Each month, Nordic Watchlist curates the best in film, TV, and literature from across the Nordic region, bringing you our standout picks in one place. Nordic Spotlight: Best in Screen and Page is your go-to roundup for the most compelling … Continue reading Nordic Spotlight: Best in Screen and Page – January | Monthly Roundup
Many might recognise Danish actor Marco Ilsø from his role as Hvitserk in Vikings. His other work includes Wildmen, which is a film we strongly recommend you seek out if you are a fan of the actor. But before doing … Continue reading Danish actor Marco Ilsø discusses working on Viaplay’s biker gang drama ‘Bullshit’
Danish author Lone Theil’s debut crime novel Fatal Crossing (Pigerne Fra England-Båden) from 2015 ticks every box for a screen adaptation. The tale of a London-based Danish journalist, written by a former London-based Danish journalist, lends the book a sense … Continue reading Fatal Crossing – TV Series Review
Blackwater finally arrives on Channel 4’s Walter Presents with a stacked cast of famous Nordic stars and plenty of hype, having garnered significant praise across Scandinavia. But how does it translate here, and is it any good? The short answer: … Continue reading Blackwater Review – New Walter Presents TV Series
Our first book review of 2025 is Into Thin Air by Ørjan Karlsson. Norway – a picturesque land where crime is virtually non-existent and what little crime there is confined only to the urban surroundings of Oslo. Like the Norse … Continue reading Into Thin Air by Ørjan Karlsson – Book Review
If you haven’t heard of The Girl With The Needle yet then it might be possible you have been either hiding under a rock or need to spend more time on Nordic Watchlist. The Magnus von Horn-directed Danish film has … Continue reading Director Magnus von Horn Discusses The Girl With The Needle
We are excited to announce what series are on their way in 2025. Here are the new Nordic TV Series for 2025! Here we will feature series that will be available on the BBC, Netflix, Walter Presents/Channel 4, and Viaplay USA and UK. Please note that some … Continue reading New Nordic TV Series for 2025
Thordur Palsson’s The Damned comes to UK Cinemas this week and Nordic Watchlist got the opportunity to speak to the Icelandic director, along with his star Australian actress Odessa Young. Nordic Watchlist: Thordur, Icelandic folklore plays a very significant role … Continue reading Behind the Scenes of The Damned with Thordur Palsson and Odessa Young
For many writers, a sense of place serves as a backdrop—an aesthetic choice that enhances the story. But for author Ørjan Karlsson the landscapes of northern Norway are more than just scenery. They are characters, shaping the people who live … Continue reading Exclusive Interview with Author Ørjan Karlsson
“Was it worth it? – There’s no way to answer that – what is freedom worth?” So says veteran Gunnar Sønsteby in response to a student question after delivering his account of life as a Norwegian resistance fighter during the … Continue reading Number 24 – Netflix Film Review
Happy New Year everyone – here we are in 2025 – a very special year for Nordic Watchlist as it turns 5 years old and what better way to start celebrating than to see what amazing titles are being released … Continue reading Nordic New Releases: January Monthly Guide
Here are 10 New Nordic Novels for 2025 2024 proved to be a vintage year for English language releases of Nordic literature and early indications show 2025 to be shaping up to be an equally tantalising year. From first-time translations … Continue reading 10 New Nordic Novels for 2025
While TV and film companies have been falling over themselves to snap up adaptation rights to Nordic novels in 2024, authors have continued to publish new works, be they additions to already popular long-running series or brand-new additions and voices … Continue reading Best Nordic Novels of 2024
It is our annual Top 10 picks where we select our best Nordic films of 2024 – it is important to note that this is based on films that have been released in the UK and are accessible via a … Continue reading Best Nordic Films of 2024
Wherever you look when it comes to streamers in the UK, you’re bound to find a film or series starring the up-and-coming Danish star Vic Carmen Sonne. On the BFI Player you’ll find her earlier hits, 2018’s Holiday and last … Continue reading Introducing Vic Carmen Sonne: Nordic rising star
Another year has passed and it is hard to imagine that at one point we were worried about how many Nordic series would be available to us in the UK, how wrong we were, and how spoilt we got! Here … Continue reading Best Nordic TV Series of 2024
Who polices the police? The concept of the ‘corrupt cop’ is nothing new and the basis for many books and TV series, but in The Traitor, Jørn Lier Horst’s latest installment in the popular Wisting series, it takes on a … Continue reading The Traitor by Jorn Lier Horst – Book Review
Back in October, Dag Johan Haugerud’s film, ‘Sex’, had its premiere at the BFI London Film Festival. It was the first time one of his films had been screened in the UK despite his previous film Barn (Beware The Children) … Continue reading Dag Johan Haugerud’s Film ‘Sex’: Exploring Sexuality and Identity
Here we go – our final Nordic New Releases post for 2024! What a year it has been and it certainly has not finished yet with a whole bundle of new series, films, and books being released. FILMS & TV … Continue reading Nordic New Releases: December Monthly Guide
It could be argued that November provided some of the best Nordic content all year when it comes to the small screen. Netflix kicked the month off with Let Go and then followed it up with utterly gripping Helicopter Heist. … Continue reading Nordic Spotlight: Best in Screen and Page – November | Monthly Roundup
For the majority of the world, genealogy is nothing more than a fascinating hobby. In Iceland, family trees take on more importance as, due to the patronymic surname system of taking the name of your father as your last name, the risk of dating a … Continue reading The Clues in the Fjord by Satu Rämo – Book Review
Medical advancements are a wonderful thing, but what happens if the doctor sees that step forward as personal gratification rather than something for the societal better? It’s a premise that Hanna Nordenhök’s beautifully gothic Caesaria examines. Set in 19th Century Sweden, Doctor Eldh … Continue reading Caesaria by Hanna Nordenhök – Book Review
There is nothing to fear except fear itself – except for a family and their housekeeper in rural Iceland. In the middle of a harsh winter, the fear in their minds is nothing compared with the real horror that awaits … Continue reading Can’t Run, Can’t Hide by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
There’s something about taking literary characters out of their traditional settings and exploring how the environment changes their dynamic. It’s a ploy Samuel Bjørk uses in Dead Island, the fifth instalment of his Munch and Krüger series, taking the detective … Continue reading Dead Island by Samuel Bjørk – Book Review
One takeaway from 2024 is that both Icelandic director Rúnar Rúnarsson and actress Elín Hall have become two names to look out for in the future. The pair teamed up for Rúnar’s new feature When the Light Breaks, which started … Continue reading When the Light Breaks Director Runar Runarsson and star Elin Hall talk to Nordic Watchlist
Victim. It is a widely used term that has many connotations. Many Nordic Noir novels look purely at the victims of a usually bloody crime. For Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger, however, the concept of victimhood is looked at … Continue reading Victim by Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger – Book Review
There’s always a sense of epic journey in starting a Knausgård book and especially so when beginning a volume in the Morning Star series. It’s a major work and the latest instalment, The Third Realm, is an ambitious work. The … Continue reading The Third Realm by Karl Ove Knausgård – Book Review
I hope you are all ready for November because you are going to be spoilt with a huge mix of films, series, and books to enjoy! Here is our monthly guide to all the Nordic New Releases: October Monthly Guide … Continue reading Nordic New Releases: November Monthly Guide
October has been a busy month with London Film Festival and the release of some fantastic series on Viaplay! Here is our monthly Nordic Spotlight: Best in Screen and Page – October edition. TV SERIES: Secrets | Viaplay UK & … Continue reading Nordic Spotlight: Best in Screen and Page – October | Monthly Roundup
Pilou Asbæk is up there as one of the most recognisable faces from Denmark when it comes to film and television. His work in both Hollywood and the Nordics has propelled him to be a household name with a wide … Continue reading Pilou Asbaek ‘comes home’ with new Viaplay series Secrets
