For the second consecutive year, the Norwegian International Film Festival’s New Nordic Films is set to spotlight co-productions with the United Kingdom, reinforcing its commitment to fostering collaboration between the UK and the Nordic countries. Running from 20-23 August in Haugesund, New Nordic Films – in partnership with the British Film Institute (BFI) – will welcome a delegation from the UK film industry to participate in a dedicated "Focus on the UK" programme. This event will feature discussion panels, networking opportunities and an in-depth case study highlighting recent successes in UK-Nordic co-productions.

Line Halvorsen, programme director for New Nordic Films, commented: “We are incredibly proud and happy to have a special focus on the UK in collaboration with the BFI, and this facilitates co-productions between our creative film industries in the future.”

Denitsa Yordanova, head of the UK Global Screen Fund and International Funds at the BFI, also remarked, “We are looking forward to the second UK Focus at Haugesund’s Nordic Co-Production Market and to sparking co-production conversations for the participating UK producer-director teams as they meet potential Nordic partners. 2024 has already seen some wonderful UK/Nordic collaborations bear fruit, with the UK-Finnish-Belgian co-production Sebastian [+lire aussi :
critique
interview : Mikko Mäkelä
fiche film] (supported by the BFI with National Lottery funding) making its debut in competition at Sundance and The Damned, which we’ve been able to support through our UK Global Screen Fund, premiering at Tribeca.”

The UK Focus will feature a panel entitled "How to Co-Produce with the UK", in which Kamilla Hodøl, of Elation Pictures, will unveil her "Roadmap to Co-producing with the UK". This comprehensive guide, commissioned by the Royal Norwegian Embassy and New Nordic Films, outlines the key strategies for and pitfalls in navigating co-productions with the UK. Attendees will also gain valuable insights from a case study on the aforementioned co-production Sebastian, presented by producer James Watson and writer-director Mikko Mäkelä, as well as from experiences shared by other producers who have successfully collaborated with the UK and the Nordic countries.

What’s more, the following four UK projects and their producers have been selected to participate in the 2024 Nordic Co-Production Market in Haugesund:  

The Fell - Zu Quirke (UK/USA)
Producer: Oliver Kassman (Escape Plan)
Co-producers: Brad Zimmerman, David Michôd (Yoki Inc)

Let It Come Down - Anna Fredrikke Bjerke (UK)
Producers: Isabella Speaight, Molly Murphy (Backscatter Production)

Nothing Holy - Ashley Horner (UK/Norway)
Writer: Stewart Wright
Producer: Keith Bell (Pinball Films)
Co-producer: Rein Film

Unspeakable - Corinna Faith (UK)
Producer: Tristan Goligher (The Bureau)
Co-producer: Rob Watson (Air Street Films)

The UK Focus is presented in collaboration with and supported by the British Film Institute through the BFI National Lottery International Fund, the Royal Norwegian Embassy in London, the British Embassy in Norway and the British Council.