25/08/2023 - The Swedish project has ended up being the big winner of New Nordic Films; the award enables participation in the Producers Network at the Marché du Film

Director Amanda Kernell (© Sundance Institute)

The most recent iteration of New Nordic Films, the industry section of the Norwegian International Film Festival held in Haugesund, took place from 22-25 August this year. The event attracted a total of over 200 accredited industry professionals.

At the 18th edition of the Nordic Co-Production Market, the coveted Best Project Award was presented to The Curse – A Love Story, the latest work by Swedish filmmaker Amanda Kernell. Kernell, known for her exploration of her Sámi heritage in her debut feature, Sámi Blood [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Amanda Kernell
interview: Lars Lindstrom
film profile], returns to her roots in this new project.

The film centres on Maidi, a female reindeer herder, whose reliance on her local leader, Heikka, takes an unexpected turn when Heikka develops romantic feelings for her. Maidi's affections, however, are directed towards Heikka's cousin, leading Heikka to cast a curse upon Maidi that disrupts her ability to work. In order to overcome this curse, Maidi must embark on a journey of discovery.

The panel of judges for the Co-Production Market (consisting of Heidi Zwicker from the Sundance Film Festival; Inke van Loocke from International Film Festival Rotterdam; writer, director and producer Hisham Zaman; and Liselott Forsman, CEO of the Nordisk Film & TV Fond) carefully reviewed the 24 selected projects (see the news) and singled out The Curse – A Love Story for recognition. As a result of this achievement, the award-winning project secures a spot in the Producers Network at the Cannes Marché du Film in the coming year.

In their assessment, the jury remarked: “The pitch was deeply personal and truly compelling. It promises a unique story about love in a lonely world, focusing on healing, rather than victimising, as it allows us into a young woman’s journey into breaking a curse. We were impressed by the vision, depth and sincerity of the project, and by the clear collaboration between writer-director Amanda Kernell and producer Eva Åkergren.”

The Curse – A Love Story marks Kernell's third venture as a feature-film director (with 2020’s Charter [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Amanda Kernell
film profile] being her sophomore effort). Eva Åkergren is the producer, staging the film under Nordisk Film Production Sverige AB, and co-producing alongside Lisa Marie Kristensen and Per-Josef Idivouma, of Forest People. Support for the project has been provided by the Swedish Film Institute, Nordisk Film and Filmpool Nord. With a budget set at €4 million, filming is anticipated to commence during the upcoming summer, and the team is actively seeking additional funding, Nordic broadcasters and a sales agent.