It is not the job of a documentary to give a particular subject a slick of Hollywood gloss. Instead, it is tasked with objectively laying bare an event, a person or a part of the world. In the case of … Continue reading The Three Rooms of Melancholia – Film Review
This year the Docs Ireland International Documentary Festival will be happening between the 18th-23rd June. The annual event celebrates and showcases the best in international documentary filmmaking. Held in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the festival provides a platform for both emerging … Continue reading Docs Ireland International Documentary Festival 2024: Spotlight on Nordic Documentary Industry
A visit to any major museum will see artefacts from various cultures on display. At first glance, they may seem a harmless historical throwback – an educational display to give an insight into some far-flung people. People and places may … Continue reading Máhccan (Homecoming) – Film Review
The Swedish artist and mystic, Hilma af Klint, appears to have been one of life’s great talents who was simply too ahead of her time to be fully appreciated and understood. Inspired by theosophic practices, she believed that “High Masters” … Continue reading Hilma – Film Review
Cinema loves food because food is cinematic. You’ve seen Boiling Point, The Menu, Burnt. The sounds of a kitchen – chopping, boiling, stirring, tasting – lend themselves to a familiar yet exciting auditory experience. Presented well, food is a visual … Continue reading The Most Remote Restaurant in the World – Film Review
There are certain images that immediately have more than a whiff of a scam about them. It’s the beige hotel walls and busy carpeting; the fold-down seats; the pulldown projector and pop-up banners. Its the overly enthusiastic speaker bellowing into … Continue reading Lie to Me – Film Review
For some, the idea of a Caribbean cruise with their mother might sound like an incredible way to mark a significant birthday. It should be glamorous, indulgent and fun. But writer / director Michael Noer (the man behind the likes … Continue reading Birthday Girl – Film Review
Michael Noer is a busy man, Nordic Watchlist catch him mid flow of packing up his belongings due to an office move and then in a few days time he will attending the premier of his next feature film – … Continue reading Unveiling the Dark Inspiration Behind ‘Birthday Girl’ by Michael Noer
For US audiences, Alex Høgh Andersen is back, and this time he is playing a very different role than what we have previously been used to. When we last spoke to Alex over a year ago, he had appeared in … Continue reading Call Me Dad – Alex Høgh Andersen chats about his new Danish Dark Comedy
How complex is the truth? Are our memories reliable? Can therapeutic processes be trusted? How does childhood trauma manifest itself? These are just some of the questions that director Ran Huang poses for his audience in his feature length debut, … Continue reading What Remains – Film Review
There is a Nietzsche quote about the lack of friendship, not a lack of love, that renders a marriage unhappy. Matias and Juulia, the middle-aged, married Finns at the centre of Selma Vilhunen’s Four Little Adults seem to possess both … Continue reading Four Little Adults – Film Review
Well, we were certainly wrong about the pace slowing down in June when it comes to Films and TV Series – it looks like there is plenty to get excited about and this doesn’t include the fact that we should … Continue reading Nordic New Releases: June Monthly Guide
Being in high school is hard. Everything – even the smallest decision – can feel like life or death. And, if you’re not in with “the in crowd”, it can feel like even more of a nightmare. You’re not wearing … Continue reading A Part of You – Film Review
It has been a much more quieter month for films, TV series, and book releases but the Nordic Watchlist team still managed to discover some Nordic gems. Here is our Nordic Spotlight: Best in Screen and Page for May. FILM: … Continue reading Nordic Spotlight: Best in Screen and Page – May | Monthly Roundup
Scandinavian countries are often held up as shining examples of truly egalitarian societies. They regularly top polls for happiness, gender equality, equal opportunities and salaries. But it wasn’t always the way for Iceland. In fact, it took until the mid-1970s … Continue reading The Day Iceland Stood Still – Film Review
Claes Bang is set to return to UK TV screens in season three of the BBC series The Outlaws, which begins on May 31. In the quirky crime comedy-drama, he plays The Dean, a London drug dealer in charge of … Continue reading Scandi Sensations: Top Nordic Actors Lighting Up English-Language Series
With 3 Days of Design just a few weeks away, many Nordic design companies are unveiling the new designs they’re going to showcase at the Copenhagen-based festival. Here is Nordic Watchlist’s selection of the best launches and reissues to look … Continue reading Nordic Home & Design Update – May 2024
Given its huge worldwide impact, it is surprising more books don’t examine the impact of the Covid lockdown on society. For Helga Flatland though, in her latest novel Toxic, the pandemic is almost a character in its own right, an … Continue reading Helga Flatland’s Toxic – Book Review
When it comes to dark and emotional dramas, one director that should spring to mind is Anna Zackrisson. Her previous work directing Snow Angels left many people proclaiming how incredible the series was but also how very dark and upsetting … Continue reading In conversation with Anna Zackrisson: Directing Netflix’s Deliver Me
Anna Zackrisson’s Deliver Me hit Netflix on April 24 of this year. The five part series is a shocking exploration of the experience of two young friends caught up in inner-city gang life. Opening with the death of young Bilal (Yassir Hassan), … Continue reading Top Picks for Scandinavian TV Shows With a Focus on Gang Culture
Who am I, where do I come from? It is the most fundamental of questions but one, that for many, doesn’t have a straightforward answer. For members of Finlands’ Skolt Sámi community, it is not only a fundamental question but … Continue reading The Echoes of Lost Identity: A Review of the Skolt Sámi Film Je’vida
Viaplay are back in action and to kickstart their return to US screens is the excellent series Börje – The Journey of a Legend. Directed by the incredibly talented Amir Chamdin (Partisan) and starring Valter Skarsgård as the Swedish Ice … Continue reading From Rink to Reel: Amir Chamdin on Capturing Ice Hockey Legend Börje Salming
A new novel by Icelandic writer Stella Blómkvist always promises multiple levels of intrigue, not least the question of who Stella actually is. Writing over a dozen novels in Icelandic, the identity of the author behind the pseudonym remains an … Continue reading Crime and Identity in Iceland: Reviewing Stella Blómkvist’s Murder Under the Midnight Sun
As summer approaches, the pace might slow down slightly, but there’s still plenty to keep you entertained. We’re also staying connected with Viaplay in the USA, so from now on, any new releases from the streamer that are available in … Continue reading Nordic New Releases: May Monthly Guide
Another month of incredibly good series, movies, and books has flown by. Once again, there has been an exciting mix for us to jump into and explore. Here is our Nordic Spotlight: Best in Screen and Page for April. TV … Continue reading Nordic Spotlight: Best in Screen and Page – April | Monthly Roundup
When Netflix announced a film adaptation of Ann-Helén Laestadius’ award-winning novel Stolen, many people were wondering how the authenticity of Laestadius’ tale of the indigenous Norwegian Sámi people would be maintained on the screen. Glen Pearce caught up with director … Continue reading From Reindeer Herder to Director: Elle Márjá Eira on Her Debut Feature ‘Stolen’
Midsummer Night is riding high in the Top 10 most watched series on Netflix across the world. It is no surprise, as it sees the return of one of the most popular directors when it comes to Nordic series, Per-Olav … Continue reading Catching Up with Amalia Holm: Star of Netflix’s Midsummer Night
The seas around Norway’s coast are rich in history, this key trading route holding many secrets beneath its dark waters. Aslak Nore’s The Sea Cemetery takes the true story of the sinking of a passenger ferry as the starting point for his own deep … Continue reading Family Feuds and Sunken Secrets: The Sea Cemetery Book Review
We continue our Nordic documentary deep dive with eight more compelling films from this year’s line-up at the Copenhagen Documentary Film Festival (CPH:DOX). ETERNAL FATHER | Director: Ömer SAMI | Denmark Synopsis: Nasar, on the cusp of his 59th birthday, … Continue reading Our Nordic Documentary Deep Dive Continues: Eight More Picks from CPH:DOX
This month, Nordic Watchlist brings you something a bit special – a celebration of Nordic design heroes. We review the recent re-issues, special editions (and a never seen before item) from the likes of Alvar Aalto, Arne Jacobsen, Jørn Utzon and Hans-Agne Jakobsson. Here … Continue reading Nordic Home & Design Update – April 2024
