Benjamin Ree, winner of the Storyline Production Award at the 2025 Nordic Co-Production Market

Source: Grethe Nygaard for The Norwegian International Film Festival

Benjamin Ree, winner of the Storyline Production Award at the 2025 Nordic Co-Production Market

New Nordic Films, the industry platform of the Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund, has selected 21 projects for its Nordic Co-Production Market and 15 titles for its Works in Progress strand.

Titles selected for the market include Vagina Dentata, the fiction feature debut of filmmaker Natasa Urban. The surreal horror follows a 40-year-old artist who gives birth via a bloody C-section, only to have violent thoughts on her first night with her newborn. Serbian filmmaker Urban won the main Dox:Award at CPH:DOX in 2022 with The Eclipse. Vagina Dentata is produced by Ingvil Giske, producer of The Remarkable Life Of Ibelin, for Norway’s Medieoperatorene.

Scroll down for the full list of projects

Also in the market is Martina Haag’s True Love (working title), a Sweden-Croatia co-production produced by Helen Ahlsson for SF Studios. The film follows a 55-year-old woman who is dumped overnight by her husband of 20 years; then wins €40m ($46.1m) and loses her trust in people.

Maria Ekerhovd, leading Norwegian producer of Sentimental Value, The Innocents and Flee, is participating in the market with Ina Grevstad’s religious-themed title The Virtuous, set in a 14th-century Norway in the grip of the Black Death plague.

The 21 market projects will pitch to co-producers, financiers, sales and distribution partners on August 26.

The Works in Progress selection includes The Closed Book, the latest feature from Danish filmmaker Charlotte Sieling, produced by Lars Bredo Rahbek and Mette Marie Munch-Petersen for SF Studios Production. Based on Jette A. Kaarsbol’s 2003 novel and set in 1880s Copenhagen, it follows a young woman who is engaged to a conservative priest, but whose life is upended when she meets a radical social agitator.

New Nordic Films will run from August 25-28.

The industry programme also features five seminars, including sessions on how international distributors publicise Nordic films in their respective markets; and on how to create a producers network.

There is a French Focus at this year’s festival and New Nordic Films, with four French projects in the Co-Production Market, and a 27-strong delegation of French directors, producers, distributors, sales agents and executives attending the event. The festival will play eight French features, including Jeanne Herry’s Cannes 2026 Competition title Another Day.

The Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund will run from August 22-28, opening with the world premiere of Beloved, the long-gestating collaboration between director Erik Poppe and Nobel Prize-winning writer Jon Fosse.

New Nordic Films

Nordic Co-Production Market

Acts Of Kindness (Nor) dir. Ellen Ugelstad; prods. Ellen Ugelstad, Jonas Bruun for Twentyone Pictures

All The Softness In The World (Fr) dir. Ayce Kartal, prod. Damien Megherbi for Les Valseurs

Anathema (Den-Nor-Ger) dirs. Ea Johanne Sandberg, Alpha Nord; prods. Anne Borggaard Sorensen, Janne Hjeltnes for Empathitude Pictures

Apoteos (Swe) dir. Christofer Nilsson; prod. Annegret Kunath for Rattunge Produktion

At The End Of The Road (Ice) dir. Hilmar Oddsson; prod. Hlin Johannsesdottir for Ursus Parvus

Bear Park (Fin-Nor-Den-Czech-Ire) dirs. Kaisa Penttila, Leena Jaaskelainen; prod. Terhi Vaananen for Pyjama Films

Big Deal (Nor-Fin-Est) dir. Hedda Mjoen; prod. Oda Kruse for Kruela Film

Bordeline (Fr-Sp) dir. Yves Piat, prod. Damien Megherbi for Les Valseurs

Boutes (Fr) dirs. Jeanne Geli, Lois Szymczak; prod. Marieke Tricoire for Womanray

Clusterfuck, working title (Fin) dir. Juho-Pekka Tanskanen; prod. Paria Eskandari, Juho-Pekka Tanskanen for Danish Bear Productions

Domesticated Animal (Nor) dir. Pal Jackman; prod. Julia Joner for Chezville

Elektra (Fin) dir. Elisa Kujala; prod. Nora Kuusisto for Dionysos Films

Grandmonster (Nor) dir. Vegard Dahle; prod. Jon Vatne for Syden Pictures

The Legendary Life And Legacy Of Miss Monty (Den) dir. Eirik Saeter Stordahl; prod. Matilda Appelin for New Day Productions

Mum Is In Puberty (Swe-Den-Neth-It) dir. Ami-Ro Skold; prods. Lovisa Charlier Ginday, Ami-Ro Skold for Onoma Productions

Patience (Nor) dir. Jorunn Myklebust Syversen; prod. Kari Moen Kristiansen for Paradox

Temporary Lives (Fr) dir. Wessam Hachicho; prod. Amelie Queret for Respiro Productions

The Touch Of Light (Fin) dir. AJ Annila; prods. Marko Antila, Mikko Tenhunen for Lucy Loves Drama

True Love working title (Swe-Cro) dir. Martina Haag; prod. Helen Ahlsson for SF Studios

Vagina Dentata (Nor-Rom) dir. Natasa Urban; prod. Ingvil Giske for Medieoperatorene

The Virtuous (Nor-Den) dir. Ina Grevstad; prods. Teodor Sven Bo, Oyvind Lierhagen Eriksen, Maria Ekerhovd for Mer Film

Works in Progress

A Minor Incident, dir. William Sehested Hoeg; prod. Sofie Bergstein for Miso Film

The Closed Book, dir. Charlotte Sieling; prods. Lars Bredo Rahbek, Mette Marie Munch-Petersen for SF Studios Production

The Excursion, dir. Fanny Ovesen; prods. Christian Fredrik Martin, Lotte Sandbu for Maipo Film

The Horsemen Of The Apocalypse, dir. Lene Berg; prod. Ellen Ugelstad for Twentyone Pictures

Joe’s Assignment, dir. Jens Lien; prod. Kristin Emblem for Einar Film

Just A Kid, dir. Vala Omarsdottir; prod. Hlin Johannesdottir for Ursus Parvus

Love And Other Disorders, dir. Daniel Sawka; prods. Emma Akesdotter Ronge, Ann Lundberg for Anagram

The Midnight Train Robbery, dir. Gunnbjorg Gunnarsdottir; prod. Ole Marius Elvestad for Pa Film

Millie And The Secret Of The Crocodile, dir. Esben Toft Jacobsen; prod. Petter Lindblad for Snowcloud Films

Momentum, dir. Jonas Risvig; prod. Jasmine Hermann Naghizadeh for Nimbus Films

Rawhood, dir. Christian E. Christiansen; prods. Louise Vesth, Ida Harder for Zentropa

Saviour, dir. Ludvig C. N. Poulsen; prod. Mette Mikkelsen for New Tales ApS.

Saajve, dir. Oskar Ostergren Njajta; prod. Therese Hogberg for Bautafilm AB

ViQueens, dir. Harald Zwart; prod. Veslemoy Ruud Zwart for Zwart Abeid

You Crazy Thing, dir. Miia Tervo; prod. Marko Talli for Yellow Film & TV