Nordic Film Talks

As the Annecy International Animation Film Festival kicks off, Nordic Film Talks sits down with internationally acclaimed filmmaker Linda Hambäck and producer Tonje Skar Reiersen to discuss the future of animation in the age of AI.Will artificial intelligence reshape the industry? Hambäck and Reiersen explore the opportunities and ethical challenges of new technology, while arguing that human creativity, handcrafted filmmaking, and bold, playful storytelling will remain animation's greatest strengths.The pair also discuss Hambäck's new feature Dante, trends in Nordic animation, Annecy's importance to the industry, and why Nordic stories continue to resonate with audiences around the world.Host: Wendy Mitchell, filmwendy.comPresenting partner: Nordisk Film & TV Fond, https://nordiskfilmogtvfond.com/Audio producer: Karoline BalstrømLogo designed by: Tine SeerupMusic artist: Bail Bonds Title: Swimming Lessons

In this special Cannes 2025 episode of Nordic Film Talks, we delve into two Cannes world premieres with the writer/director and lead actor of Eagles of the Republic and one of the lead actors of The Love That Remains.Swedish writer/director Tarik Saleh says his new film Eagles of the Republic is not a political satire. “I love satire, but this is absolutely not satire. It is a very serious film, but there is an absurdity underneath,” he says in the latest episode of the Nordic Film Talks podcast, recorded at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where the film has its world premiere in Competition.The story follows George Fahmy (played by Fares Fares), an actor who is recruited by the Egyptian political regime to star in a propaganda film.Host: Wendy Mitchell, filmwendy.comPresenting partner: Nordisk Film & TV Fond, https://nordiskfilmogtvfond.com/Audio producer: Karoline BalstrømLogo designed by: Tine SeerupMusic artist: Bail Bonds Title: Swimming Lessons

After his acclaimed 2018 film Woman at War, Benedikt Erlingsson thought he was done with stories about headstrong women bending the rules for a greater cause. But then The Danish Woman emerged.“I knew I couldn’t make another film with the same concept, so a TV series was the perfect way to explore it further. If Woman at War had a ‘white witch,’ The Danish Woman is the ‘black witch,’” he says in this episode of Nordic Film Talks.The series, premiering at Series Mania, follows a former Danish intelligence agent (Trine Dyrholm) who starts a new life in Reykjavik. She tries to help her neighbors but falls back on her old, often violent, methods. Erlingsson always envisioned Dyrholm in the role: “She can be a dragon and still sympathetic. That’s a dangerous magic only great actors have.” The six-episode series premieres in 2026. While the chaotic creative process was rewarding, Erlingsson now looks forward to returning to a simpler arthouse film.Host: Wendy Mitchell, filmwendy.comPresenting partner: Nordisk Film & TV Fond, https://nordiskfilmogtvfond.com/Audio producer: Karoline BalstrømLogo designed by: Tine SeerupMusic artist: Bail Bonds Title: Swimming Lessons

Forget Disney princesses—Emilie Blichfeldt’s The Ugly Stepsister reimagines Cinderella with a feminist twist and moments of body horror. In this episode, Blichfeldt discusses her feature debut, exploring themes of beauty standards and bodily perfection.Producer Maria Ekerhovd shares insights into the film’s ambitious €5.5m production and its journey to Sundance and Berlinale.Tune in for behind-the-scenes stories, from 19th-century medical research to rethinking fairy tale archetypes, and discover how The Ugly Stepsister brings a bold new perspective to the genre.Nordic Film Talks is a podcast offering in-depth interviews with filmmakers and othercreatives from the Nordic countries, offering insight into their latest films or TV series.The series is hosted by Nordic film expert Wendy Mitchell, a journalist and film festivalconsultant, and presented by the Nordisk Film & TV Fond.Host: Wendy Mitchell, filmwendy.comPresenting partner: Nordisk Film & TV Fond, https://nordiskfilmogtvfond.com/Audio producer: Karoline BalstrømLogo designed by: Tine SeerupMusic artist: Bail Bonds Title: Swimming Lessons

The head of the International Sami Film Institute talks about boosting indigenous filmmaking through smart collaborations with the Netflix, Disney, NRK, Telefilm Canada and more — and she reveals what’s next for Sami filmmakers.Anne Lajla Utsi is the head of the International Sámi Film Institute (ISFI), which she co-founded in 2009 and has now grown to include partnerships with Netflix and major public broadcasters like NRK, SVT and YLE; creating collaborations with Telefilm Canada and other partners on the Arctic Indigenous Film Fund, and getting Sami films screened in major festivals like Venice and Toronto as well as at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles.Nordic Film Talks is a podcast offering in-depth interviews with filmmakers and othercreatives from the Nordic countries, offering insight into their latest films or TV series.The series is hosted by Nordic film expert Wendy Mitchell, a journalist and film festivalconsultant, and presented by the Nordisk Film & TV Fond.Host: Wendy Mitchell, filmwendy.comPresenting partner: Nordisk Film & TV Fond, https://nordiskfilmogtvfond.com/Audio producer: Karoline BalstrømLogo designed by: Tine SeerupMusic artist: Bail Bonds Title: Swimming Lessons

In this episode of the Nordic Film Talks podcast, veteran Danish writer and director reveals that he had wanted to create a TV series ever since his 1998 feature Festen, the Dogme film that became his breakout international success. Thomas Vinterbergs Families Like Ours is set in a scarily realistic near-future, and follows one family – teenage daughter Laura, her now-single mom, her dad and his new wife and baby and Laura’s first boyfriend Elias, as they have to choose alliances when the entire nation of Denmark is completely evacuated because of rising water levels. The cast features Amaryllis August, Albert Rudbeck Lindhardt, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Paprika Steen and David Dencik. The series is off to a strong international start after a Venice world premiere.Nordic Film Talks is a podcast offering in-depth interviews with filmmakers and othercreatives from the Nordic countries, offering insight into their latest films or TV series.The series is hosted by Nordic film expert Wendy Mitchell, a journalist and film festivalconsultant, and presented by the Nordisk Film & TV Fond.Host: Wendy Mitchell, filmwendy.comPresenting partner: Nordisk Film & TV Fond, https://nordiskfilmogtvfond.com/Audio producer: Karoline BalstrømLogo designed by: Tine SeerupMusic artist: Bail Bonds Title: Swimming Lessons

Norwegian filmmaker Dag Johan Haugerud discusses his ambitious trilogy Sex Dreams Love: “Three films are not enough to talk about sex.”The trilogy, which explores themes of sexuality, relationships, intimacy, and queerness, took about 10 months to shoot.Sex follows two heterosexual men whose views on sexuality and identity are challenged.Love centers on a woman in her 40s exploring casual sex, inspired by Olivia Laing’s The Lonely City.While Dreams depicts a teenage girl’s first exploration of her sexuality.Each film in the trilogy stands alone but is also connected. Haugerud explains his process of working closely with actors and notes the challenges of filming on location in Oslo.Nordic Film Talks is a podcast offering in-depth interviews with filmmakers and othercreatives from the Nordic countries, offering insight into their latest films or TV series.The series is hosted by Nordic film expert Wendy Mitchell, a journalist and film festivalconsultant, and presented by the Nordisk Film & TV Fond.Host: Wendy Mitchell, filmwendy.comPresenting partner: Nordisk Film & TV Fond, https://nordiskfilmogtvfond.com/Audio producer: Karoline BalstrømLogo designed by: Tine SeerupMusic artist: Bail Bonds Title: Swimming Lessons

This episode features Swedish-born, Poland-based writer/director Magnus von Horn,talking about his third feature film, The Girl With The Needle, premiering at CannesCompetition 2024.Magnus talks about the decision to shoot in black-and-white, why heavoided a typical criminal biopic, and casting Vic Carmen Sonne and Trine Dyrholm inkey roles.Nordic Film Talks is a podcast offering in-depth interviews with filmmakers and othercreatives from the Nordic countries, offering insight into their latest films or TV series.The series is hosted by Nordic film expert Wendy Mitchell, a journalist and film festivalconsultant, and presented by the Nordisk Film & TV Fond.Host: Wendy Mitchell, filmwendy.comPresenting partner: Nordisk Film & TV Fond, https://nordiskfilmogtvfond.com/Audio producer: Karoline BalstrømLogo designed by: Tine SeerupMusic artist: Bail Bonds Title: Swimming Lessons