As regular Northwest Film Center attendees know—from recent retrospectives of Swedish directors Roy Andersson and Reuben Östlund to the continuing Nordic treasures premiering in the Portland International Film Festival each year— Scandinavian film remains one of cinema’s great founts of creativity. While a few of the most exciting dramas, comedies, and thrillers from Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland find scattered commercial distribution in the United States, most never make it to Portland screens. We hope this showcase of recent films offers partial remedy and discovery. Special thanks the Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish Film Institutes for their assistance in organizing this celebration. Our thanks also to Nordic Northwest for their sponsorship of the series.
Here is Harold
Directed by Gunnar Vikene
For over 40 years, Harold has been running a successful small furniture shop in Bergen with his wife, Marny. But …
In Front of Others
Directed by Óskar Jónasson
Shy and introverted Hubert works quietly as a copywriter at an ad agency. When he meets Hanna, he immediately falls …
Nice People
Directed by Anders Helgeson, Karin af Klintberg
In this real-life Cool Runnings the predominantly white community of the rural Swedish town of Borlänge (whose town slogan is …
Silent Heart
Directed by Billie August
Three generations of a family have gathered at the matriarch’s (Ghita Nørby) house for the weekend. Terminally ill, she wants …
Sparrows
Directed by Rúnar Rúnarsson
Icelandic filmmaker Rúnarsson (Volcano) explores change, transition, and adaptation and their roles in human relationships. After living in Reykjavik with …
The Fencer
Directed by Klaus Härö
Fleeing from Russian secret police in early 1950’s, a young Baltic dissident leaves Leningrad to settle in the small coastal …
The Here After
Directed by Magnus von Horn
When John returns home to his father after serving time in prison, he’s looking forward to starting his life afresh. …
The Homecoming
Directed by Björn Hlynur Haraldsson
Gunnar is a sociologist in his fifties who has written countless self-help books, but that can’t help him as his …
The Idealist
Directed by Christina Rosendahl
In 1968, during the Cold War, an American B-52 bomber carrying nuclear warheads crashed on the polar ice near the …
The Mine
Directed by Aleksi Salmenperä
Jussi, a young, ambitious civil servant, finds himself in charge of the environmental permit for the huge Talvivaara nickel and uranium …
Women in Oversized Men’s Shirts
Directed by Yngvild Sve Flikke
Based on Gunnhild Øyehaug's celebrated feminist novel Wait, Blink, Flikke’s debut film is an energetic and funny portrait of three …