Haugesund’s New Nordic Films Unveils Program with Slew of New Talents, Kids & Youth Fare, Chillers and Dramas

variety.com:

Annika Pham More than 250 international guests, including 53 buyers from 18 countries, have signed up for the Norwegian International Film Festival’s three-day industry event New Nordic Films in Haugesund, which will fête its 30th anniversary and kickoff with Charlotte Sieling’s drama “Way Home.” Some of the strongest filmmakers from the region and beyond – including Erik Poppe, Dag Johan Haugerud, Selma Vilhunen, Zaida Bergroth, Rúnar Rúnarsson – will be screening or pitching their next projects, next to scores of rising talents. “Our DNA hasn’t changed,” said Line Halvorsen, who joined New Nordic Films four years ago and is serving as acting director, temporarily filling in for Gyda Velvin Myklebust. “Our core is to gather Nordic filmmakers and industryites interested in Nordic films, to serve as a launching pad for new talents, and to spotlight latest industry trends.

Together with our twin event in the Göteborg Nordic Film Market, we are here to support our Nordic industry, and the more attention Nordic pics can get, the better it is for everyone, especially in this tough marketplace,” stressed Halvorsen.

With buyers and financiers moving in early to snap the best talents and projects, New Nordic Films’ Nordic Co-Production Market, one of its three pillars with the Works in Progress and Market Screenings, has flourished in its 19 year-existence, and is now “the most popular” showcase, according to NNF honcho.

For the second running year, a record 80-plus projects applied, out of which 22 made the cut. “We could easily have staged two co-production markets, considering the quality of the submissions,” said Halvorsen.