At the 52nd Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund, the 2024 edition of New Nordic Films marked the 30th anniversary of the film market as well as the 19th edition of the Nordic Co-Production Market. Acting programme director Line Halvorsen looks back at a rewarding experience.

Cineuropa: After “mission complete”, what’s your status report on this year’s edition of New Nordic Films?
Line Halvorsen: First and foremost, it was an incredibly rewarding event and a really great festival, all in all. I was covering for Gyda Velvin Myklebust as head of New Nordic Films this year [see last year’s interview], and although it has been exhausting, I am really happy with how everything went.

Are there any programme items of note that you wish to point out?
I wanted this year's event to reflect both traditional strengths and emerging trends in the region's film industry. It was the last year in our two-year focus on Nordic-UK co-productions, showcasing an increasing trend towards international collaboration in a post-Brexit landscape.

Another key focus at the festival was an emphasis on new technologies and formats. For us, it’s important to stay relevant, spotlighting the latest industry trends. This year, we expanded our focus to include talks on AI and VR, hopefully inspiring participating filmmakers to stay ahead of the curve. Next year, we plan to also include presentations of innovative projects for new platforms.

We also continued our commitment to nurturing emerging talent through the Next Nordic Generation programme, spotlighting films from top Nordic film schools. This year’s programme was exceptional, and the students were all invited to Haugesund to take part in the industry programme. That way, they were encouraged to discover how a film market works, and they were presented with new networking opportunities. We also invited a delegation of six producers from the Danish Film School to attend the market programme.

The 19th edition of the Nordic Co-Production Market selection featured 22 projects. Can you offer us a recap with some highlights?
This year’s selection was a mix of experienced and first-time filmmakers – nine Nordic newcomers in all. Some prevalent themes were family and coming-of-age stories concerned with social realism, inclusion and diversity, as found in Also a Life by Anders Emblem and Forza Oslo by Mats Bjerknes. There was dark humour from Gustav Johansson in Burn Oslo Burn, World War II drama in She Did Not Show Remorse by Selma Vilhunen and The Wednesday Club by Zaida Bergroth, and psychological horror in Corinna Faith’s Unspeakable and The Fell by Zu Quirke, both of which were part of our UK Focus. A personal favourite was Two People Who Fall in Love, a warmly funny love story about a young couple on the autism spectrum, beautifully presented by director Daniel Sawka, whose brother with autism has served as inspiration. The Best Project Award winner was Halima, a heart-warming film about a witty ten-year old Somali girl trying to fit into Finnish society, written and directed by Finnish-Somali helmer Naima Mohamud [see the news].

Overall, we notice a strong presence of female directors and a particularly strong presence of dedicated female producers in the Nordic countries. Over 50 sales agents and distributors were present among the 280 accredited participants from 28 different countries this year. We organised over 230 one-to-one meetings between project holders and participants, and many more happened at the festival, outside the designated meeting times.

This week, Venice kicks off, with several interesting Nordic films selected, but actually with Norway being the only Nordic country in the main competition, represented by Dag Johan Haugerud and Love [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Dag Johan Haugerud
fiche film], the second part of the trilogy that started with Sex [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Dag Johan Haugerud
fiche film] earlier this year. Any reflections from your side?
Well, anticipation is certainly high. In Love, Dag Johan Haugerud continues to explore intricate human relationships with a blend of subtle humour and poignant drama. He has such a great talent for delving into the nuances of everyday life with wit and intellect, focusing on ordinary characters facing extraordinary moral dilemmas. I expect the film to resonate with audiences and critics alike. Given Haugerud's meticulous approach to storytelling, Love is poised to be a standout Venice entry this year.

Let’s look forward to next year and the 53rd edition of New Nordic Films. Are there already some thoughts in the back of your mind for the future?
This year’s event is over, but it marks only the start of many new and hopefully long-lasting relationships, both professional and personal. We are looking forward to welcoming several of the films and projects back next year, and we love watching them grow, flourish and turn into great stories for festival and cinema lovers all over the world.