø
film profile] by Marie Grathø and Norway’s Beware of Children [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dag Johan Haugerud
film profile] by Dag Johan Haugerud, are among the programme’s 13 world market premieres. Sweden’s 438 Days [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Jesper Ganslandt and The Spy [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Jens Jonsson, and Danish stalwart Jesper W Nielsen’s The Exception [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] are also being shown, as is 110% Honest by Norway’s Jannicke Systad Jacobsen (Turn Me On, Goddammit [+see also:
trailer
interview: Jannicke Systad Jacobsen
film profile]), a dark comedy about a professional cyclist, a doping scandal and the catastrophic year that ensues.

Several work-in-progress entries – 20 in total, all in post-production – already have a good buzz surrounding them. Jessica, the highly anticipated debut feature by Sweden’s Ninja Thyberg, deals, like her Cannes-awarded short Pleasure [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ninja Thyberg
film profile], with the American adult-film industry. Norway’s Maria Sødahl’s first feature since Limbo [+see also:
trailer
film profile] in 2010 is Hope [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Maria Sødahl
film profile], soon to head for Toronto. Miss Osaka [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Denmark’s Daniel Dencik is a dark tale of altered identity and Japanese nightlife. Other hot WiP entries include The Day We Died [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Ole Christian Madsen and The Good Traitor by Christina Rosendahl, both about factual events in Danish history, and the Finnish coming-of-age story Eden [+see also:
trailer
interview: Ulla Heikkilä
film profile], the debut feature by Ulla Heikkilä. The Garden [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] is by Iceland’s answer to Mike Leigh, Ragnar Bragason, and the host country is preparing to serve the world an intriguing and in-depth documentary on its great(est?) national pop treasure in A-HA: The Movie [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Thomas Robsahm
film profile] by the prolific Thomas Robsahm.

Six of the work-in-progress projects are nominated for the Eurimages Lab Project Award, given out to a work of a cutting-edge nature “to encourage a film that is experimental in form or content, made on the side of the traditional filmmaking framework and showing international collaboration”. The entries are Jessica, Miss Osaka, Inland [+see also:
film review
interview: Jon Blåhed
film profile] by Jon Blåhed (Sweden), Nimby [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Teemu Nikki (Finland), Sisters by Silje Salomonsen and Arild Østin Ommundsen, and HIM [+see also:
interview: Guro Bruusgaard
film profile] by Guro Bruusgaard (both from Norway). An expert four-headed jury will present its top choice on Thursday.

Other highlights in the packed schedule include the Nordic Co-production Market, with 17 films in development; the Scandinavian Debut pitch; the Next Nordic Generation programme; and the unveiling of the Nordic Council Film Prize nominees. A total of 300 participants are expected for this 25^th New Nordic Films event, co-managed by the Nordisk Film & TV Fond and running from 20-23 August.

For the full schedule and project lists, please click here.