Festivals

NOR26 Ådalen 31

Ådalen 31 stands as one of Bo Widerberg's most overtly political films, drawing on the true events of a 1931 labour strike to craft a story that resonates far beyond its historical moment. Set in the industrial heartland of northern Sweden, the film follows a peaceful workers' demonstration that spirals into tragedy, ultimately igniting a nationwide general strike. Against this turbulent backdrop, a young man named Kjell (Peter Schildt) navigates the defining trials of adolescence, sacrifice and sorrow, first love and bitter loss, all shaped by the shockwaves of collective violence. Reuniting with Elvira Madigan cinematographer Jörgen Persson, whose luminous widescreen photography bathes each frame in warmth and light, Widerberg weaves together a passionate chronicle of working-class resistance and a tender coming-of-age story producing a vision of the past that pulses with immediacy.

NOR26 A Light That Never Goes Out

Written and directed by Finnish screenwriter Lauri-Matti Parppei in his feature directorial debut, and loaded with deadpan humour, A Light That Never Goes Out is a charming and tender feel-good drama about the power of music and community. After a breakdown, 29-year-old classical flute player Pauli returns from Helsinki to his small Finnish hometown to recuperate at his parents' house. Unable to play his instrument, he struggles with feelings of failure. Then Pauli runs into Iiris, an old classmate who still lives in town and makes experimental music by herself. Iiris tries to persuade him that they should make music together, as she is convinced that by joining forces, they would be able to create something completely new and unique. Her chaotic energy fascinates Pauli, who has been striving for perfection and avoided mistakes all his life. Soon, little by little he starts finding new comfort and solace in their weird sonic experiments. But, as old pressures resurface, Pauli faces difficult choices about his future and the friendships that have given him new hope.

NOR26 Árru

From debut director Elle Sofe Sara, the powerful, music-filled new drama Árru follows a family of Sàmi reindeer herders whose fight to protect their Indigenous lands from a proposed copper mining project exposes long-buried family secrets. Single mother Maia (Sara Marielle Gaup Beaska), her daughter Áilin (Ayla Nutti) and her brother Dánel (Simon Issát Marainen) live and work the starkly beautiful lands of Sápmi, northern Scandinavia, but their community and way of life face existential threat from the encroaching mining project. As protests rise, Maia turns to her long-absent uncle, charismatic lawyer Lemme (Mikkel Gaup), for help. But his presence soon reopens old, deeply buried family wounds, forcing Maia into an impossible reckoning between kinship and conscience. Weaving together grounded drama with bursts of traditional song (joik) and movement, the singular Árru draws on Sámi cultural expression to explore a breathtakingly genuine connection to the environment. It is a fierce and cathartic tale about resilience, reclaiming one's voice and standing firm for the land that endures.

NOR26 Being Bo Widerberg

Directed by Jon Asp and Mattias Nohrborg, Being Bo Widerberg tells the story of the acclaimed and eccentric director Bo Widerberg, who, in the shadow of Ingmar Bergman, became Sweden’s most influential filmmaker. It chronicles Widerberg from his beginnings as an aspiring author and a harsh critic in working class Malmö during the progressive early 1960s, to his prime as a celebrated film auteur in Stockholm, leading to international adventures in Cannes and New York. With his early, self-inspired works The Baby Carriage (1963) and Raven’s End (1963), Widerberg established himself as a vital and pioneering force in Swedish cinema. Through clips of Widerberg’s films, archival and behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with collaborators and family, this fascinating documentary illustrates why he was revered as an artist, while also exploring the personal consequences of Widerberg's passionate pursuit of life and his career. A thought-provoking work that brings to life the complex memory of a remarkable filmmaker, highlighting significant moments of Swedish film history and shedding light on his incredible artistic legacy.

NOR26 Butterfly

Starring Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value, Fjord) and Helene Bjørneby (The Worst Person in the World), Butterfly is an intriguing and mystical drama with touches of comedy about the bonds of family and pull of the past, set in the striking Canary Islands, from writer/director Itonje Søimer Guttormsen in her second feature. Half-sisters Diana (Bjørneby) and Lily (Reinsve) grew up as the only resident children at an all-inclusive resort in the Gran Canaria, where their uninhibited mother, Vera, worked as a tour guide. Twenty-five years later, they are estranged, having both created distance from the island and from each other. Diana works as a kindergarten teacher in a small town in Norway, while Lily is a retired model and alternative artist in Hamburg’s art scene. Now they are forced to return to the island to deal with aftermath of their mother’s sudden death at an esoteric retreat in the mountains. The reunion sets them headfirst into a journey of revelations about their mother's life, their shared childhood and the hidden heart of the tourist island.

NOR26 Doctor Glas

A stylish psychological thriller from acclaimed director Erik Leijonborg (King & Conqueror), Doctor Glas explores desire, obsession, and moral decay through the eyes of Gabriel Glas, a young doctor whose fascination with fashion icon Helga Gregorius spirals into madness. The solitary, reclusive doctor Gabriel Glas despises society’s superficiality until fashion designer Helga enters his life. She is trapped in a destructive marriage to the acclaimed writer Patrik Gregorius, and Gabriel sees his chance to save her. Soon, they become caught in a web of lies, desire, and dangerous power dynamics. The deeper Gabriel is drawn into the relationship, the more moral boundaries blur, becoming a gripping exploration of love, guilt, and the monsters we create within ourselves. Starring Isac Calmroth, who also co-wrote the screenplay, Thea Sofie Loch Næss (La Palma, The Last Kingdom), and Christian Fandango (Stormskerry Maja), this modern reimagining of the 1905 Hjalmar Söderberg novel brings a bold and fresh new perspective to the Swedish classic.

NOR26 Elvira Madigan

Bo Widerberg achieved perhaps his most breathtaking feat of visual poetry with this luminous adaptation of a true nineteenth-century love story ending in ruin. Consumed by a passion neither can resist, a young circus aerialist (Pia Degermark, who took home the Best Actress prize at the 1967 Cannes Film Festival) and a married lieutenant (long time Widerberg collaborator Tommy Berggren) abandon their former lives for one another, fleeing to the countryside, only to watch their romantic dream slowly collapse into hardship and despair. Drenched in warm, painterly light and forever tied to Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21, this landmark of 1960s art cinema Elvira Madigan remains the purest distillation of Widerberg's abiding preoccupation: the cruel friction between personal freedom and the weight of social obligation.

NOR26 Fjord

Direct from the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Palme d'Or, Fjord is a spellbinding drama of building tension starring acclaimed actors Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value) and Sebastian Stan (A Different Man). The Gheorghius, a devout Christian Romanian Norwegian couple (played by Reinsve and Stan), move to a village set in a remote fjord. They quickly become close to their neighbours, the Halbergs, and their children soon bond despite their different education and upbringing. But, when adolescent Elia Gheorghiu shows up at school with some bruises on her body, the community asks itself if the traditional education that the Gheorghiu children receive from their parents might have anything to do with it. Written and directed by Cristian Mungiu in his seventh feature and his first film in a foreign language, and shot on the picturesque western coast of Norway, from Ålesund to Stranda, Fjord is a must-see, intricate drama that explores the differences in values of 'progressive’ and 'traditional' views, and the increasing polarisation of society.

NOR26 Home

A darkly funny, brutally honest, and unexpectedly tender romantic dramedy, Home tells a story about friendship, failure, and the messy, chaotic ways we try to love. When 39-year-old Anni (Hanne Skille Reitan) singlehandedly blows up her career during a live television broadcast, is fired and crash-lands back in her childhood bedroom at her mother’s house in Trøndelag, her life goes completely off the rails. As she navigates her career setback, romantic mishaps, and family expectations, nothing goes according to plan, but every misstep is a learning. Fueled by rage, moonshine, and no-filter antics, Anni dives into a chaotic summer of self-destruction. But as her hometown and its inhabitants creep under her skin, Anni must confront old flames, friends, and the ghosts of teenage disasters. In this summer of reckoning, Anni must finally face her memories and burnt bridges to have a chance at something real. Blending sharp humour with heartfelt moments, Home is a witty feel-good story of love, life, and human connection, directed by Julie Skaufel in her feature film directorial debut.

NOR26 Offroad

Directed and co-written by Danish filmmaker Rasmus Heide, Offroad is a fast-paced, entertaining comedy with a star-studded Danish ensemble. Set under the southern sun of the Canary Islands, three friends find themselves in over their heads in pursuit of freedom, dreams and a man named Francisco. Maggie’s (Sofie Jo Kaufmanas) life looks perfect; she has a career, a home and a boyfriend, but inside she is slowly being suffocated by expectations and the weight of her own ambitions. With her friends Eva (Julie Rudbæk) and Stine (Katinka Lærke Petersen), she sets out on a girls’ trip to Tenerife in search of freedom and dreams. But soon, one impulsive decision sends her and her two best friends on a reckless and chaotic journey across the island in a campervan. Leaving everyday life behind in search of something more, what begins as an escape from routine and a search for a man named Francisco, soon turns into a wild and fun journey toward freedom, emotional clarity and self-discovery.

NOR26 Persona

Marking the 60th anniversary, we present Ingmar Bergman's radical masterpiece on the big screen – where it demands to be seen. Even before the mid-1960s, Bergman had already given cinema some of its most haunting and enduring imagery. With the audacious Persona, however, he pushed his artistry into uncharted territory. Liv Ullmann, in the first of many iconic collaborations with Bergman, portrays a stage actress who has fallen into an unexplained silence, while Bibi Andersson is equally captivating as the talkative young nurse assigned to her care in a secluded island retreat. Thrown together in this isolation, the two women experience a strange, slow merging of their inner lives. Shot by Sven Nykvist in a striking interplay of sharp contrast and delicate light, and acted with extraordinary subtlety, Persona remains a hypnotic and deeply unsettling meditation on identity and the human psyche.

NOR26 Raven's End

A period film that trades nostalgia for an unflinching look at working-class hardship, Bo Widerberg's sophomore feature is set in 1936 in his native Malmö. In the impoverished neighbourhood of Raven's End, a young dreamer named Anders (played by Widerberg's frequent collaborator Tommy Berggren) pursues his ambitions as a writer while growing ever more suffocated by the crushing weight of a bleak world closing in around him, beneath poverty, family dysfunction, and the creeping shadow of war on the horizon. A shot of raw, kitchen-sink energy straight into the veins of Swedish cinema, Raven's End offers a merciless portrait of youthful hope colliding with the grinding weight of economic despair.

NOR26 Tell Everyone

A deeply affecting historical drama from Alli Haapasalo, Tell Everyone is a powerful story of integrity, resilience and resistance, set in late 19th century Southern Finland. In 1898, a young woman arrives to Seili sanatorium island, a common destination for troublesome women. The young, free-spirited Amanda Aaltonen (Marketta Tikkanen) has led an unconventional life and refuses to submit to the fate reserved for poor, low status women. With her freedom taken away, Amanda must adjust to a new life in confinement, but adamant to flee the island she begins to plan her escape. To succeed, she must connect with the other 'mad' women, and before she knows it, she begins forming close bonds. However, after numerous failed attempts to escape, Amanda eventually resigns herself to her fate, finding friendship, happiness, a likeminded community and even secretly falling in love with a local fisherman. But the divide between patients and local islanders remains impassable, and soon Amanda must face a decision between freedom, acceptance, escape and belonging.

NOR26 The Battle of Oslo

A box office hit in Norway, this gripping true story of courage under fire recounts the decisive actions of Colonel Birger Eriksen, whose fateful choice shaped Norway's destiny. 9 April 1940. Norway stands under siege as German warships steam toward Oslo. Colonel Birger Eriksen (Bjørn Sundquist), commander of the undermanned Oscarsborg Fortress, has no reinforcements, no clear orders, and time is slipping away. In a bold decision that alters history, he orders the launch of the first shots against the invasion, sinking the heavy cruiser Blücher in a stunning blow. In a symbol of defiance, they heroically stall the enemy advance and buy precious hours before a full-scale occupation can take hold. Yet victory comes at a steep cost. For ten gruelling hours, Eriksen and his brave garrison endure relentless German bombardment, trapped on their island stronghold. With shells raining down and the fortress crumbling amid the chaos of unyielding assault, Eriksen fights not only to protect his beleaguered nation but to safeguard the lives of his closest comrades and family.

NOR26 The Fires

Winner of six Icelandic Film Awards, a box office hit in Iceland, and adapted from the best-selling novel by Sigríður Hagalín Björnsdóttir, this breathtaking thriller directed and co-written by Ugla Hauksdóttir in her debut feature film follows a volcanologist facing two simultaneous disasters. Anna Arnardóttir (Vigdís Hrefna Pálsdóttir, King & Conqueror, Agnes Joy) is Iceland's top volcanologist, but her growing concerns about an impending volcanic eruption after recurring earthquakes are downplayed by her colleagues who wish to keep citizens and visitors calm and avoid sparking panic. Against the backdrop of a potential disaster, her life is upended by a secret romantic affair with the mysterious and attractive Danish photographer Thomas (Pilou Asbæk, Game of Thrones, Before It Ends), who reinvigorates her stagnant love life, but also has the power to destroy her marriage. As the tension escalates between Thomas and Anna, the volcanic activity also rises, until the safety of the capital city Reykjavík is threatened and in the dangerous moments before impending disaster, emotions begin to bubble over.

NOR26 The Guest

Trine Dyrholm (Second Victims, Beginnings) stars as an estranged mother determined to prove herself in this sharply observed drama about a family trying to hold it together when everything starts to fall apart. At a luxury seaside hotel, Karl (Simon Bennebjerg) and Emilie are preparing for their son’s naming celebration. The day before the party, Karl’s estranged mother Vibeke (Dyrholm) suddenly arrives unannounced. Hoping to rejoin the family and prove herself as a grandmother, she inserts herself into the intimate weekend gathering. While Karl is furious and wants her gone, his sister Rikke insists that there won't be any issues and Vibeke deserves a second chance. Over the weekend, tensions rise; old patterns resurface, and long-buried family dynamics play out in front of confused in-laws and curious guests. What begins as a celebration quietly unravels into a confrontation with the past, filled with unresolved conflicts and moments of surprising warmth. Told with humour and heart, Mads Mengel's feature film debut The Guest is an intimate story about family, forgiveness, and the roles we inherit from our parents.

NOR26 The Kidnapping of a President

From Samuli Valkama (The Man Who Died) and inspired by bizarre true events, The Kidnapping of a President is a blackly comedic drama about the fragility of democracy and the chaos of incompetence. Finland, 1930, in the aftermath of the civil war, far-right movements are gaining ground and political violence is commonplace. During a drunken hunting trip with the charismatic and dangerous General Kurt Matti Wallenius, the Lieutenant Colonel Eero Kuussaari (Jussi Vatanen, Fallen Leaves) impulsively orders the kidnapping of retired former president Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg (Pertti Sveholm, 100 Litres of Gold) to spark a revolution. The next morning, Kuussaari wakes up far from Helsinki with no memory of what he has done. Meanwhile, his order is being carried out by a group of young, eager yet inexperienced men who abduct Ståhlberg. But their plan immediately falters when Ester Ståhlberg forces her way into the car, refusing to let her husband go alone. With no leadership, no preparation, and growing panic, the kidnapping begins to unravel as Wallenius and his allies scramble to regain control.

NOR26 The Last Resort

Directed and co-written by Maria Sødahl (Hope), The Last Resort is an absorbing drama about a Danish family that must reassess their moral compass when faced with the harsh realities hidden in paradise. Mikkel (Espen Smed, A Fortunate Man) and Louise (Danica Ćurčić, Secrets We Keep, Unruly) go on a well-deserved all-inclusive holiday to the Canary Islands with their two daughters Sille and Ella. Their scenic surroundings are inviting for a week of carefree relaxation. But reality hits hard different when the family's holiday paradise is interrupted by boats of refugees sailing onto the beach. Suddenly events take a turn when the couple accidentally hit a stranger with their car. When he later shows up at their hotel and asks for help, they decide to assist him. But as they get involved, their well-intentioned humanistic values are put to the test. Soon they begin to fear for their safety and are forced to ask themselves: what does it really mean to be a good person and how much should they risk to help a person in need?

NOR26 The Last Viking

Written and directed by Anders Thomas Jensen (Riders of Justice) The Last Viking is a humorous, intriguing, and devious tale about identity starring Mads Mikkelsen (Another Round) and Nikolaj Lie Kaas (Department Q) alongside a stellar ensemble. Anker (Lie Kaas) is released from prison after a fifteen-years sentence for robbery and plans to go somewhere sunny on a never-ending holiday. He just needs the money from the heist, which was buried by his brother Manfred (Mikkelsen), near their mother’s home. Only Manfred knows where the money is, but unfortunately since Anker has been imprisoned, Manfred has developed an alter ego, none other than The Beatles frontman John Lennon, and has completely forgotten all about the money! With help from a psychologist, together the brothers embark on an unexpected journey to jog Manfred's memory, locate the heist money and discover who they really are. Reuniting writer-director Anders Thomas Jensen with Mads Mikkelsen and Nikolaj Lie Kaas in their sixth project together, The Last Viking is a dark, yet reflective comedy filled with unpredictable twists and turns.

NOR26 The Love That Remains

This brilliant new film from award-winning writer/director Hlynur Pálmason (Godland, A White, White Day), tenderly and amusingly captures a year in the life of a family of five, as the parents navigate their separation. Though they are splitting up, Anna and Magnus still spend time together for the sake of their three children, Ída and twins Þorgils and Grímur (played by the three real-life children of director Pálmason). Magnus works at sea, infrequently returning to land, where he asserts himself as the patriarch with limited efficacy. Anna is an artist whose vast works fail to receive suitable recognition. In their interactions, there is the familiarity of a long-held love and a glimmer of a chance of reconciliation. Pálmason's film conveys deep affection for its characters and the gorgeous Icelandic environment, delivering a soulful look at the importance of family and shared memories amidst the changing seasons. Special mention must also go to Pálmason's sheepdog, Panda, who stars in the film and was awarded winner of the prestigious Palme d’Og award at the Cannes Film Festival.

NOR26 The Pension Heist

Directed and co-written by Gunnbjörg Gunnarsdottir, The Pension Heist is a highly amusing action comedy about three unlikely women who, after being pushed to the margins of society, set out to pull off the seemingly impossible task of stealing from the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund. After 40 years as a loyal housewife, 65-year-old Annema (Hege Schøyen) discovers that her husband, Arne, has been unfaithful. Caught up in the aftermath of discovering his affair, she learns that he is also kicking her out. Desperate for money she teams up with her two equally broke friends, Nina (Anette Hoff, Pernille), who recently lost her job for being too old and Mona (Anne Marie Ottersen, Nothing to Laugh About), who needs money for a crucial operation. Together the three of them decide to take matters into their own hands and concoct an audacious plan to rob the Norwegian Oil Fund, the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund. Blending social commentary with action, suspense and entertaining comedy, this fun Robin Hood-esque tale will have you cheering for the underdogs in the robbery of the century!

NOR26 The Quiet Beekeeper

Winner of the Audience Award at the 2026 Göteborg Film Festival, The Quiet Beekeeper is a quiet and deeply affecting drama inspired by real-life events exploring love, nature, and the cycles of life. Set in the small, rustic town of Åmotfors in the Swedish region of Värmland, close to the Norwegian border, the film follows father Olof and daughter Lise who long for connection and carry shared grief in different ways. Like his forefathers, beekeeper Olof (a stellar Adam Lundgren) keeps bees and drives a snowplough in wintertime to keep the bills paid for his family, consisting of his mother, sister and his prickly teenage daughter Lise. With a delicate touch, the film deftly captures life in the countryside, portraying both the everyday and the existential, from the humming of beehives to a relationship on the verge of collapse. Directed and co-written by Marcus Carlsson, who co-wrote the script with star Adam Lundgren, and featuring an atmospheric score by Janne Schaffer, this is a sensitive story of loss, silence, longing for closeness, hope and facing our fears.

NOR26 Weightless

Winner of the New Directors Competition at the 2025 San Sebastián Film Festival and the FIPRESCI Prize at this year’s Göteborg Film Festival, Weightless is a poignant coming-of-age story from debut director Emilie Thalund. Fifteen-year-old Lea (Marie Helweg Augustsen in a breakout role) is spending her summer at a Danish health and wellness retreat nestled between the forest and the sea. Her new roommate, Sasha (Ella Paaske), is everything Lea wishes she could be: bold, magnetic, and unafraid to take up space in the world. While Sasha flirts with the local boys, Lea’s gaze is fixed on Rune (Joachim Fjelstrup, Boundless, Frankenstein), the camp’s charismatic instructor. When Rune reciprocates her attention, something awakens within Lea; an unfamiliar yet thrilling desire. Over one transformative summer, Lea's newfound desires set her on a challenging journey of self-discovery. A bold and intimate exploration of adolescent desire and identity, this tender drama from a fresh new voice in Danish cinema captures the delicate balance between longing, self-discovery, and the complexities of emerging sexuality.