New York, NYC—Our popular New Nordic Cinema series returns with the best recent films from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden! Films in this year’s lineup range from biopics to psychological thrillers to love stories, including three films based on major historical events, with screenings taking place weekly on Wednesday evenings at 7 PM. A six-film package is available for screenings ($55/$40 ASF Members); purchase a package here.
The series kicked off on March 26 with Sons (Vogter, Sweden, 2024), a new psychological thriller from Gustav Möller (The Guilty) starring Sidse Babett Knudsen as prison officer Eva Hansen, whose ethics are challenged when her son’s murderer is transferred to her unit. It continues on April 2 with Hammarskjöld— Fight for Peace (Hammarskjöld, dir. Per Fly, Sweden, 2023), the gripping true story of the man John F. Kennedy once called “the greatest statesman of our century,” starring Mikael Persbrand as diplomat/economist Dag Hammarskjöld as his attempts to bring peace to postcolonial Africa are met with betrayal.
On April 9, The Missile is based on the true story of a Soviet missile that crashed at Lake Inari in Finland in 1984. Miia Tervo’s comedy-drama follows a small-town newspaper archivist who is drawn into coverage of the incident, when her knowledge of the area brings her closest to the true story. On April 16, Stormskerry Maja (Myrskyluodon Maija, dir. Tiina Lymi, Finland, 2024), is an epic drama adapted from the beloved books of Ålandic writer Anni Blomqvist. When 17-year-old Maja marries fisherman Janne, she follows him to the remote archipelago of Stormskäret. As time passes, she grows into a strong-willed and independent woman, and she and Janne tackle unpheavals including the Åland War.
On April 23, The Tundra Within Me follows young Sámi artist Lena as she moves back to Sápmi in Northern Norway after having lived for several years in Oslo, where a romance with reindeer herder Máhtte awakens old wounds. A sincere directorial debut from writer/director and former reindeer herder Sara Margrethe Oskal, the film is a poignant exploration of heritage, authenticity, resilience and identity (Eallogierdu, Norway, 2023). Screening on April 30 in honor of International Workers’ Day, The Riot is a historical action drama based on the origins of the labor movement in Norway, directed by Nils Gaup (The Last King). In the lawless town of Sulitjelma, 18-year-old Konrad and his fellow miners make a stand against the owners of the deadly Hanken mine (Sulis 1907, Norway/Sweden, 2022).
On May 7, a weekend hunting trip of three friends takes un unsettling turn the provocative and atmospheric film Hunters on a White Field, based on the bestselling novel of Mats Wägeus (Sweden, 2024); a film talk with director Sarah Gyllenstierna follows the screening. On May 14, award-winning director Bille August (A Fortunate Man)’s latest film The Kiss follows a young cavalry officer in training whose friendship with a wheelchair-bound young woman blurs the lines between compassion and love at the outset of WWI; it is adapted from the classic Stefan Zweig novel Beware of Pity (Kysset, Denmark, 2022).
And on May 21, the poignant and darkly comedic A Happy Day, directed by Hisham Zaman (A Letter to the King) is set in a refugee camp in the north of Norway, where three friends plan to escape the mountains before facing deportation when they turn 18. Their mission grows complicated when one falls in love (Norway, 2023).
Other film programs include a screening and film talk of Aurora on Sunday, April 6, taking place in Estonian Cultural Days. Director Rain Tolk will be present for a film talk and Q&A about his suspenseful love story set at an important family celebration, where a long-ago marital affair is revealed with major consequences.