The nominees for the 2024 Nordic Council Film Prize were announced today at the opening of NEW NORDIC FILMS at the Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund. Since 2002, the Nordic Council Film Prize has been awarded to a full-length feature film that has roots in Nordic culture and displays high standards of artistic quality.
4 feature films and 2 documentaries from the Nordic countries: Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Iceland will compete for the DKK 300,000 prize. The winner of the ‘Nordlys’ statuette will be announced on October 22nd in a broadcast TV show by the Icelandic public service company RÚV.
The Nominees
DENMARK
The Son and the Moon by director & screenwriter Roja Pakari, director Emilie Adelina Monies, screenwriter Denniz Göl Bertelsen, and producer Sara Stockmann
Sonntag Pictures
Synopsis
The Son and the Moon consists of a courageous and honest six-year journey by a Danish-Iranian filmmaker, Roja Pakari, portraying her struggle with cancer, her love and her huge project mapping her family’s dramatic history. It is existential poetry with no filters, featuring an unforgettable woman on both sides of the camera.
FINLAND
Fallen Leaves by director, screenwriter & producer Aki Kaurismäki, and producers Misha Jaari and Mark Lwoff
Sputnik
Synopsis
Fallen Leaves tells the story of two lonely people (Alma Pöysti and Jussi Vatanen) who meet by chance in Helsinki one night and try to find the first, only, and ultimate love of their lives. Their path towards this honourable goal is clouded by the man’s alcoholism, lost phone numbers, and not knowing each other’s names or addresses, not to mention life’s general tendency to place obstacles in the way of those who seek happiness.
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GREENLAND
Twice Colonized by director & screenwriter Lin Alluna, screenwriter Aaju Peter, and producer Emile Hertling Péronard
Donald Michael Chambers
Synopsis
Renowned Inuit lawyer Aaju Peter has spent her life leading the fight for the rights of her people. Now, just as she is launching an initiative to establish an indigenous forum at the European Union, she also finds herself facing a difficult, personal journey to mend her own wounds after the unexpected passing of her son.
ICELAND
Touch by director, screenwriter & producer Baltasar Kormákur, screenwriter Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson, and producer Agnes Johansen
Breki Samper, RVK Studios
Synopsis
An ageing widower, Kristófer, finds himself at a crossroads at the outbreak of the pandemic. He shuts his restaurant in Iceland – not just because of the pandemic but also because he knows his health is declining. Urged by his doctor to attend to any unfinished business he might have, he spontaneously embarks on a journey to seek answers to a mystery that has haunted him for a long time.
NORWAY
Sex by director & screenwriter Dag Johan Haugerud, and producers Yngve Sæther and Hege Hauff Hvattum
Motlys
Synopsis
Sex follows two men in heterosexual marriages whose perceptions of sexuality, gender and identity are challenged by unexpected experiences.
One has a sexual encounter with another man without seeing it as a sign of homosexuality or infidelity. The other has dreams in which David Bowie sees him as a woman, stirring confusion and leading him to question how much our personalities are shaped by how others see us.
SWEDEN
Crossing by director & screenwriter Levan Akin, and producer Mathilde Dedye
Haydar Taştan
Synopsis
Lia, a retired teacher, made a promise to find out what happened to her long-lost niece, Tekla. When she learns from Achi, a neighbour, that the niece might be living in Turkey, the pair set off to find her. In Istanbul, they discover a beautiful city full of connections and possibilities, but tracing someone who has no intention of being found proves harder than they thought – until they meet Evrim, a trans-rights lawyer. As Lia and Achi weave their way through the city’s backstreets, they feel closer than ever to Tekla.
Clips from the nominated films for the Nordic Council Film Prize:
Watch the Nominated Films
The six nominated films will be screened at several film festivals and events across the Nordic region this autumn:
- The Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund, 20–22 August (filmfestivalen.no)
- Oslo Pix Film Festival, 29–31 August (oslopix.no)
- The Danish Film Prize Event in Copenhagen, 12–17 September
- Helsinki International Film Festival, 19–29 September (hiff.fi)
- The Icelandic Film Prize Event in Reykjavík, 9–14 October
- The Swedish Film Prize Event in Stockholm, 17–20 October
The Jury
The jury for the Nordic Council Film Prize 2024 includes Amalie Næsby Fick (Denmark), Anne Gjelsvik (Norway), Björn Þór Vilhjálmsson (Iceland), Caroline Cowan (Sweden), Emilio Sanhueza (Norway), Emma Gray Munthe (Sweden), Gunnar Bergdahl (Sweden), Guðrún Helga Jónasdóttir (Iceland), Heidi Hilarius-Kalkau Philipsen (Denmark), Inger Merete Hobbelstad (Norway), Jacob Ludvigsen (Denmark), Jóna Finnsdóttir (Iceland), Kaisu Isto (Finland), and Mikaela Westerlund (Finland).
About the Nordic Council Film Prize
The Nordic Council Film Prize is awarded to a Nordic-produced film of a high artistic quality. It must have had its cinema premiere between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024.
The Nordic Council Film Prize was presented for the first time in 2002 and is now awarded annually along with the prizes for literature, children and young people’s literature, music and the environment. Nordisk Film & TV Fond is responsible for the administration of the prize.
Source: Nordic Council of Ministers and Nordic Council on Nordic co-operation Photo credits: Spesified in image captions
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