Join us this October for the Nordic International Film Festival (NIFF) at Scandinavia House! The festival includes screenings of Nordic and International Films in both narrative and documentary categories, taking place alongside film panels and other events.
SCHEDULE
FEATURE FILM
DRAMA KINGS
FRI—OCTOBER 23—3:00 PM
Dir. Adi & Mak Omanovic, Sweden, 2026, 94 min. In Swedish with English subtitles
Drama Kings follows two struggling actors, Krille and Martin, who, after being rejected by a powerful producer, discover that she has stolen their idea. In an act of desperation, they make a plan—apparently their last chance at success—to ransom her daughter. Will reality and fiction merge? Watch trailer
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILMS
DEATH DIVING WITH ASBJØRG
FRI—OCTOBER 23—4:45 PM
Dir. Cheyenne Arrington, United States, 2026, 60 min. In English & Norwegian with English subtitles
Death Diving with Asbjørg is an athlete-driven documentary chronicling the global rise of Døds (death diving) through the eyes of 4x World Champion Asbjørg Nesje. Asbjørg fights to defend her title while battling injuries and mounting expectations. Beyond competition, she attempts a historic 102-foot (33m) waterfall dive, pushing the limits to claim a new world record. Parallel to her journey, close friend and filmmaker Cheyenne Arrington embarks on a mission of her own to document Asbjørg’s life and the rise of Døds. Cheyenne navigates the physical and internal challenges of filming in high-risk environments to share Asbjørg’s story with the world. Together, the film captures two friends pursuing their individual passions to bring their dreams to life. Watch trailer
CRAFTSWOMAN: WEAVING LIFE WHOLE
FRI—OCTOBER 23—8:00 PM
Dir. Madison McClintock, United States, (2026), 83 min. In English & Finnish with English subtitles
As the light shifts through Finland’s dramatic seasons, four women find meaning in the rhythm of ancestral craft. Their collective stories reveal a path to wholeness that bridges past and future—honoring unique expressions of the feminine while grounding cultural heritage in the realities of everyday life. Watch trailer
ON SILVER HEELS
SAT—OCTOBER 24—11:00 AM
Dir. Anastasia Zazhitskaya, Margus Õunapuu, Estonia. (2026), 69 min. In English, Estonian, Latvian, & Russian with English subtitles.
A group of amateur female ice hockey players set out to revive Estonia’s Women’s National Team. From the start, their path is filled with obstacles: uneven skill levels, language barriers, wide age gaps and a total lack of financial support. What unites them is a single dream: to compete and win at the World Championships. A skilled coach from Latvia steps in, offering the experience and hope they desperately need. But will that be enough to determine not only the outcome of the tournament, but the very future of women’s hockey in Estonia? Watch trailer
SHORT FILM SESSIONS
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS A
FRI—OCTOBER 23—11:00 AM
Swimming Hall
Dir. Anni Suikkanen, Toni Kristian Tikkanen, Finland, (2026), 15 min. In Finnish with English subtitles
A poetic short documentary, Swimming Hall is a universal story told through one pool, capturing all the shades of life. Watch trailer
Postcards
Dir. Freyja Kristinsdóttir, Iceland, (2025), 20 min. In Icelandic with English subtitles.
Forty-six years together. Forty-six days on the Camino. Forty-six postcards home. A husband’s pilgrimage becomes a tender meditation on marriage, memory, and enduring love. Watch trailer
Memory of the Nation
Dir. Fanny Rosell, Sweden (2026), 10 min. In Swedish with English subtitles.
An immense amount of advertising is stored at one of Sweden’s most prestigious institutions. The vast archiving practices at the National Library, carried out in accordance with a unique Swedish law, offer a picture of society and the scope of our collective memory. Why are we so eager to remember everything? Watch trailer
Rare Gems
Dir. Flóki Larsen, Iceland (2024), 10 min. In Icelandic with English subtitles.
In Rare Gems, we catch a glimpse into the last antique bookstore in downtown Reykjavík, where time seems to stand still.
Lost Snows of the Alps
Dir. Kevin McCarey, United States (2026), 31 min. In English with English subtitles.
In the rapidly warming Alps, disappearing snow reveals a fragile intersection of culture, ecology and human responsibility—where what is melting away may still be protected.
INTERNATIONAL SHORTS
FRI—OCTOBER 23—1:00 PM
Cherubs
Dir Anna Pieri Zuercher & Pietro Zuercher Switzerland (2025), 12:44 min. In English with English subtitles.
Two guardian angels exiled from heaven have the job of documenting the deaths of suicide victims for eternity. Watch trailer
Mamie
Dir. Pedro Tamames, Spain (2026), 15 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.
Carla receives a disturbing call from her mother, Anne. Her grandmother, Mamie, wants to die. With this news, they decide to travel to be together, for the last time, the three of them, and say goodbye to Mamie. The meeting, initially affectionate, turns muddy as old grudges buried under a history of family abandonment come to light. Watch trailer
Before the Night
Dir. Capucine Lespinas, France, (2025), 22 min. In French with English subtitles.
As she just arrived in a hurry to see her father on his deathbed, Anne is faced with his last wish to know what he has passed on to her. Between her chronic clumsiness, the mud in her brain, her sister’s unexpected reactions, and the inexorable passage of time, Anne struggles to find the right words…
Janete
Dir. Rebecca Cerqueira, Brazil (2025), 14 min. In Portuguese with English subtitles.
Cíntia, 35 years old, works from home and lives alone except for the company of Janete, her robot vacuum. Upon returning to in-person work, she confronts the exhaustion and possibilities of her new routine, now filled with social interactions.
NORDIC SHORTS A
FRI—OCTOBER 23—6:00 PM
The Barbershop
Dir. Diêm Camille, Denmark (2026), 11 min. In Danish with English subtitles.
Set in a Copenhagen afro-barbershop, Barbershoppen follows Niels, a 21-year-old adoptee with roots in Sierra Leone, searching for belonging. Growing up in a predominantly white environment, he hopes to connect with his culture. But stepping inside, he suddenly feels unsure of how to navigate the space.
The Phone Tree
Dir. Daniel Kragh-Jacobsen Denmark 2026, 12:56 min. In Danish with English subtitles.
Set in 1990s Denmark, this drama follows a 12-year-old boy named Jonathan who is anxiously trying to reach his best friend, Rasmus, for a playdate. When Rasmus doesn’t answer, Jonathan begins calling around to his other classmates. What starts as an anxious wait quickly evolves into an emotional journey through the classroom’s “phone tree,” slowly laying bare the painful truth behind a broken friendship.
When I Grow Up
Dir. Ada Amina, Norway, (2026), 15 min. In Norwegian with English subtitles.
Iben is a 12-year-old girl living in suburban Norway, whose transition into her teenage years and the planning of her 13th birthday party spark an existential crisis, where she turns to her father Aksel for comfort. This coming-of-age story takes inspiration from Jostein Gaarder’s 1991 book Sophie’s World, about the history of philosophy, which Aksel reads to Iben to calm her anxiety. As we learn more about Iben’s fears, we see that perhaps she and her father are more alike than she had realized.
Decaf
Dir. Ia Wik, United States, (2026), 15 min. In English & Swedish with English subtitles.
An insecure Swedish woman travels to Los Angeles to reconnect with her best friend, only to discover that time, new friends and cultural differences have quietly pulled them apart. Watch trailer.
Conversations on a Boat
Dir. Sabina Jacobsson, Norway, (2026), 15 min. In Norwegian with English subtitles.
In this sensuous, dialogue-driven short film, two women in their mid-50s meet on a boat in the Oslofjord. An apparently calm reunion gradually reveals a complex relationship marked by desire, longing and unresolved love. The film explores time, aging and the freedom that emerges after midlife, and is a tender, unapologetic celebration of queer intimacy in adulthood. Watch trailer
A House of Balloons
Dir. Anton Björklund, Sweden, (2025), 15 min. In Swedish with English subtitles.
At her son’s graduation, Karin returns to her old home hoping to reconnect. Instead, she’s met with coldness and humiliation. As old wounds reopen, the celebration unravels into a tense, intimate fight for dignity and the truth.
NORDIC SHORTS B
SAT—OCTOBER 24—1:00 PM
Father Oh Father
Dir. Julia í Kálvalíð, Faroe Islands (2025), 26 min. In Faroese with English subtitles.
Olivia, a woman in her 30s, wishes to connect with her biological father, whom she has never met and who is now dead. With his remains in a cooler, Olivia plans to travel with her father and show him where she grew up. But not everything goes according to plan. Watch trailer
Breathwork
Dir. Erik Westerström Sweden, (2025), 15 min. In Swedish with English subtitles.
During a breathwork session, a reluctant skeptic opens herself to “new energies” and lets in something far darker. Watch trailer
Stop Being So Dramatic
Dir. Lorenzo Follari Sweden, (2026), 5 min. No Dialogue
Haunted by a painful past, Julia escapes into a dark fairy-tale world where mocking witches force her to confront the emotional weight she has carried for years. Watch trailer
Hollow
Dir. Jesper Jönsson, Sweden, (2026), 12 min. In Swedish with English subtitles.
Deep in the forests of southern Sweden, a poor farmer makes a horrific discovery – a dormant creature and a nugget of gold. When the gold is taken, something awakens that should never have been awakened… Watch trailer
Test
Dir. Markus Johansson Sweden, (2025), 11 min. In Swedish with English subtitles.
On a normal day at the Swedish Transport Administration, another mediocre, hopeful student enters the car to take their driving test. It’s going to be a long day. Watch trailer
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS B
SAT—OCTOBER 24—3:00 PM
Headcheese: A Christmas Miracle
Dir. Valerie Peterson, Bronwyn Berry, United States, (2026), 24 min. In English with English subtitles.
Heartfelt, quirky, and often humorous, this journey—from butcher through the age-old head cheese making process to the festive Christmas Eve table—showcases a beloved (if polarizing) food as a living memorial to one family’s cultural heritage.
Stones
Dir. Lorenzo Follari, Italy, Sweden, (2026), 3 min. No Dialogue
Eighty years after the atomic bomb, the city center of Hiroshima is today a wonderful park. It was created to commemorate the victims and to serve as a reminder of the past, taking a stand against the threat of nuclear weapons with the hope that such horrors will never happen again.
We All Live Downwind
Dir. Sascha Melemed, United States (2025), 15 min. In English with English subtitles.
Between 1950 and 1991, there were 928 nuclear tests at the Nevada Test Site. These tests launched atomic fallout into the air that would coat towns more than 200 miles away. This short documentary follows two women living downwind: their fight for compensation, their stories and their reckoning with the government’s actions.
MUKUNAN APRENDIZ DE PAJÉ
Dir. Rodrigo Sena, Brazil, (2025), 25 min. In Portuguese with English subtitles.
Mukunã prepares to become the Shaman of the Potiguara Katu village in Rio Grande do Norte (Brazil); older than us, the power plants become the teacher, teaching environmental care.
Marks of Time
Dir. Mike Fleischner, Sweden, (2025), 15 min. In English with English subtitles.
In partnership with the Swedish Museum of Natural History and MAX IV Laboratory, this film is an artistic exploration of one paleontologist’s worldview and career.