The 2026 Delegations:
DAE (Documentary Association of Europe)
DAE is collaborating with Nordisk Panorama Forum to strengthen co-production ties between the invited and the Nordic countries.
Every year, Nordisk Panorama Forum welcomes a specially invited delegation of producers from a guest organisation to facilitate connections outside the Nordic countries. This year our partners are leading a delegation of selected producers members of DAE to Nordisk Panorama Forum for Co-financing of Documentaries in Malmö, Sweden.
Most importantly, the delegation producers will participate in the event Producers Meet Producers, where they will meet their Nordic colleagues, present themselves, network, and outline their production landscape. They will learn more about how to co-produce with the Nordic countries.
The delegation producers:
- will attend the Producers Meet Producers networking event on Sunday 20 September, featuring snappy presentations, tailored match-making and round table discussions.
- have applied to present their projects alongside Nordic colleagues. Selected delegation teams will be included in the lineup of featured projects.
- will have observer access at this otherwise Nordic financing forum.
- will have full access to festival screenings, seminars and events.
The delegation leader is Brigid O’Shea, represented by Thorvald Nilsen during Nordisk Panorama.
Ieva Ūbele (LV)
Throughout her career, Ieva has produced numerous documentaries exploring social and environmental issues. In 2019, she founded her own production company Baltic Balkan Productions, producing and co-producing films that center on compelling personal narratives and urgent social topics. Alongside her work as a producer, she is currently developing her debut documentary film as a director. In 2020-2023 she worked as Head of Industry programme at Beldocs IDFF (Belgrade, Serbia), and works as a tutor at documentary film workshops internationally, including AGORA Boost (Thessaloniki IDFF), BDC Discoveries, and ESoDoc. An alumna of EURODOC, Emerging Producers and EAVE and a member of the Documentary Association of Europe and EWA – the European Women’s Audiovisual Network.
Léa Génique (CH)
Léa Génique is a Swiss film producer based in Geneva. Her work spans documentary, fiction and hybrid formats. She supports emerging filmmakers combining social and environmental concerns with sensitive, poetic and bold storytelling. Recent productions include ‘Miscarriages’, ‘Behind Our Silence’ by Elena Avdija (RTS) and ‘Lumpaz’ by Aurélie Chételat, an intimate and experimental documentary about our relationship with wild nature. She is currently developing Noa Epars’ feature documentary ‘22,000 Screams from the Mine’, about the relocation of the mining town of Kiruna.
Marina Baibarza (UA)
Marina Baibarza is a director, producer, and founder of Process Films. She holds a Master’s degree in Film Directing from the Academy of Art and Design in Łódź, Poland, and is a member of the Documentary Association of Europe (DAE) and the Documentary Film Association of Ukraine (DFAU). She works across fiction, documentary, and experimental film, with a focus on personal stories, strong visual language, and thoughtful cinematic exploration.
Olga Gibelinda (UA)
Olga Gibelinda is a Ukrainian film director and producer, and the founder of Kyiv-based Malanka Studios. She is a member of the Ukrainian Film Academy, the European Film Academy, and the Documentary Association of Europe. She studied directing at the Wajda Film School in Poland. Her creative practice combines intimate storytelling, political awareness, and a strong commitment to European collaboration, bringing Ukrainian experiences into a broader international cinematic dialogue. Her work explores identity, memory, war, human resilience, and the social transformations. Working across creative documentary and fiction, she develops author-driven projects through international co-production. Her projects have been selected for and presented at numerous international training programmes, industry platforms, and co-production markets, including Wajda Talents, Cannes Docs, Visions du Réel Industry, Ji.hlava New Visions Forum, East Doc Forum, IDFA Forum, Göteborg Film Festival Residency. Through Malanka Studios, Gibelinda collaborates with European producers, broadcasters, film institutions, and cultural organisations to create socially engaged films with strong artistic vision and international potential.
Faroese Delegation
Faroese Film Gathers Momentum
Despite modest financial resources and challenging production conditions, the Faroese film industry is developing at remarkable speed. A new generation of filmmakers is creating work that wins awards, reaches international festivals and finds audiences far beyond the islands.
The Faroe Islands will be represented at Nordisk Panorama in Malmö by an exceptionally large delegation. Led by The Faroese Film Institute, the 14 delegates represent a broad cross-section of the industry. Their aim is to strengthen professional skills, expand Nordic and international networks, and connect with partners and co-producers.
The Faroe Islands are also represented in two official competitions. Maria Tórgarð’s Mammuskepilsið (Mother Creature) is competing for Best Nordic Short Film, while Búi Dam’s documentary Birita has been selected for New Nordic Voice.
The delegation leader is Marjun Niclasen.
Marjun Niclasen
Marjun Niclasen is Head of The Faroese Film Institute and leads the Faroese delegation. Her work focuses on film funding, talent development and the internationalisation of Faroese cinema. She represents the Faroe Islands within Nordic & European Film Commissions and joined the advisory board of Nordic Film Festival: Los Angeles in 2026.
Gudmund Helmsdal
Gudmund Helmsdal is a director, screenwriter and producer with a master’s degree in film from the University of Copenhagen. His short film Trøllabeiggi (Brother Troll) has screened at more than 160 festivals in over 40 countries and received more than 120 awards, including the Geytin Audience Award and Best Short Feature at the Arizona International Film Festival.
His current projects include Whistler, Vandaferð and the documentary Syng. In 2026, he received a three-year Faroese artist’s working grant.
Jón Hammer
Jón Hammer is an award-winning producer and founder of Outlier Projects. Having begun his career at Zentropa, he has produced Skál, Heartist, Róin, Birita and Seinasta paradís á jørð (The Last Paradise on Earth). In 2025, the latter became the first Faroese film to win the Nordic Council Film Prize. Hammer also produced TROM, the first Faroese television series. He has participated in Berlinale Talents, Rotterdam Lab, Cannes L’Atelier, the EAVE Producers Workshop and Inside Pictures and works across Faroese and international productions.
Jørgen Asmussen
Jørgen Asmussen is a photographer, cinematographer and digital imaging technician based in the Faroe Islands. Working across film, commercial photography, portraiture and drone cinematography, his credits include Verdandi and No Rest for the Wicked. He also runs the visual production company LittleManShouting.
Maria Tórgarð
Maria Tórgarð is a director and documentary filmmaker who studied at Stockholm University of the Arts. Her documentary Skál, co-directed with Cecilie Debell, competed at CPH:DOX and won New Nordic Voice at Nordisk Panorama and Best Documentary at the Chicago International Film Festival. In 2025, her project Knots won the Nordic Talents Pitch Prize. The following year, Mammuskepilsið won both the main Geytin Award and the Audience Award. It is now competing for Best Nordic Short Film at Nordisk Panorama.
Rúna Volmarsdóttir Højgaard
Rúna Volmarsdóttir Højgaard works in production, production coordination and project development. With a background in dance and choreography, she has produced several performing-arts projects through RIVA. Her work has received both Nordic and Faroese cultural funding, as well as a Faroese artist’s grant.
Búi Dam
Búi Dam is a director, actor, playwright and musician. He has released two albums as BUDAM and toured throughout Europe. He won the 2020 Geytin Award for Hví eru vit her?, Best Actor at the 2021 Winter Film Awards in New York and the 2022 M.A. Jacobsen Cultural Award for Castle of Joy. His documentary Birita, about his mother, the acclaimed actor Birita Mohr, had its
world premiere at CPH:DOX. It is nominated for the 2026 Nordic Council Film Prize and is competing for New Nordic Voice at Nordisk Panorama.
Lucas Frayssinet
Lucas Frayssinet is a French photographer, documentary filmmaker and producer. A graduate of ETPA in Toulouse, he is a member of the Hans Lucas photo agency. His documentary Eitt ár í Føroyum has been broadcast by Kringvarp Føroya and screened internationally. In 2023, his series Føroyskur ungdómur made him a finalist for the Prix Voltaire de la photographie.
Drós í Ólavsstovu
Drós í Ólavsstovu works as a producer, production designer and production coordinator. She produced Tað er ikki synd í mær (Don’t Feel Sorry for Me!), written and directed by Eir í Ólavsstovu, and has contributed to a range of Faroese film and performing-arts projects.
Eir í Ólavsstovu
Eir í Ólavsstovu is a director, screenwriter, cinematographer and educator. Her documentary Sálarkvøl, about artist Elin J. Smith, won both the main Geytin Award and the Audience Award in 2022. Her short film Tað er ikki synd í mær competed at Geytin in 2026 and has subsequently received awards and nominations at festivals in Los Angeles, New York, California, Palm Springs and Tokyo.
Franklin Symphor Henriksen
Franklin Symphor Henriksen is a cinematographer, a member of the Danish Association of Cinematographers and a graduate of the Łódź Film School. His
credits include Sansa and Birita. In 2017, he received awards for Best Cinematography and Best Director at the Illinifest Student Film Festival. His production Alda also won Best Picture and Best Ensemble Cast. In 2026, Henriksen became a member of the European Film Academy.
Gorm Just
Gorm Just is a Danish director and editor whose short films include Oceaniden, Vildmand and 3000 meter. The latter was nominated for Best Experimental Film at the Ekko Shortlist Awards. He also edited the Faroese documentary Róin – The Musician at the End of the World.
Nadia Abrahamsen
Nadia Barbara Abrahamsen is a producer, graphic designer and founder of the Faroe Islands International Minority Film Festival. She produced Andrias Høgenni’s Lið við lið, nominated for a Robert Award in 2024. She is also involved in the Faroese Children’s Film Festival and works as a junior producer at Outlier Projects.
Anna Joensen-Næs
Anna Joensen-Næs is a director, screenwriter and radio presenter based in Copenhagen. Together with Maria Winther Olsen, she created the documentary series Sært tú meg?. In 2026, she wrote, directed and produced Sansa, which was selected for the Geytin competition.
Together, the 14 delegates reflect the breadth and creative momentum of Faroese filmmaking. At Nordisk Panorama, they will present their work, including at the Forum pitching session. The Faroese delegation will also take part in Producers Meet Producers and other events, creating opportunities to establish relationships that can help bring future Faroese films to wider Nordic and international audiences.
