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“Two Little Nightmares,” directed by Oscar-nominated Croatian filmmaker Nebojša Slijepčević (“The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent”), and “Chentian,” by renowned Palestinian screenwriter Suha Arraf (“Villa Touma”), are amongst the six films selected in competition at the sophomore edition of the Nordic Gateway programme.
The initiative is nested within the Göteborg Film Festival’s Nordic Film Market, Scandinavia’s biggest film emporium, taking place over Jan. 28-30.
The program, launched last year, highlights high-potential projects from renowned helmers and production companies to facilitate co-productions and financing possibilities. A competitive showcase, the Nordic Gateway awards its winner with a €35,000 ($40,600) Tint Post-Production Award. This year’s projects come from Palestine, Germany, Croatia, Belgium and the U.K.
Speaking with Variety, Göteborg Film Festival Head of Industry Josef Kullengård said that the Nordic Gateway initiative was designed as a way of preserving the original roots of the Nordic Film Market, which was born out of a need to have a “platform where Nordic films can reach out to the world,” but has grown exponentially since its inception.
“Nordic Gateway is about finding the projects that we believe are suitable for co-production with Nordics, but that also tick other boxes,” he added. “The variety [this year] is super interesting as well. I’m very pleased with the spectrum of the projects.”
Projects selected for Gateway have been hand-picked by the industry team as opposed to selected through an open call. Certain entries also come in collaboration with key partners, as is the case this year with “Element,” a German production that was selected in collaboration with the European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs (EAVE), “Two Little Nightmares,” in partnership with CineLink and “Euro Pop Bubble” with Midpoint.
Below, you will find profiles for the six projects selected for this year’s Nordic Gateway:
“Chentian,” dir. Suha Arraf (Palestine)
Arraf is the screenwriter behind festival hits such as “The Syrian Bride” and “Lemon Tree.” Her 2014 directorial debut, “Villa Touma,” played at Venice. “Chentian,” produced by leading Palestinian producer May Odeh (“Aisha Can’t Fly Away,” “A Useful Ghost”), is fresh out of Marrakech’s prestigious Atlas Workshops and trails sisters-in-law Nabila and Sham to tell a story about women, marriage and desire during occupation. As the men disappear, the women must confront betrayal, power, and survival on their own terms. A co-production between Palestine’s Odeh Films and Germany’s Mayana Films.
“Euro Pop Bubble,” dir. Grant Gulczynski (U.K.)
Gulczynski’s work has screened at major festivals such as CPH:DOX and Sarajevo, with the filmmaker having previously been selected for the Berlin Talent Campus and Midpoint Institute. “Euro Pop Bubble” finds British musician Fred spending a lonely Christmas in the aftermath of his boyfriend’s death. Fred’s grief is quickly complicated by jealousy and ambition when he decides to follow his late partner’s dream all the way to the finale of the Euro Pop Contest, going from his lonely Berlin bedroom to a big stage in Stockholm. Produced by Crystal Compass.
“Alors on Danse,” dir. Pieter Van Hees (Belgium)
Set in Brussels, the film follows Zoé and Ota, two young dancers from different worlds who are unexpectedly paired during a casting call. What starts as a thorny mess of clashing egos eventually blurs into love in what is described as “an energetic, youthful and romantic dance film.” Director and writer Van Hees has previously directed provocative genre cinema such as “Left Bank” and “Waste Land,” as well as working on television in projects such as “Versailles” and “Undercover.” Producer Roxanne Sarkozi tells Variety that “Alors on Danse” “feels like a fresh echo of Pieter Van Hees’ earlier work: the same sharp eye for relationships, but with a younger, brighter spark.” Produced by De Wereldvrede.
“Element,” dir. Mariko Minoguchi (Germany)
This German sci-fi offering is set soon after a seaquake begins to drain the world’s water reserves. To save humankind, a geophysicist living with early-onset Alzheimer’s is recruited to investigate the vast void swallowing the oceans. Sent to a remote station, she must uncover the truth before it’s too late. “Element” is Minoguchi’s sophomore directorial effort, following 2018’s “Relativity,” which won the German Film Critics’ Award for best debut and best screenplay. Minoguchi also co-wrote “The Colony,” which premiered at the Berlinale and reached No. 1 on U.S. Netflix charts. Producer Jorgo Narges describes “Element” as “ambitious, high-concept sci-fi that speaks to a global audience.” Produced by X Filme Creative Pool (“The White Ribbon,” “Berlin Babylon”).
“Our Sister Angela,” dir. Jascha Hannover and Katharina Warda (Germany)
Berlin-based writer, speaker and filmmaker Katharina Warda and “The Books He Didn’t Burn” director Jascha Hannover join forces to tell the story of GDR, an enthusiastic solidarity movement for the Black U.S. civil rights activist Angela Davis that emerged in East Germany in the early 1970s. Produced by Germany’s Florianfilm in co-production with the U.K.’s Dare Pictures and U.S.-based La Lutta. Speaking with Variety, Warda says the film will be told “from the perspective of Black East Germans, a community that is almost invisible both in Germany and internationally.”
“Two Little Nightmares,” dir. Nebojša Slijepčević (Croatia)
Slijepčević’s 2024 short film “The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent” won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and the European Film Award for best short film, as well as being nominated for an Oscar in the same category. “Two Little Nightmares” tells the story of Matija, who at seven-years-old is inexplicably linked to a series of suicides in the small village where he grew up — including his father’s. Years later, the playwright uses his practice as well as long-buried memories to process his troubled past. A co-production between Antitalent, Contrast Films, Les Films Norfolk, Studio Virc and Sense Production.
Annika Pham contributed to this piece.
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