Dear friends and colleagues
In just a few weeks, Malmö will once again become the meeting place for Nordic documentary and short film. From 18–23 September, Nordisk Panorama Film Festival will gather filmmakers, producers, stakeholders, and storytellers from across the world to share ideas, spark collaborations, and celebrate the power of film.
Earlier in August, we unveiled the competition titles and producer award nominees. Today, we are excited to release the full programme for the festival. Here are some of this year’s highlights – films, talks, and industry events we’re excited to share with you.
This year’s industry programme is especially exciting: from Forum and Market to thought-provoking Conference sessions and the very first Immersive Media Day where we are opening new spaces for exchange, innovation, and inspiration.
For us, Nordisk Panorama is more than a festival – it’s a community. We look forward to welcoming you to Malmö, to reconnect and to create the future of storytelling together.
Warm regards,
The Nordisk Panorama Team
Films in Competition 2025
57 short and documentary films from across the Nordic region have been selected to compete at this year’s Nordisk Panorama Film Festival.
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Award Winning Directors and New Talents at the Festival
In the short film category, acclaimed Icelandic director Rúnar Rúnarsson presents his latest work, O. With multiple awards from renowned festivals, and nominations for both an Academy Award and a Palme d’Or, Rúnarsson is a celebrated voice in contemporary cinema. Also, returning to the competition is Norwegian director, Ida Melum, bringing her distinctive storytelling to the animated short Ovary-Acting, where we meet Eva at a baby shower fending off personal questions left and right, before the story takes an unexpected, humorous turn.
“Every year, the short films we have the privilege to see seem to be a great barometer of the world we live in – exposing our collective fears, hopes and various obsessions. And this year is no exception.”
– Lucile Bourliaud & Sam Groves, Short Film Programmers
Christian Sønderby Jepsen, previous winner at CPH:DOX and ZagrebDox with The Will, returns with a powerful sequel in The Father, the Sons and the Holy Spirit, where we once again meet brothers Henrik and Christian. The film spans an impressive 14 years of filming, offering a rare and intimate portrait of family and faith.
In the Greenlandic debut film Walls – Akinni Inuk, directors Nina Paninnguaq Skydsbjerg & Sofie Rørdam invite us on an emotional and touching journey of friendship and empathy, penetrating the walls of a Greenlandic prison. Also featured in the Best Nordic Documentary competition is the Swedish Film Yalla Parkour by director Areeb Zuaiter, which has travelled the world being screened at festivals such as Berlinale and Visions du Reel and taking home the Grand Jury Prize at DOC NYC.
“The selected films spark debate, challenge perspectives and open space for meaningful conversation. From global politics seen through a historical lens to intimate portraits of love, war, family and conflict.”
– Cecilia Lidin & Manolo Diaz Rämö,
Documentary Programmers
Opening Films: I Am Everything & The Helsinki Effect
The festival opens with two thought-provoking titles that explore history through a contemporary lens, combining AI technology and archival material. In the Danish short film I Am Everything by Jeppe Lange, an artificial intelligence attempts to attain human consciousness by drawing on art history and the infinite image archives of the internet. In The Helsinki Effect, Arthur Franck employs archival material, artificial intelligence, and humour to vividly bring to life the 1975 Helsinki Conference set during the Cold War. What exactly happened at the meeting between the most powerful men of the era? The film is a Finnish, Norwegian and German co-production.
The Helsinki Effect by Arthur Franck is one of the opening films at Nordisk Panorama Film Festival.
Photo: Vladimir Musaelyan
Fifty Years On – Is Diplomacy Still Alive in Europe?
The Helsinki Effect will also serve as a springboard for a panel discussion on the state of diplomacy in Europe, organised in collaboration with The Norden Association Sweden.
Fifty years after the Helsinki Declaration reshaped European politics, diplomacy is once again under scrutiny. The landmark 1975 accord, signed by 35 nations, established principles of sovereignty, human rights and self-determination that inspired democratic movements across Eastern Europe and helped bring down the Iron Curtain. Today, with institutions under pressure and freedoms facing new challenges, its legacy feels more urgent than ever.
The Nominees for the Nordic Documentary Producer Award
Each year, this award honours a producer whose recent work in the Nordic documentary industry deserves special recognition – someone who has shown courage and a willingness to take risks, pioneered new paths, championed emerging talent, and advanced documentary as an art form.
• Mario Adamson, Sweden
Sisyfos Film
• Malene Flindt Pedersen, Denmark
Hansen & Pedersen
• Pasi Hakkio, Finland
Wacky Tie Films
• Hanna Björk Valsdóttir, Iceland
Akkeri Films
• Bård Kjøge Rønning and Fabien Greenberg, Norway
Antipode Films
Film Professionals From All Over the World Meet in Malmö
Nordisk Panorama Film Festival is a meeting place for both established professionals and emerging talents in the film industry. Participants from around the world have been invited to explore new trends, share insights and discuss current issues. Here are some highlights from this year’s Conference Programme:
Town Hall: The Future of Co-productions in the Nordic Countries
Nordisk Panorama’s annual check-in. Where do we stand as an art form, industry, and community in an increasingly divided world? At this year’s Town Hall, Karolina Lidin from Nordisk Film & TV Fond will moderate a talk about the state of division and collaboration of the Nordic documentary industry. We have invited key stakeholders in the documentary industry to share their takes on the challenges, opportunities and visions for the future of co-productions in the Nordic countries. Organised by Nordisk Panorama in collaboration with Nordisk Film & TV Fond.
“The Nordic region is often spoken of as one, but unity does not happen by itself. It is built through exchange, listening, and a willingness to share resources and perspectives across borders. At Nordisk Panorama, unity isn’t just an ideal we strive for – it is something we build. Project by project. Film by film. Year after year.”
– Heidi Elise Christensen
Executive Director Nordisk Panorama
Making Political Documentaries in an Ever-Changing World
How do you tell a story as political realities shift and breaking news take over? Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Karen Stokkendal Poulsen will share insights from her previous work and current projects, reflecting on the challenges of navigating real-time events while staying close to the characters at the heart of the story. Moderator: Cecilia Lidin.
Nordisk Panorama Forum & Market
Nordisk Panorama Forum and Nordisk Panorama Market return as the premier meeting points for the Nordic documentary industry, bringing together creative talent and international stakeholders to spark new collaborations.
Each year, the event attracts approximately 900 film professionals from around 40 countries and facilitates over 1.000 pre-arranged meetings between filmmakers, producers, and stakeholders. An impressive 5 million euro is invested annually in Nordic documentary projects through the Forum. Meanwhile, the Market is the largest curated showcase of Nordic short films and documentaries. It presents around 250+ new titles and draws key industry players, including buyers, distributors, and festival programmers.
With 48 documentary projects presented at the Forum, 12 at the Nordic Short Film Pitch and 6 nearly finished at Work in Progress the events are bustling with new content.
Nordisk Immersive Media Day
Nordisk Panorama launches its first-ever Immersive Media Day spotlighting the future of storytelling. For one dynamic day, leading filmmakers, artists and industry stakeholders from across the Nordic region and beyond will gather to explore the possibilities of AI, VR, AR and other emerging media. Through inspiring talks, panels, case studies and project presentations, the programme will highlight innovation, financing, distribution and audience engagement – concluding with roundtable meetings designed to spark fresh collaborations and shape the future of immersive storytelling.
Full Festival Programme
The 36th edition of Nordisk Panorama Film Festival showcases the best of Nordic Short Film and Documentary filmmaking.
With 57 films in Competition and nearly 50 more Nordic shorts and docs screened during the festival, the full line-up of the programme spans intimate personal stories to critical global issues.
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