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Ultras Review: A Journey to the Beating Heart of Football Fandom

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In Ultras, director Ragnhild Ekner transforms what could easily be a cacophony of shouting men into a visually intoxicating spectacle of collective passion. The documentary embarks on a journey that subverts expectations, moving beyond mere football obsession to explore the more beautiful, dedicated, and often spiritual prospect of the global Ultras subculture. Continue reading Ultras Review: A Journey to the Beating Heart of Football Fandom

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The Wake by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir – Book Review

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In The Wake, the gripping second novel in Yrsa Sigurðardóttir’s Black Ice series, five old university friends reunite on Iceland’s Westman Islands for a funeral — but a chilling note and a rising body count suggest their past is far from dead. With masterful twists, dual timelines, and a creeping sense of dread, Sigurðardóttir delivers a slow-burning thriller that chills to the bone. Continue reading The Wake by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir – Book Review

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Redoubt Review: John Skoog’s Monochrome Ode to a Cold War Dreamer

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John Skoog’s debut feature Redoubt has its UK premiere at this year’s London Film Festival. Inspired by the true story of Karl-Göran Persson, a farm worker in southern Sweden who, at the height of the Cold War, began fortifying his … Continue reading Redoubt Review: John Skoog’s Monochrome Ode to a Cold War Dreamer

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Koka björn_Gustaf Skarsgård

Gustaf Skarsgård on mud make up, life lessons and the perils of polarism in his new series To Cook A Bear

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Gustaf Skarsgård on mud make up, life lessons and the perils of polarism as he discusses his role in Disney+ series To Cook A Bear with Nordic Watchlist Continue reading Gustaf Skarsgård on mud make up, life lessons and the perils of polarism in his new series To Cook A Bear

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A Lethal Legacy by Guđrún Guđlaugsdóttir – Book Review

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Ever wondered what secrets are hiding in a quiet Icelandic farmhouse? In Guđrún Guđlaugsdóttir’s A Lethal Legacy, journalist Alma Jónsdóttir dives into a family mystery after an elderly farmer’s death. Forget fast-paced action, this story is all about slow-burning drama, sibling rivalry, and secrets that refuse to stay buried. Continue reading A Lethal Legacy by Guđrún Guđlaugsdóttir – Book Review

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Snowblind/Fadeout by Ragnar Jónasson – Book Review

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A decade ago, English readers got to read Snowblind, the first of Ragnar Jónasson’s six-book Dark Iceland series. Now finally we also get to read Fadeout, the prequel that started it all back in Iceland in 2009 with a tenth anniversary special edition of both Fadeout and Snowblind. What set Ari Thór Arason on his path as a police officer? Fadeout reveals all! Continue reading Snowblind/Fadeout by Ragnar Jónasson – Book Review

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Unravel the Mystery of ‘Isolated’ on Walter Presents

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It says much about geopolitical tensions in the world that many Nordic TV shows, films, and books now include a Russian-threat subplot. So, it is with the eight-part Finnish TV series Isolated, now showing as part of the Walter Presents strand on Channel 4. Continue reading Unravel the Mystery of ‘Isolated’ on Walter Presents

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Exploring Nordic Cinema at Hebrides International Film Festival

Nordic Watchlist

The Hebrides International Film Festival is in full swing now and Nordic Watchlist got the opportunity to have a quick catch-up with the festival’s director Murial Ann about its connections to all things Nordic and some of the films selections she has at the festival. Continue reading Exploring Nordic Cinema at Hebrides International Film Festival

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Black As Death by Lilja Sigurđardóttir – Book Review

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In Black As Death, the much-anticipated final instalment of Lilja Sigurđardóttir’s Áróra Investigates series, we finally get answers to the disappearance of Áróra’s sister. Sigurđardóttir though never takes the obvious route and this gripping tale takes a contemporary tale of financial crime and interweaves it with flashbacks that finally solve this five-book long mystery. Continue reading Black As Death by Lilja Sigurđardóttir – Book Review

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The Darkness – TV Series Review

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With a top director, well known cast and an international best seller as source material, the screen adaptation of Ragnar Jónasson’s The Darkness was always going to be highly anticipated. It’s a surprise, therefore, to find that the end result is something less than its constituent parts promise. Continue reading The Darkness – TV Series Review

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Netflix Must Watch: Diary of a Ditched Girl Review

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If you were to think of Nordic Netflix, you’d think of grisly noir thrillers, police procedurals, series based on a true story or Christmassy stories straight out of a postcard. But its latest Scandi offering, Diary of a Ditched Girl, has absolutely nothing in common with these genre favourites. It’s vibrant; it’s unapologetic; it’s bold. Continue reading Netflix Must Watch: Diary of a Ditched Girl Review

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The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer by Ragnar Jónasson – Book Review

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A famous crime writer vanishes, her friends at a loss to know where she is. Her books are an international sensation, but secrets in her personal life haunt the author – could these have driven her to do something reckless? … Continue reading The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer by Ragnar Jónasson – Book Review

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The Girl With Ice In Her Veins by Karin Smirnoff – Book Review

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The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was an international phenomenon on both page and screen. Stieg Larsson’s original trilogy of novels has continued to grow after his death, with Karen Smirnoff now adding the eighth installment = The Girl With Ice In Her Veins. The question is though is it now time to call time on Lisabeth Salander? Continue reading The Girl With Ice In Her Veins by Karin Smirnoff – Book Review

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Death Of A Diplomat by Eliza Reid – Book Review

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Former Icelandic First Lady Eliza Reid’s debut novel, Death Of A Diplomat, draws heavily on her knowledge of ambassadorial receptions, but this modern take on Agatha Christie is no pastiche. A debut that proves Reid can stand proudly alongside the masters of the genre while bringing something distinctly her own to the table. Continue reading Death Of A Diplomat by Eliza Reid – Book Review

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Omerta 6/12 Walter Presents

Omerta 6/12 – New Finnish political thriller comes to Walter Presents

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Walter Presents has been spoiling Scandinavian TV lovers this summer, and this continues with their latest release, Omerta 6/12. You can forget the cosy jumpers and hygge decor, however, as this political thriller aims to showcase something altogether more explosive. Continue reading Omerta 6/12 – New Finnish political thriller comes to Walter Presents

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Broken by Jón Atli Jónasson – Book Review

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Broken – a word with many different connotations. For the two central protagonists in Jón Atli Jónasson’s debut English novel, Broken, what could be seen as a derogatory description of them actually turns into their greatest strength. Iceland is not exactly known as … Continue reading Broken by Jón Atli Jónasson – Book Review

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Home Before Dark by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir – Book Review

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“What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive” – so said Sir Walter Scott, but it could all too easily be the subtitle for Eva Björg Ægisdóttir’s Home Before Dark. A standalone novel, separate from Ægisdóttir’s Forbidden Iceland series, Home Before … Continue reading Home Before Dark by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir – Book Review

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The Sommerdahl Murders Season 3 Walter Presents

The Sommerdahl Murders Season 3: More Picturesque Crime from Walter Presents

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UK fans of Dan, Flemming and Marianne have had to wait just four weeks between series two and season three of The Sommerdahl Murders airing via Walter Presents. Since season two left us with a double personal tragedy for Dan, … Continue reading The Sommerdahl Murders Season 3: More Picturesque Crime from Walter Presents

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The Last Journey documentary film

Reviving Memories: A Father-Son Road Trip in ‘The Last Journey’

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The Last Journey opens with a quiet simplicity: stark title cards. The Son. The Father. They are followed by the sterile whiteness of a hospital waiting room. An MRI machine hums ominously as Lars, the father, lies still, his son … Continue reading Reviving Memories: A Father-Son Road Trip in ‘The Last Journey’

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The Sommerdahl Murders Season 2 Review: The Cosy Crime Drama Returns

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The ultimate comfort watch is back on Walter Presents. Sure, there’s death involved, but there’s something so cosy and charming about The Sommerdahl Murders. It’s as if Midsummer Murders was set in Denmark – there’s an unusually high body count … Continue reading The Sommerdahl Murders Season 2 Review: The Cosy Crime Drama Returns

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Barracuda Queens Season 2 on Netflix: Everything Brilliant and Badass About the New Season

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The Barracuda Queens are back on Netflix with Season 2! We cover everything brilliant and badass about the new season, including the cast, director, history behind the Barracuda Queens, and our review of the second season. Barracuda Queens Season Two … Continue reading Barracuda Queens Season 2 on Netflix: Everything Brilliant and Badass About the New Season