Benjamin Ree recieved the 2025 Storyline Production Award for his pitch in Haugesund last year. Photo: Grethe Nygaard
New Nordic Films are proud to present the selection for this year’s Nordic Co-Production Market, with 21 carefully curated Nordic and French projects in development seeking co-producers, financing, international sales, presales, and distribution partners. All projects will be pitched in Haugesund on August 26th by the directors and producers, and the session will be moderated by Thibaut Bracq.
The selected projects have a chance to be awarded the Storyline Production Award, the Best Pitch Award and the MIDPOINT Talent Award. This year’s jury consists of Annick Mahnert, Sona Morgenthalová and Iris Cadoux.
Here are the selected projects:
Acts of Kindness (Norway) presented by director Ellen Ugelstad and producers Ellen Ugelstad and Jonas Bruun for Twentyone Pictures.
Eva, a flight attendant, dreads giving a speech on her mother’s birthday. Jone, a Christian entrepreneur, ends up in a legal battle defending his right to employ undocumented refugees. Hanne, a blind student with a dominating presence, struggles to find her place and stirs tensions that lead to bullying. A group of idealistic Scandinavian textile artists, led by Sigrun, join forces with a Kenyan literature professor, embarking on an ill-conceived aid project. And Edith, a retired social worker, invites her former Filipino housekeeper and her sons to her primitive cabin in the mountains.
All the Softness in the World (France) presented by director Ayçe Kartal and producer Damien Megherbi for Les Valseurs.
Istanbul, 1950’s. The Hakimian family lives in the shadow of an ancient vendetta; every firstborn grandson is destined to die, a cruel retribution for an infanticide committed by their grandfather long ago. Then comes Levon, a baby boy. His first act is to reach out and touch his mother’s soft hair. But sadly, this moment of tenderness won’t last. To protect him, the men of the family decide to raise him as a girl, hiding his true identity. He will grow up never knowing he was born male. But can anyone truly escape who they are?
Anathema (Denmark, Norway, Germany) presented by directors Ea Johanne Sandberg and Alpha Nord and producers Anne Borggaard Sørensen and Janne Hjeltnes for Empathitude Pictures.
Dafne lives in a valley with her mother and a man called Brother. Here, violence and grief simmer beneath the spotless façade of self-imposed denial, but things become complicated when Brother disappears. In his absence, Dafne struggles with her sense of self, trying to work out whether it is she or the town that is falling apart. But when Brother returns, drowned and dead, everything changes. Everyone ignores his zombie-like state. But how far is the town willing to go to preserve the illusion of a happy community?
Apoteos (Sweden) presented by director Christofer Nilssonand and producer Annegret Kunath for Råttunge Produktion.
Desperate to escape her lonely life and hoping to reinvent herself, 60-year-old Carina enrolls in a course to become a psychic medium at an isolated conference center. The sudden sense of belonging goes to her head, emboldening Carina to convince a grieving mother she can channel her dead son. As Carina becomes addicted to the love and purpose she receives in return, the charismatic course leader Fredrik grows increasingly jealous of the attention she attracts. Together, their emotional hunger slowly turns the grieving mother into the center of a tragic struggle for validation.
At the End of the Road (Iceland) presented by director Hilmar Oddsson and producer Hlín Jóhannsesdóttir for Ursus Parvus.
Leo is a renowned geriatrician dedicated to finding a cure for Alzheimer’s. He has spent decades caring for patients who deal with memory loss and dementia and established a renowned nursing home to practice his methods. When psychiatrist Ásdís returns to Iceland to be near her grandmother, who has been one of Leo’s patients, the two clash over treatment methods before forming a profound bond. As Leo’s own memory starts to play tricks on him, Ásdís confronts the trauma of her past. Their shared journey reveals buried secrets, lost love, and the healing power of acceptance.
Bear Park (Finland, Norway, Denmark, Czechia, Ireland) presented by directors Kaisa Penttilä and Leena Jääskeläinen, and producer Terhi Väänänen for Pyjama Films.
Bertie is a 10-year-old boy who loves making complicated plans – and his next big plan is to save his parents’ marriage! Bertie finds out they were once happy, in a remote nature reserve, Bear Park. Surely returning there would fix their marriage? When he hears of an inter-school skiing race with a prize trip to Bear Park, he knows he must build a team and win the race! If only he knew how to ski or at least had some friends. Luckily, he runs into Milly, a friendly and very athletic bear, who can help him with both. Could Milly take Bertie’s place in the competition?
Big Deal (Norway, Finland, Estonia) presented by director Hedda Mjøen and producer by Oda Kruse for Kruela Film.
When celebrated Oslo theater director Mathias Hammer is charged with multiple counts of sexual assault, the case sends shockwaves far beyond the courtroom walls. As the trial progresses, each of the four protagonists is handed a measure of power over its outcome, and each must decide what to do with it when the law demands one thing and their conscience demands another. Big Deal takes no sides. It dwells in the space between conviction and doubt, between loyalty and justice, between what the law can prove and what the body remembers.
Borderline (France, Spain) presented by director Yves Piat and producer Damien Megherbi for Les Valseurs.
Hichem is a customs officer stationed in the desert south of Tunisia, on the border with Algeria, trying to provide a decent life for his wife Leila and little daughter Zineb. Caught up in a corrupt system, he meets Tesla, a music-loving donkey lost in the desert with headphones over his ears and a whole shipment of cocaine on his back.
Boutés (France) presented by directors Jeanne Géli and Loïs Szymczak, and producer Marieke Tricoire for Womanray.
When a malignant brain tumour upends his life, Olympic diver and visual artist Loïs Szymczak returns to creation and training with a different light, as though illness had opened a doorway into a parallel world. His partner Jeanne films their shared life as he moves towards a dive in the heart of Paris.
Clusterfuck, working title (Finland) presented by director and producer Juho-Pekka Tanskanen and producer Paria Eskandari for Danish Bear Productions.
Clusterfuck is a coming-of-age drama about 17-year-old John, who moves from a small Finnish town to a new school after years of severe bullying. Determined to leave his past behind, he reinvents himself as tough and reckless and falls in with a wild group of students. But the friendship is built on a cruel joke. Kidnapping a friend is a fun prank at first, but soon it becomes a game within the group. Each kidnapping escalates further, until one of them goes horribly wrong.
Domesticated Animal (Norway) presented by director Pål Jackman and producer Julia Joner for Chezville.
Domesticated Animal is an intense family drama about Sven and Anna, two parents who fear their own child. Their 15-year-old son, Peter, is smart and charming, but cold and extremely violent. While Sven longs for connection and Anna hides behind bitter sarcasm, Peter’s self-destructive behavior escalates. After stabbing a petrol station clerk, who later dies, Peter attempts to strangle his mother and is committed to a psychiatric facility. Forced to confront their failures, the couple makes one final, fateful decision — to set the beast free.
Elektra (Finland) presented by director Elisa Kujala and producer Nora Kuusisto for Dionysos Films.
A brilliant young game developer, Emma, fights to bring her dream project to life, only to discover that the greatest threat to her success lies not in the toxic workplace around her, but within her own ambition. As the growing pressure warps her perception, the lines between reality and the game she’s creating begin to blur – pushing her toward a choice between greatness and integrity.
Grandmonster (Norway) presented by director Vegard Dahle and producer Jon Vatne for Syden Pictures.
While trying to save her grandmother from dementia, an American dropout triggers a zombie outbreak at a Norwegian nursing home. Turns out zombies with dentures are the easy part. Budget cuts, bureaucracy, and Scandinavian conflict aversion are another story.
The Legendary Life and Legacy of Miss Monty (Denmark) presented by director Eirik Sæter Stordahl and producer Matilda Appelin for New Day Productions.
When the eccentric former drag queen Miss Monty suffers a cardiac arrest at his 69th birthday party, he meets the shy 21-year-old health care worker Adam, who has a secret dream of becoming a drag queen. An unlikely friendship blossoms between them, as Monty introduces Adam to Copenhagen’s drag scene and takes him under his wing as a protégé. Their turbulent relationships stir up long-buried grief and loss in both of them. While Monty pushes Adam to confront his mother, Adam drives Monty to face unresolved trauma from the AIDS epidemic – and perhaps, at last, to dare seek love again.
Mum is in Puberty (Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, Italy) presented by director and producer Ami-Ro Sköld and producer Lovisa Charlier Ginday for Onoma Productions.
Nine-year-old Jani and his mum, Vide, have built Tippan, a wild treehouse on the edge of the forest. When Vide comes out as non-binary and begins a second puberty, Jani accepts them immediately but struggles as his parents separate and his world changes. As logging machines threaten Tippan, Jani teams up with SlimeX, a living slime mould, and Inga, a child who is simply a fox. Together, they discover the forest’s hidden networks and trigger a living resistance that saves Tippan, while Jani begins to understand that families, too, can grow into new forms.
Patience (Norway) presented by director Jorunn Myklebust Syversen and producer Kari Moen Kristiansen for Paradox.
Oline (24) is building a new life as an art student in Oslo when a sudden loss leaves her and her younger sister, Thale (18), as each other’s only support. As Thale gradually loses her grip on reality, Oline must take on the ever-greater responsibility of keeping her safe, even from herself. As the burden grows, against a backdrop of systemic failure and sociocultural inheritance, Oline must confront the fragile boundary between caring for another and losing herself.
Temporary Lives (France) presented by director Wessam Hachicho and producer Amélie Quéret for Respiro productions.
A Syrian teenager reluctantly seeks asylum in Norway as per his estranged father’s wishes, but desperate to return home, he sabotages the asylum case. While waiting for their fate, they live together for the first time in a room in a refugee camp near Oslo, where they connect with other refugees, each with their stories and dreams. As their intense journey unfolds, the father-son duo must confront their painful past.
The Touch of Light (Finland) presented by director AJ Annila and producers Marko Antila and Mikko Tenhunen for Lucy Loves Drama.
Based on a true story. During Finland’s late 19th-century depression, Sofia hides her deafblind son, Frans. When he is discovered, jurist Reinold Jagerholm secures him a place at a special school, where teacher Anna Heikel devotes herself to guiding him out of isolation. Progress is slow, and Frans’ despair erupts into violence before a devastating accident nearly ends Anna’s faith in him. Salvation comes through woodworking, where Frans learns to express himself through touch, inspiring Anna to become a pioneer in educating deafblind children.
True Love working title (Sweden, Croatia) presented by director Martina Haag and producer Helen Ahlsson for SF Studios.
When Ellinor (55) is dumped by her husband overnight after twenty years of marriage, she loses faith in life. When she wins 40 million euros immediately afterwards, it becomes even harder for her to trust people. Henrik (50) grew up at the elite Lundsberg boarding school, where his mother worked as a cleaner. To fit in, he learned to lie—and became an irresistibly charming master of deception. She trusts no one. He lies about everything. Their relationship should never work—but what if they’re exactly what the other needs? True Love is a romantic comedy about embracing who you are and daring to love—and be loved—for your true self.
Vagina Dentata (Norway, Romania) presented by director Natasa Urban and producer Ingvil Giske for Medieoperatørene.
In this surreal horror, we meet ”V,” a 40-year-old pregnant artist in a cold Oslo apartment. After a bloody C-section, she realizes that giving birth also means giving birth to death. On the first night with her newborn, violent thoughts surface. As postnatal depression deepens, she transforms into a vampiric creature hunting down past abusers, using their blood as developer for her 16mm films. Suspended between dream and reality, ”V” levitates through early motherhood, spiraling like a whirlpool toward the point where the boundary between fearing her son’s death and harming him dissolves.
The Virtuous (Norway, Denmark) presented by director Ina Grevstad and producers Teodor Sven Bø, Øyvind Lierhagen Eriksen and Maria Ekerhovd for Mer Film.
1349, Norway. The Black Death is spreading. Sixteen-year-old Sylvei is accused of sinning and bringing the plague to the farm where she lives. Together with her mother, Dagny, she flees to a remote family farm ruled by Dagny’s fanatically religious uncle. When Sylvei begins a forbidden relationship with Halvor, a boy her own age, suspicion towards her intensifies. To survive, Sylvei must break free from a society that would rather kill young women than tolerate their desire.
Thibaut Bracq
Thibaut Bracq has worked as a film programmer for Nearly 20 years at festivals including Angers Premiers Plans, Poitiers Film Festival, Ulaanbaatar International Film Festival, and CinéBaltique, while also managing international industry workshops and co-production platforms. Since 2022, he has served as Programme Coordinator of La Fabrique Cinéma in Cannes and works as an independent industry advisor and script and development consultant for international workshops, film funds, and feature film projects.
Nordic Co-Production Market Awards
Storyline Production Award
Storyline Studios will generously present a prize of € 25 000 to be used for equipment rental and grading services.The prize goes to the most promising project at the Nordic Co-Production Market.
Best Pitch Award
Best Pitch Award includes an invitation to participate in the Producers Network during the Cannes Film Festival. The award is presented by the Producers Network at the Marché du Film.
MIDPOINT Talent Award
MIDPOINT Talent Award offers in-depth online script consultancy with one of the MIDPOINT Institute’s expert tutors.
This year’s jury:
Annick Mahnert is an internationally respected film producer, acquisitions consultant and leading voice in genre cinema. With a career spanning production, distribution, international sales and festival programming, she has Worked with Celluloid Dreams and produced acclaimed films including 78/52, Leap of Faith and The Long Walk. She is Director of Programming at Fantastic Fest and Executive Director of the Frontières Co-Production Market.
Sona Morgenthalová is Program Coordinator at MIDPOINT Institute, managing international training programmes for filmmakers. She initiated and leads the Focus Queer programme, supporting LGBTQ+ stories and strengthening diverse voices in cinema. She also oversees programme development, selection, and project evaluation, and serves as a reader and industry expert for the Czech Film Center, Kosovo Cinematography Center, Cannes’ Cinéma de Demain, Locarno Pro, or PITCH_IT.
Iris Cadoux is a Project Manager at Eurimages, the Council of Europe’s film fund and a major force in supporting European and international co-productions. She oversees a portfolio of around 80 feature and animation projects and leads Eurimages’ Film Marketing and Audience Development Support programme. Her portfolio includes acclaimed films by Joachim Trier, Cristian Mungiu, Lukas Dhont, and Ryūsuke Hamaguchi.
New Nordic Films
New Nordic films is a Nordic film and co-production market, taking place for the 32nd time from August 25th–28th. The market promotes Nordic cinema internationally and serves as a platform for encouraging co-production and co-financing with the Nordics. This will be the 21st edition of the Nordic Co-Production Market.
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