17/01/2023 - Ten Swedish feature films in development, directed by emerging filmmakers, will be presented at the Nordic Film Market on 2 February

Ten Swedish feature films in development have been selected to be presented at the Nordic Film Market (2-5 February), the Göteborg Film Festival’s market for Nordic films. All projects have received development support from regional film organisations in Sweden, as part of the Swedish Film Institute’s (SFI) Talent to Watch initiative.

The teams behind the selected projects will meet and introduce themselves to the industry on site at the Nordic Film Market. The pitch will take place on 2 February and is open to all industry attendees accredited for the Göteborg Film Festival. Talent to Watch is the SFI's three-year support programme that aims to give new creators and talents throughout Sweden the opportunity to flourish and establish themselves in the film industry.

The selection includes the science-fiction project Albatross by Sofie Edvardsson, which takes place on a human colonisation starship; the coming-of-age story Demands of a Teenage Heart by Lisa Meyer, which follows two 15-year-old friends, whose relationship is jeopardised by the fact that the local high school is about to be shut down; Gertrud by Maja Daniels, a story about the 1660s Swedish witch trials, transposed to the 2050s; Just Kidding by Malene Begtrup, where a melancholic stand-up comedian who has unintentionally got pregnant travels to a Chinese temple in central Scania to spend the last few moments with her mother, who is allegedly on her deathbed; and The Love Pill by Naures Sager, in which Zozo is secretly falling for his straight best friend, Malik, who is about to get married to their other bestie, Darya.

Furthermore, Nipster by Sunniva Eir Tangvik Kveum focuses on 16-year-old Chris, who spends her summer at a climate camp which is, in fact, a front for eco-fascists; in Porcelain by Ann Holmgren, a boy is captivated by stories of near-death experiences and decides to return to his indigenous grandmother to gain more knowledge about his mother; Skin to Skin by Nanna Blondell follows Essie, who, while on holiday with her husband, meets Marion, the only other black person there apart from herself, who will open her eyes to her own needs and desires; Slynglarna by Alecio Araci focuses on Damir, who seeks to live every second to the fullest, and when he meets Amal, he suddenly finds himself wanting to stand still with someone for the first time; and The Tribe by George Ivanov Öfverholm is an emotionally charged eco-thriller about the search for meaning and the slippery slope from idealism to extremism.

Here are the Talent to Watch projects partaking in the 2023 Nordic Film Market:

Albatross - Sofie Edvardsson
Producers: Simon Österhof, Jakob Nyström (So ja film)

Demands of a Teenage Heart - Lisa Meyer
Producer: Mario Adamson (Sisyfos Film)

Gertrud - Maja Daniels
Executive producer: Helene Granqvist

Just Kidding - Malene Begtrup
Producer: TBC

The Love Pill - Naures Sager
Producer: Michael Detlef (The Uneven)

Nipster - Sunniva Eir Tangvik Kveum
Producer: Adam Lunneborg (Carbs Film)

Porcelain - Ann Holmgren
Producers: Andreas Emanuelsson, Tony Österholm (Iris Film)

Skin to Skin - Nanna Blondell
Producer: Siri Hjorton Wagner ([sic] film)

Slynglarna - Alecio Araci
Producers: Alicia Hansen, Stina Eriksson (Prolaps)

The Tribe - George Ivanov Öfverholm
Producer: Sofia Ferguson (Northern Fable)