From YOU CRAZY THING. Photo: Yellow Film & TV
New Nordic Films proudly presents our selection for this year’s Works in Progress. Here we will present 15 feature films currently in post-production. Selected scenes from each film, together with a short presentation by the director and/or producer, will give viewers an exclusive and unique preview of the upcoming films.
Bully, directed by William Sehested Høeg and produced by Sofie Bergstein for Miso Film.
Bully follows Stine (Emma Sehested Høeg), who has enrolled her son Otto in a new school in the hope of giving them both a fresh start. When Otto begins to struggle, Stine tries to rally the other parents and the school to protect him. But what begins as a shared effort to support the children gradually turns into a power struggle. As alliances are forged, battle lines are drawn, and the dynamics of the playground spill over into the adult world.
The Closed Book, directed by Charlotte Sieling and produced by Lars Bredo Rahbek and Mette Marie Munch-Petersen for SF Studios Production.
Copenhagen, 1880’s. Young Frederikke is engaged to a conservative priest, but her life takes an unexpected turn when she meets Frederik. A member of social agitator Georg Brandes' radical circle, Frederik offers her a marriage built on equality and freedom. Overwhelmed and head over heels in love, Frederikke accepts his proposal, not knowing that it will cost her more than she can imagine. The Closed Book is based on Jette A. Kaarsbøl's international bestseller from 2003. The novel won Denmark's most prestigious literary prize, the Golden Laurels, in 2004 and is today considered a modern classic.
The Excursion, directed by Fanny Ovesen and produced by Christian Fredrik Martin and Lotte Sandbu for Maipo Film.
When a school class goes on an educational trip to Auschwitz in Poland, the idea is for them to experience one of history's greatest tragedies firsthand. But for the students this is first and foremost an opportunity to get away from nagging parents and boring responsibilities, buy cheap booze and finally get laid. Their expectations come crashing down when they are faced with reality, discovering humanity in ways their teacher never expected.
The Horsemen of the Apocalypse, directed by Lene Berg and produced by Ellen Ugelstad for Twentyone Pictures.
Visited by her father’s ghost, filmmaker Lene Berg slowly unravels the mystery surrounding childhood memories and a seemingly inescapable fact: In 1975 her father, the famed Norwegian film director Arnljot Berg, was arrested and accused of murder after he was found with his dead wife (Lene’s stepmother) in a little car in Paris.
Joe’s Assignment, directed by Jens Lien and produced by Kristin Emblem for Einar Film.
In an imaginary near-future Oslo, robots and AI are replacing humans everywhere. Joe, charming, cheerful, a good guy, loves his job as an ambulance driver, but today he is being replaced by a robot. Adrift in a world that no longer needs his skills, he turns to the A-Office, Norway's largest employer and the only place AI hasn't reached, where it's been decided that everyone will be given an assignment. The only problem is the consultant can't find his. Joe now searches for the assignment himself — fighting time, the system, and holding on to his girlfriend.
Just a Kid, directed by Vala Ómarsdóttir and produced by Hlín Jóhannesdóttir for Ursus Parvus.
After moving from Norway to Iceland, 16-year-old Júlía is caught between raising her younger sister and longing for a life of her own. Joining the school newspaper draws her into the orbit of its charismatic editor, Salka, and a close-knit community where she discovers friendship, belonging and the freedom to imagine a different version of herself. But as she struggles to keep a painful secret, she discovers who she could become, and she is forced to choose between familiar responsibility and the freedom to be herself.
Love and Other Disorders, directed by Daniel Sawka and produced by Emma Åkesdotter Ronge and Ann Lundberg for Anagram.
A romantic dramedy about a young couple on the autism spectrum who tries to answer life’s most difficult question: What the hell do you do when you fall in love?
The Midnight Train Robbery, directed by Gunnbjörg Gunnarsdóttir and produced by Ole Marius Elvestad for På Film.
A group of students decide to embark on the train robbery of a century, targeting the night train between Oslo and Bergen. The famous painting Bridal Procession on the Hardanger Fjord is being transported to an art exhibition at the remote mountain village of Finse, and the students have to cross the Hardanger mountain plateau on skis to rob the national treasure from the train. Despite their differences, the group set off on a heist that is bound to become both spectacular and highly chaotic, as it turns out that one of them has hidden motives.
Millie and the Secret of the Crocodile, directed by Esben Toft Jacobsen and produced by Petter Lindblad for Snowcloud Films.
The mouse Millie is afraid of everything. She has grown up in a loving family of hedgehogs, and when her best friend, Morten, falls into the river, she has to overcome her fears to save him. Along the way, she meets a frog named Archimedes, who helps her until she realizes that he wants to become part of the Crocodile Army. The adventure leads to Crocodile Island, where she discovers that the crocodile’s secret is her fear of being alone. Millie helps the crocodile confront her fears, frees all the imprisoned animals, and, in the end, everyone finds peace living together by the lake.
Momentum, directed by Jonas Risvig and produced by Jasmine Hermann Naghizadeh for Nimbus Film.
Oliver Falk is one of Denmark’s greatest hockey talents, raised on the ice under the shadow of his father, former star player and now coach, Lasse Falk. Wearing his father's name on his back, Oliver carries both a legacy and a dream: to succeed in hockey and make his father proud. But after sustaining an injury, his life on and off the ice begins to fall apart. Opioids become a shortcut — a way to keep up with hockey and to numb the pain. Momentum is a touching father-son story, set in an arena of adrenaline-fueled tackles and close-knit communities.
Rawhood, directed by Christian E. Christiansen and produced by Louise Vesth and Ida Harder for Zentropa.
When Christina returns as a teacher to the school where she herself was once a student, she carries a past she thought she had left behind. In the classroom, the troubled 16-year-old Mathilde is waiting — a girl who has lived in a residential care home since her mother’s death. Their confrontation sets off a power struggle that quickly grows beyond the walls of the classroom. Harassment, secrets, and lies pull them both toward a darkness neither of them can control.
Saviour, directed by Ludvig C. N. Poulsen and produced by Mette Mikkelsen for New Tales ApS.
Alfred is a young man who lives on the edge, both financially and morally, as a self-taught freelance journalist with a knack for writing about other people’s misfortunes. When he inherits his late father’s dilapidated house in the countryside, he meets Frederik, a young man caught between his faith and his sexuality. Through Frederik, Alfred gains access to a deeply religious community, where he soon senses a compelling story about the use of conversion therapy. What begins as a calculated infiltration gradually develops into a relationship he can no longer fully control.
Saajve, directed by Oskar Östergren Njajta and produced by Therese Högberg for Bautafilm AB.
Saajve is an animated family adventure inspired by Sami folktales, creatures and magical realms. The young siblings Bräjta and Aanta are tasked with returning a sacred figure to the magical parallel world of Saajve. This is to stop the evil giant Staaloe from destroying all the world's knowledge.
ViQueens, directed by Harald Zwart and produced by Veslemøy Ruud Zwart for Zwart Arbeid.
From the Viking realm of Lofotr, Ingrid, the king's daughter, and her fearless friend Hedvig set out on an adventurous journey to return a young stowaway home, across icy fjords and along the Silk Road to China. Along the way, they discover a bigger world — and an unsettling truth: the heroes they grew up admiring are feared as raiders abroad. Determined to shape a different future, they return home with new insight and gifts more valuable than anything taken by force. With Chinese battle techniques, they outsmart Uncle Lars' plan to seize the throne — and change what it means to be a Viking.
You Crazy Thing, directed by Miia Tervo and produced by Marko Talli for Yellow Film & TV.
Aino (38), a broke-ass mental health nurse who hates the rich, prepares a performance with her patients for TV’s Talent competition. But when she falls in love with one of the patients, wealthy investment consultant Mikael (38), Aino has to learn that in order to be loved you have to dare to reveal yourself with all your craziness.
The Works in Progress session will be held at Edda Cinema on August 27th at 09:00. The session is moderated by Marta Balaga.
Marta Balaga is a film journalist and moderator, writing regularly for Variety, Cineuropa, and Episodi. She has collaborated with various film festivals and is a member of FIPRESCI and the European Film Academy. She has served on many juries, including Venice International Film Critics’ Week at the Venice Film Festival.
about us
get in touch
