A note of lingering summer, a touch of approaching autumn and oodles of anticipation – it’s all in the air as the New Nordic Films market kicks off today in parallel with the Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund. Four full-on days of market screenings, work-in-progress presentations, pitching forums, panels and networking await attendees as programmers, sales agents, producers, directors and a wide variety of international industry members gather around the very latest fare when it comes to high-quality Northern European cinema.

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The market screenings – 19 in all – open with Iceland’s Hlynur Pálmason and his recent Cannes Critics’ Week favourite A White, White Day [+lire aussi :
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interview : Hlynur Pálmason
fiche film]. Two upcoming Venice titles, Denmark’s Psychosia [+lire aussi :
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interview : Marie Grahtø
fiche film] by Marie Grathø and Norway’s Beware of Children [+lire aussi :
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interview : Dag Johan Haugerud
fiche film] by Dag Johan Haugerud, are among the programme’s 13 world market premieres. Sweden’s 438 Days [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Jesper Ganslandt and The Spy [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Jens Jonsson, and Danish stalwart Jesper W Nielsen’s The Exception [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] are also being shown, as is 110% Honest by Norway’s Jannicke Systad Jacobsen (Turn Me On, Goddammit [+lire aussi :
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interview : Jannicke Systad Jacobsen
fiche film]), a dark comedy about a professional cyclist, a doping scandal and the catastrophic year that ensues.

Several work-in-progress entries – 20 in total, all in post-production – already have a good buzz surrounding them. Jessica, the highly anticipated debut feature by Sweden’s Ninja Thyberg, deals, like her Cannes-awarded short Pleasure [+lire aussi :
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interview : Ninja Thyberg
fiche film], with the American adult-film industry. Norway’s Maria Sødahl’s first feature since Limbo [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] in 2010 is Hope [+lire aussi :
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interview : Maria Sødahl
fiche film], soon to head for Toronto. Miss Osaka [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Denmark’s Daniel Dencik is a dark tale of altered identity and Japanese nightlife. Other hot WiP entries include The Day We Died [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Ole Christian Madsen and The Good Traitor by Christina Rosendahl, both about factual events in Danish history, and the Finnish coming-of-age story Eden [+lire aussi :
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interview : Ulla Heikkilä
fiche film], the debut feature by Ulla Heikkilä. The Garden [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] is by Iceland’s answer to Mike Leigh, Ragnar Bragason, and the host country is preparing to serve the world an intriguing and in-depth documentary on its great(est?) national pop treasure in A-HA: The Movie [+lire aussi :
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interview : Thomas Robsahm
fiche film] by the prolific Thomas Robsahm.

Six of the work-in-progress projects are nominated for the Eurimages Lab Project Award, given out to a work of a cutting-edge nature “to encourage a film that is experimental in form or content, made on the side of the traditional filmmaking framework and showing international collaboration”. The entries are Jessica, Miss Osaka, Inland [+lire aussi :
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interview : Jon Blåhed
fiche film] by Jon Blåhed (Sweden), Nimby [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Teemu Nikki (Finland), Sisters by Silje Salomonsen and Arild Østin Ommundsen, and HIM [+lire aussi :
interview : Guro Bruusgaard
fiche film] by Guro Bruusgaard (both from Norway). An expert four-headed jury will present its top choice on Thursday.

Other highlights in the packed schedule include the Nordic Co-production Market, with 17 films in development; the Scandinavian Debut pitch; the Next Nordic Generation programme; and the unveiling of the Nordic Council Film Prize nominees. A total of 300 participants are expected for this 25^th New Nordic Films event, co-managed by the Nordisk Film & TV Fond and running from 20-23 August.

For the full schedule and project lists, please click here.