For its 21st edition, the regional market New Nordic Films in Haugesund (August 18-21) has lined up 22 market screenings (including 16 world premieres), 11 works in progress and 24 projects to be pitched at the Co-production and Film Financing market.

The Nordic market opens on Wednesday August 18 with the screening of the Danish period drama The Gold Coast, but Norwegian films dominate the programme, with 20 new films and projects, against 8 for Denmark and Finland, 7 for Sweden and 6 for Iceland.

Among the most anticipated films having their world market premiere are Rúnar Rúnarsson’s Sparrows - pictured - just selected in competition at San Sebastian Film Festival- and Lisa Ashan’s White People. Gyda Velvin Myklebust, New Nordic Films (NNF) programme director says other new films to look out for are the Finnish comedy Distractions by Aleksi Salmenperä, the Danish film Parents starring Søren Malling and Bodil Jørgensen (picked up by TrustNordisk) and the Norwegian revenge thriller Good Sister sold by Beta Film.

High profile projects to be presented as Works in Progress include Hannes Holm’s A Man Called Ove, Pernilla August’s A Serious Game, Lisa Ohlin’s Walk With Me, Nils Gaup’s The Last King (all sold by TrustNordisk) and Primus Motor, the latest film by North director Rune Denstad Langlo, sold by Beta Cinema. Projects still available for world distribution include In Front of Others by Oskar Jónasson (Reykjavik Rotterdam) and for the first time at NNF a Greenlandic film, Anori by Pipalluk K. Jørgensen.

New projects by established names to be pitched at the Nordic Co-production and Film Financing Forum comprise Excuse All the Blood by Pål Sletaune, Mother’s Day by Mika Ronkainen, Handle with Care by Arild Andresen and Wolf Note by Duane Hopkins.
Seven genre films part of Nordisk Film & TV Fond’s Nordic Genre Boost scheme will also be pitched at the Co-production market (see separate story).

Two major seminars will be dedicated to genre films and the role of film festivals.

More than 300 delegates are expected in Haugesund, including 70 distributors from 30 countries and 22 sales agents.

Looking at the future, Mycklebust said she might open up New Nordic Films to TV dramas. “Our twin event Nordic Film Market in Gothenburg does a fantastic job with its TV Drama Vision industry platform, but we are considering adding TV dramas to our works in progress sessions as more TV buyers attend each year and producers now commonly work both in film and television.”

New Nordic Films is organised in conjunction with the Norwegian International Film Festival (August 15-21). For further details, check: www.filmfestivalen.no