Scandinavia House

SNIPPED | NORDIC & BALTIC OSCAR CONTENDERS
2025-12-04 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
On December 4, Scandinavia House presents a special screening and film talk of a Danish qualifier for Best Live-Action Short Film at the 98th Academy Awards: the sharp comedy Snipped, followed by a Q&A with director Alexander Saul and producer Rebecca Pruzan.
Snipped
Dir. Alexander Saul | Denmark, 2025 | 16 min
In Danish with English subtitles
“A darkly hilarious masterstroke with Oscar-Worthy comic timing”– A Jewish convert. A Muslim doctor. One holy snip and a whole lot of tension.
Hailed as “an absurdly poignant contender in the Oscar short film race,” the short follows Adam (Louis Bodnia Andersen)’s experience as a Jewish convert undergoing a ritual circumcision at a Muslim clinic in Copenhagen. Snipped explores the universal experience of coexistence through humor and shared rituals, with director Alexander Saul’s personal story and a unifying Muslim-Jewish score softening heavy themes into moments of laughter and trust.
Snipped‘s narrative unfolds in a cramped Danish clinic where a simple religious ceremony turns into an existential standoff. What begins as a sacred rite of passage quickly unravels into a study in discomfort, not just physical, but cultural, spiritual, and profoundly human. With a talented team including Oscar-nominated producer Rebecca Pruzan and Oscar-winning producer Kim Magnusson, the film already made a splash at this year’s HollyShorts Film Festival. Based on Saul’s own experience as a Jewish convert undergoing a ritual circumcision at a Muslim clinic, the film deftly navigates a minefield of cultural tension and bodily vulnerability, without ever losing its sense of humor.
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MR. NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN + WINTER IN MARCH | NORDIC & BALTIC OSCAR CONTENDERS
2025-12-04 19:00 - 21:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
On December 4th, Scandinavia House presents a special double screening featuring two eligible films for the 98th Academy Awards: the poignant first-hand documentary Mr. Nobody Against Putin, Denmark’s official entry for Best International Feature Film, and the Oscar-eligible animated short Winter in March (Estonia).
Mr. Nobody Against Putin
Dir. Pavel Talankin & David Borenstein | Denmark & Czech Republic, 2025 | 90 min
In Russian with English subtitles
“A must-watch, indelible document of ideological warfare”—Pasha Talankin is an unlikely hero: a beloved Russian primary school teacher, known as a mentor and prankster who offers students a safe haven in his office. After Russia invades Ukraine, Pasha’s role in the school changes dramatically as he is reluctantly drawn into Putin’s propaganda machine. Forced to promote state-sanctioned messages and horrified by the militarization of his school and community, he wrestles with guilt and a sense of powerlessness, leading him to become an international whistleblower.
As the school’s videographer, Pasha documents intimate and revealing footage of Putin’s
regime, capturing the rise of militarized children’s groups, repressive laws, fervent
nationalism, and the recruitment of graduating students to fight in the war. When he learns
his own life may be at risk, Pasha is forced to plan a dangerous escape from Russia.
The winner of the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award at Sundance, this uniquely collaborative film is as captivating and joyful as it is eye-opening and sobering. Mr. Nobody Against Putin showcases rare footage that reveals the profound impact of Putin’s regime on the lives of everyday Russians, particularly its children.
Lumi saadab meid / Winter in March
Dir. Natalia Mirzoyan | Estonia/Armenia/France, 2024 | 16 min
In Estonian with English subtitles

Helpless in the face of a repressive state, a young couple leaves their home – an escape that turns into a surreal nightmare. Praised as “an authentic story of inner conflict that comes from facing your country falling into the moral abyss,” this tenderly animated production premiered at Cannes. Winter in March has since received critical acclaim, winning the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Short Film at the Sarajevo Film Festival.

Snipped
Dir. Alexander Saul | Denmark, 2025 | 16 min
In Danish with English subtitles
A Jewish convert. A Muslim doctor. One holy snip and a whole lot of tension. Snipped explores the universal experience of coexistence through humor and shared rituals, with director Alexander Saul’s personal story and a unifying Muslim-Jewish score softening heavy themes into moments of laughter and trust.
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SOLD OUT — HOLIDAY FAMILY CRAFTS: A SILVER ANNIVERSARY WORKSHOP
2025-12-07 15:00 - 16:30 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
*This event is now sold out.*
Join us for a Silver Anniversary holiday crafts workshop on December 7! Children and their parents/caretakers can experience how Scandinavians prepare for the season with a holiday craft day. They’ll discover the secrets of making crafts like simple Scandinavian heart baskets, votive luminaries, and more, and enjoy a brief, candlelit, Saint Lucia procession.

This workshop is intended for children ages 1-8; reservations are strongly encouraged. All attendees must be ticketholders (both adults and children).

Photo by Tadeusz Zachwieja for Unsplash.com

SOLD OUT: HOLIDAY CONCERT
2025-12-07 17:00 - 18:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
*Please note that the December 7 concert is now sold out. There are limited seats remaining for the concert on December 14.*
This December, Scandinavia House presents a festive in-person concert featuring Scandinavian and American holiday favorites as well as a traditional Saint Lucia procession, replete with traditional gowns and glowing candles! Due to popular demand, this year will feature two performances on Sundays December 7 & 14.
Learn about the history of Lucia, one of the most popular holidays in Sweden, while enjoying music from members of the Swedish community in New York, led by Ingrid Kullberg-Bendz. Tickets to this event must be purchased in advance online.
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NORDIC BOOK CLUB ONLINE | LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR
2025-12-09 18:00 - 19:00 | NY
Read and discuss literature with our Nordic Book Club Online! Nordic Book Club meets monthly via Zoom to discuss contemporary literature in translation. On December 9, we’ll be discussing Lowest Common Denominator by Finnish author Pirkko Saisio, translated from the Finnish by Mia Spangenberg.

For readers of Eileen Myles and Patti Smith, Lowest Common Denominator is an ecstatic coming-of-age novel by the Finlandia-prize-winning author of The Red Book of Farewells

Writing in the wake of her father’s death, the narrator of Pirkko Saisio’s autofictional novel transports us to the 1950s Finland of her youth, where she navigates life as an only child of communist parents. Convinced she will grow up to become a man, a young Saisio keeps trying and failing to meet the expectations of the adults around her. Writing with her trademark wit and style, each formative experience—with the Big Bad Wolf, a bikini-clad circus announcer, and Jesus Christ “who has a beard like a man but a skirt and long hair like a woman”—drives her further and further from her family and others. Struggling to understand her place in the world around her, it’s in language that she discovers a refuge and a way to be seen at last.
Lowest Common Denominator is available in hardback and ebook from Bookshop.org and Amazon, and in hardback from the Center for the Art of Translation.

“Saisio beautifully captures the wonder and horror that can coexist in a child’s imagination”—Publishers Weekly
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GALLERY TOURS | A TIME FOR EVERYTHING
2025-12-10 17:30 - 18:00, 2025-12-17 17:30 - 18:00, 2026-01-07 17:30 - 18:00, 2026-01-14 17:30 - 18:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
On view from October 18, 2025 to February 14, 2026 at Scandinavia House, A Time for Everything, a group exhibition of internationally acclaimed Nordic artists — all of whom have presented work in the Scandinavia House Galleries over the past 25 years — will underscore the vision of the Scandinavia House Galleries as a steward for new and established Nordic voices in the contemporary artistic landscape, and for promoting the exchange of ideas and culture between the United States and Nordic region.
In this guided tour by Eve O’Shea, ASF’s Exhibitions and Cultural Programs Assistant and assistant curator of the exhibition, learn about the artists in this exhibition and their works.
These free, 35-minute public tours meet in the Gallery elevator lobby. Gallery tours are subject to change; please check with the Scandinavia House front desk or email info@amscan.org.
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VIKTOR | NORDIC & BALTIC OSCAR CONTENDERS
2025-12-10 19:00 - 21:30 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
On December 10, Scandinavia House presents a special screening and film talk of Denmark’s official entry for Best Documentary Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards: the bold war documentary Viktor, followed by a Q&A with director Olivier Sarbil.
Viktor
Dir. Olivier Sarbil | Denmark/Ukraine/France/United States of America, 2024
Fusing rigorous reportage with innovative cinematic subjectivity, this bold documentary from veteran war photographer Olivier Sarbil is a uniquely intimate portrait of a Deaf person’s experience of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Photographer and samurai aficionado Viktor lives with his mother in Kharkiv, Ukraine, just 20 miles from the Russian border, when the invasion begins. As a Deaf man denied the opportunity to fight, his military ambitions shift from combat to documenting the war. With striking black-and-white cinematography and distinctive sound design, the film immerses the viewer in Viktor’s powerful journey through air raids, evacuations, and the eerie silences in between.
One of the rare documentaries to premiere in the prestigious Platform programme at TIFF, Viktor beautifully weaves black and white imagery with sound design that reflects Viktor’s own experience of the world. Acclaimed filmmaker and veteran war cinematographer Olivier Sarbil (Mosul, On The President’s Orders) brought his unique experience with conflict and single-sided deafness to his relationship with Viktor, creating a close collaboration that is
reflected in the personal, intimate story that unfolds on screen. Through his lens, the audience witnesses a raw and intimate engagement with a war-torn world, amplifying both the personal and universal impact of conflict.
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HOLIDAY JULBORD 2025 AT BJÖRK
2025-12-13 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-12-13 16:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-13 19:00 - 20:00, 2025-12-14 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-12-14 15:00 - 16:00, 2025-12-14 18:00 - 19:00 | Björk Cafe & Bistro at Scandinavia House, 58 Park Ave, New York, NY, 10016, United States
Join us at Scandinavia House on December 13 & 14 for a Holiday Julbord (Christmas Table) presented by Björk Cafe & Bistro! A traditional Christmas in Scandinavia is not complete without the traditional julbord, a holiday variation of the quintessential Smörgåsbord buffet-style meal in the Scandinavian countries that includes multiple staples of Swedish cuisine served on the table. The actual Christmas season in Sweden usually begins with the St. Lucia ceremony, around the 13th of December, and leads all the way to Christmas day.
ASF Members received their discount code by email; please check your email for instructions on booking with the discount or contact mem@amscan.org.*
The Björk Julbord will feature a long buffet table overloaded with the Scandinavian classics such as herring, gravlax, meatballs, Jansson’s temptations and more; each lunch and dinner seating will be accompanied by a traditional St. Lucia performance. One cup of glögg is included and will be served upon arrival, with additional non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks available for purchase. Beverages can be pre-ordered at checkout for a 25-percent discount.
All seatings on December 13, as well as the lunch seating on December 14, are accompanied by Lucia performances with members of the Swedish community in New York. Dinner seatings on December 14 will be coordinated alongside our Annual Holiday Concert at 5 PM. Learn more about the Holiday Concert and purchase tickets here.
There will also be a prix-fixe menu alongside an earlier Holiday Concert on December 7.
Space is limited, so purchase tickets to reserve your table right away!
RESERVATIONS
Seating times:
Saturday, December 13
Lunch Seating: 1 PM, $135 ($114.75 ASF Members)
Early Dinner Seating: 4 PM, $135 ($114.75 ASF Members)
Dinner Seating: 7 PM, $135 ($114.75 ASF Members)
Sunday, December 14
Lunch Seating: 12 PM, $135 ($114.75 ASF Members)
Early Dinner Seating: 3 PM, $99 ($84.15 ASF Members), no Lucia performance
Dinner Seating: 6 PM, $99 ($84.15 ASF Members), no Lucia performance
Youth & Children Pricing
Teens (ages 10–16): $50 ($42.50 ASF Members)
Children (up to age 10): $25 ($21.25 ASF Members)
For more information on pricing and to purchase tickets, click here.

SOLD OUT: HOLIDAY CONCERT
2025-12-14 17:00 - 18:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
*This event is now sold out.*
This December, Scandinavia House presents a festive in-person concert featuring Scandinavian and American holiday favorites as well as a traditional Saint Lucia procession, replete with traditional gowns and glowing candles! Due to popular demand, this year will feature two performances on Sundays December 7 & 14.
Learn about the history of Lucia, one of the most popular holidays in Sweden, while enjoying music from members of the Swedish community in New York, led by Ingrid Kullberg-Bendz. Tickets to this event must be purchased in advance online.

CHILDREN'S CENTER HOLIDAY CLOSURE
2025-12-24 08:00 - 21:00, 2025-12-26 08:00 - 21:00, 2025-12-27 08:00 - 17:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
The Children’s Center at Scandinavia House will be closed for the holidays from Wednesday, December 24 through Saturday, December 27, 2025.
See you after the holidays!

HOLIDAY CLOSURE
2025-12-25 08:00 - 21:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
Scandinavia House will be closed on Thursday, December 25 for Christmas Day. This includes Björk Café and Bistro, the Shop at Scandinavia House, the Galleries, Children’s Center and Offices at Scandinavia House.
The restaurant, shop, and the Galleries will reopen with normal hours on Friday, December 26. The Children’s Center will also be closed on Friday, December 26, and will reopen with normal hours on Saturday, December 27.
See you after the holiday!

WEATHER CLOSURE
2025-12-27 08:00 - 21:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
Scandinavia House will be closed on Saturday, December 27 due to inclement weather. This includes Björk Café and Bistro, the Shop at Scandinavia House, the Galleries, Children’s Center and Offices at Scandinavia House.
The restaurant and shop will reopen with normal hours on Sunday, December 28. The Children’s Center will reopen with normal hours on Tuesday, December 30.
See you after the storm!

CHILDREN'S CENTER HOLIDAY CLOSURE
2025-12-31 08:00 - 21:00, 2026-01-02 08:00 - 21:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
The Children’s Center at Scandinavia House will be closed from Wednesday, December 31 through Friday, January 2 for the holiday. We will reopen with normal hours on Saturday, January 3.
Happy New Year!

HOLIDAY CLOSURE
2026-01-01 08:00 - 21:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
Scandinavia House will be closed on Thursday, January 1 for New Year’s Day. This includes Björk Café and Bistro, the Children’s Center, the Shop at Scandinavia House, and Offices at Scandinavia House. We will reopen with normal hours for all spaces, including the Children’s Center and Galleries, on Friday, January 2.
Happy New Year!

KON TIKI
2026-01-07 19:00 - 21:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
“Seaworthy, and then some” —on January 7, see Kon Tiki and help bring our Silver Anniversary Rescreens into 2026! Directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, this epic adventure film dramatizes Norwegian anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl’s real-life 1947 expedition across the Pacific on a balsawood raft.
Norway’s most expensive production to date, Kon Tiki (Norway, 2013) was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 85th Academy Awards, and was screened here at Scandinavia House as a part of our Nordic Oscar Contenders in 2013. Now, for our 25th anniversary, we return to Heyerdahl’s (Pål Sverre Hagen) epic gambit to prove that South Americans had settled in the Polynesian islands, a theory that remains a matter of debate, and to retrace their steps using only the resources available to potential pre-Columbian settlers.
Though he himself cannot swim or sail, he sets out on the treacherous 4,300-nautical-mile journey across the Pacific from Peru to Polynesia aboard the small raft– the Kon Tiki, named after the Inca sun god –along with his crew of five men (and a macaw named Lorita). Kon Tiki takes us through the exploits of Heyerdahl and the embattled crew as they embark on their three-month sail equipped with only a radio– facing down tidal waves, sharks, and demons of the deep.
“A ravishingly photographed, old-fashioned man-against-the-elements epic propelled by human-scaled heroics.” (RogerEbert.com)
“A rousing and thoroughly enjoyable Old Hollywood-style adventure…” (NPR)
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This program has been supported by the Monika and Charles Heimbold Fund for Exhibitions and Programs.

SOLD OUT — MR. NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN + EXTREMIST | NORDIC & BALTIC OSCAR CONTENDERS
2026-01-09 19:00 - 21:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
*This event is now sold out.*
On January 9, Scandinavia House presents a special double screening featuring two eligible films for the 98th Academy Awards: the poignant first-hand documentary Mr. Nobody Against Putin, Denmark’s official entry for Best International Feature Film, and the Oscar-eligible animated short Extremist (Latvia), followed by director talks by Pasha Talankin and David Borenstein.
Mr. Nobody Against Putin
Dir. Pavel Talankin & David Borenstein | Denmark & Czech Republic, 2025 | 90 min
In Russian with English subtitles
“A must-watch, indelible document of ideological warfare”—Pasha Talankin is an unlikely hero: a beloved Russian primary school teacher, known as a mentor and prankster who offers students a safe haven in his office. After Russia invades Ukraine, Pasha’s role in the school changes dramatically as he is reluctantly drawn into Putin’s propaganda machine. Forced to promote state-sanctioned messages and horrified by the militarization of his school and community, he wrestles with guilt and a sense of powerlessness, leading him to become an international whistleblower.
As the school’s videographer, Pasha documents intimate and revealing footage of Putin’s regime, capturing the rise of militarized children’s groups, repressive laws, fervent nationalism, and the recruitment of graduating students to fight in the war. When he learns his own life may be at risk, Pasha is forced to plan a dangerous escape from Russia.
The winner of the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award at Sundance, this uniquely collaborative film is as captivating and joyful as it is eye-opening and sobering. Mr. Nobody Against Putin showcases rare footage that reveals the profound impact of Putin’s regime on the lives of everyday Russians, particularly its children.
Экстремистка / Extremist
Dir. Aleksandr Molochnikov | Latvia, 2025 | 17 min
In Estonian with English subtitles
Inspired by the real-life case of Aleksandra Skochilenko, Extremist follows a young Russian artist who makes an anti-war statement by swapping food labels with pacifist messages in a Moscow supermarket, leading to her arrest and the threat of a 10-year prison sentence. The film reimagines the so-called crime that made Skochilenko famous, an avatar for both the cruelty of Putin’s system, and the bravery of the few who would risk their fates and freedom to oppose it.
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SOLD OUT — YOUR FIRST KNITTING PROJECT
2026-01-10 12:00 - 14:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
*This program is now sold out.*
Now that you’ve learned the basics of knitting – or you want to hone your skills – you are invited to join us for a weekly knitting group in January. You’ll choose from three simple patterns, choose and buy your own yarn, needles, and notions, and we’ll get started on the first day!
Join a small group to make something from start to finish, with guidance and feedback from experienced knitter Hilary Snell. Enjoy stretching your brain with a new skill while engaging in the social bonding that only crafts can provide. Plus, there will be snacks! Class size is limited to 12 people.
Before arriving for class, please choose and purchase the according materials for your respective project. (Projects are pictured on banner image) PLEASE NOTE: Students will receive 10% off their purchase at Knitty City (208 West 79th Street) upon showing their Scandinavia House class receipt.
Wrist warmers: Chunky wool yarn – 110 yards. Color(s) of your choice. US size 11 straight needles.
Chunky hat: Approximately 100 yards of any chunky wool yarn. Color(s) of your choice. US size 10 circular needle 16 inches long (from tip to tip) and 4 double pointed bamboo needles US size 10.
Washcloth: Any DK weight cotton yarn. US size 4 straight needles.
PS. Chunky yarn is also called bulky yarn!
Students should also bring a tapestry needle, scissors and some kind of bag to carry their project back and forth from home.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:
Hilary Snell, a longtime visitor services staff member of Scandinavia House, is of English, Scottish, and Irish descent, and loves everything about Nordic culture. She was taught to knit by her grandmother and mother when she was eight years old and took it up again in her late 20s, and has been knitting ever since. She enjoys sharing her love of the craft and of fiber arts in general. See her work at: https://www.instagram.com/lockwoodknits/

FOLKTALES | NORDIC & BALTIC OSCAR CONTENDERS
2026-01-10 14:00 - 16:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
On January 10, Scandinavia House presents a special screening and film talk of a Norwegian qualifier for Best Documentary Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards: the tender, deeply affecting documentary Folktales, followed by a film talk by Oscar®-nominated filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady! In this life-affirming masterpiece, teenagers converge at a traditional folk high school in Arctic Norway where they must rely on only themselves, one another, and a loyal pack of sled dogs as they all grow in unexpected directions.
In Norse mythology, the three “Norns” are powerful deities who weave the threads of fate and shape humans’ futures. Today, Pasvik Folk High School in northern Norway aims to produce a similar life-changing effect on its students. Folktales tells the timely and heartwarming story of teenagers who choose to spend an unconventional “gap year” learning to dog sled and survive the Arctic wilderness, in hopes of finding connection and meaning in the modern world. Guided by patient teachers and a yard full of heroic Alaskan huskies, they discover their own potential and develop deep relationships with the land, animals and humans around them. Through intimate verité storytelling and exhilarating cinematography, Ewing and Grady examine humans on the cusp of adulthood, finding themselves at the edge of the world.
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NORDIC BOOK CLUB ONLINE | THE SISTERS
2026-01-13 18:00 - 19:00 | NY
Read and discuss literature with our Nordic Book Club Online! Nordic Book Club meets monthly via Zoom to discuss contemporary literature in translation. On January 13, 2026, we’ll be discussing Jonas Hassen Khemiri’s addictively entertaining family saga The Sisters.
Meet the Mikkola sisters: Ina, Evelyn, and Anastasia. Their mother is a Tunisian carpet seller, their father a mysterious Swede who left them when they were young. Ina is tall, serious, a compulsive organizer. Evelyn is dreamy, magnetic, a smooth talker. And Anastasia is moody, chaotic, a shape-shifting presence, quick to anger.
Ina meets her future husband when she’s dragged to a New Year’s rave by her sisters, only to suffer the ultimate betrayal. Evelyn drifts through life before embarking on a wild career as an actress. And Anastasia runs off to Tunisia, where she falls in love with a woman who, years later, will transform her life.
Following the sisters from afar is Jonas, the son of a Swedish mother and a Tunisian father. Over the course of three decades, his life intersects with the sisters, from a chance encounter in Tunis to the scene of a fighter jet crash in Stockholm. When Evelyn disappears on a trip to New York, Jonas manages to track her down—and helps her to break the curse that has been looming over the Mikkolas for decades. In the process, a shocking revelation changes everything about who they think they are.
Narrated in six parts, each spanning a period ranging from a year to a day to a single minute, Jonas Hassen Khemiri’s The Sisters is a big, vivid family story of the highest order—an tour de force that has been longlisted for prizes including the 2025 National Book Award for Fiction and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction.

The Sisters is available in hardcover, paperback, e-book and digital audio.
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