Placed in context within the North Atlantic Story Circle (NASC), which took place at Stockfish and is intended as an ongoing collaboration, a panel was hosted by the festival’s Industry Days on the “Future of the North Atlantic Film Landscape”. Swedish producer Helene Granqvist and Danish scriptwriter Valeria Richter co-facilitated the week-long NASC and also served as co-moderators for the panel. Granqvist and Richter used this opportunity to explain some of the themes and topics that came out of the NASC, which encompasses Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

Innunguaq Petrussen, CEO of the Film Institute of Greenland (see the interview), spoke about his main objectives and aspirations for the brand-new institute, around 80 days after its establishment. “It is important for us to seek people, nations and film industries” with which to be in collaboration and dialogue, he said – and this has been his focus for the last two months.

Soon, the film institute will be able to fund productions with up to two million Danish kroner (€268,000), which represents a huge step forward for the Greenlandic industry. Speaking about her own experience with co-productions between Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Greenland, NASC participant and filmmaker from Nuuk Alberte Pernuuna said that a major goal for the industry is for people to take on more “A” functions in Greenland.

She further explained that for emerging talents, there are no formal training or education opportunities in Greenland, so the options are to go abroad, do it oneself or collaborate. Rakul Ró Steintórsdóttir, an emerging filmmaker from the Faroe Islands and another NASC participant, expressed that it can be “a bit lonely” trying to make films in similar conditions. She also indicated her surprise that the Faroe Islands don’t work more frequently with Iceland, and instead typically look to Denmark for co-production and support – although NASC now provides the first steps towards changing this.

Much of the conversation also veered towards a collaborative philosophy when looking to shape the North Atlantic film landscape. For instance, some of the Film Institute of Greenland’s efforts also entail engaging in conversations around self-determination, indigenous concerns and independence. Petrussen pointed to the International Sámi Film Institute as a model they are looking towards, especially with film contributing heavily to an idea of national identity.

“This might be the main goal: narrative sovereignty,” he emphasised, referring to a concept that involves the utilisation of narrative storytelling to shape the sociopolitical future of one’s own community. “It's our turn, and now we have the means.”

Pernuuna showed appreciation for the Icelandic industry’s overall philosophy, which she described as “a different way of actively listening and not dominating the narrative. […] Sometimes, you have to put the collective in front of the individual,” she continued, underscoring the importance of a give-and-take approach.

Klaus Georg Hansen, chairman of FILM.GL (Greenland’s filmmakers’ platform), believes that a formal structure such as the NASC can make a huge difference in enabling progress. “We need to find our allies, and we see our allies as the North Atlantic,” he confirmed. He also called out the elephant in the room: the history of Danish colonialism in Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The question remains around how to create a shared identity that acknowledges, while also doesn’t entirely rely on, this shared history of oppression.

Director of the Icelandic Film Centre Gísli Snær Erlingsson encouraged the group to consider the necessary balance of aspirations and feasibility. “If I could choose, I would spend much more money on art than war – but this is the reality,” he stated. Regardless, quoting a comment made by Petrussen earlier in the day, Erlingsson agreed with the importance of film in the broader landscape, both cultural and political: “Film is part of nation-building.”