Nordic Film Crossing Borders

Nordisk Film & TV Fond Presents
NORDIC FILM CROSSING BORDERS

Report on Distribution & Sales of Nordic Films 2009-2013
INDEX
Nordic Film Crossing Borders
Behind the Buzz 4

Behind the Numbers 6
Nordisk Film & TV Fond - Top Financier
7
1. NORDIC CINEMA TRENDS
Local Quality Content and Declining Admissions

8
Marjo Pipinen: What Makes a Film Nordic?
9
Digitalisation and Cinemas 10
Denmark and Danish feature films
12
Finland and Finnish Feature Films
14
Iceland and Icelandic Feature Films
18
Norway and Norwegian Feature Films
20
Sweden and Swedish Feature Films
22
2.NORDIC FILM SUCCESS 24

Nordic Films Crossing Borders
24
John M. Jacobsen: Outcasts in Their Neighbouring Countries
25
Nordic Films in Denmark 26
Nordic Films in Finland 27
Nordic Films in Iceland 28
Nordic Films in Norway 29
Nordic Films in Sweden 30
Most Popular Feature Films in the Nordic Countries
32
3. INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS OF NORDIC FILM
36
World-wide Success of Nordic Films
36
Ib Bondebjerg: The Nordic Film and Television Wave
37
Danish Films International Success 38
Finnish Films International Success 40
Icelandic Films International Success 42
Norwegian Films International Success 44
Swedish Films International Success 46
Nordic Films International Sales and Festival Success
48
Nordic Films at Nordic Festivals
52
4. FOCUS ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH FILM
54
Nordic Characteristics of Children and Youth Film

54
Silje Hopland Eik: Making Nordic Children and
Youth Films Succeed Across Borders
55
Danish Children and Youth Film 56
Finnish Children and Youth Film 57
Icelandic Children and Youth Film 58
Norwegian Children and Youth Film 59
Swedish Children and Youth Film
60
International Success of Children and Youth Film
61
Nordic Children and Youth Film Successes
66
5. FOCUS ON DOCUMENTARY FILM
68
Nordic Characteristics of Documentary Films
68
Karolina Lidin: Where Are the Nordic Hit Documentaries?
69
Danish Documentaries 70
Finnish Documentaries 71
Icelandic Documentaries 72
Norwegian Documentaries 73
Swedish Documentaries 74
International Success of Documentary Film
75
Nordic Documentary Successes 80
6. CONCLUSION 84
Jakob Kirstein Hgel: In a Wondrous State
84
Johanna Koljonen: Finding a New Place in the Ecosystem
85
Data Collecting and Its Challenges
86
Conclusion 87
Introduction
Introduction
INTRODUCTION
Behind the Buzz

Buzz around the Golden Age of Nordic
Films, Nordic Noir in TV and the Global
Impact of Nordic documentaries have been
discussion topics for some time now. We
have won Oscars and prizes at major film
and TV festivals, huge pan-Nordic and
international audiences have tuned in and
sales of our films and TV series to foreign
territories have grown.
Thanks to films and television dramas,
moving pictures of Nordic cultures and
values have been spread widely throughout
the world.
Looking at facts and figures is a way of
delving deeper into the details of how
successful our storytellers actually are.
That is why we started an ambitious data
collection project on admissions, TV-ratings,
festival visits and sales of Nordic film and
TV projects in spring 2014.
The year 2009 was a natural starting point,
since that year we at Nordisk Film & TV
Fond initiated a substantial change in our
distribution support measures. Selected
distributors that were releasing several
non-national Nordic titles in cinemas could
receive slate support from us. During 20102012 we also received additional allocation
from The Nordic Council of Ministers
Kreanord pool to encourage distributors
abroad to pick up Nordic titles.
It can clearly be noted that the number of
Nordic titles distributed in neighbouring
Nordic countries has steadily grown. Still,
certain logic remains: a good number
of films are purely aimed at the national
audience. Since the Fund demands
distribution or pre-sale in at least two
Page 4
Nordic Fiction Films in Cinema
Nordic countries, national films do not

really fall into our remit. It is, however,
interesting to have a look at what are the
most popular stories of national importance.
2009-2013
21%
5%
The Funds support covers more than 250

films between 2009 and 2013. This includes
documentaries that usually are shown at
festivals and on TV. Yet 80% of these films
had a cinema release and more than a half
of them in at least two Nordic countries.
This reports peek at the qualitative data
is extremely interesting: which titles have
actually travelled, pleased audiences and
been sold.
95%
The report is based on data of films and

documentaries from 2009 to 2013. In the
world of multiple platforms, the next step
would be to look at the audience numbers
on TV. From the few bits and pieces of
information we already know that Nordic
television audiences have indeed grown to
appreciate content from the neighbours
much more than before.
Had screening in cinema: 524

Had screening in more than one country: 117
Had no cinema screening: 28
Total amount of films: 552
Including children & youth films,
Documentary films excluded
The Nordisk Film & TV Fond celebrates

its 25th anniversary this year. During these
years we have financially supported over
1,400 films with a total sum of NOK 1.6
billion. This report nicely presents concrete
proof that these amounts have made a
difference in terms of reaching Nordic and
global audiences.
Petri Kemppinen
CEO
Page 5
Introduction
Introduction
INTRODUCTION
Nordic films
2009-2013
Total Amount of Films
Films by Category
Films by Country
847
24%
30%
Films Supported by NFTF
Behind the Numbers

There has been great interest and need for
independent and comprehensive statistical
research about Nordic film distribution
and sales. This report compiles Nordic film
statistics in a depth that has never been
seen before. The data covers over 800 titles
premiered in 2009-2013.
The statistics were collected between April
2014 and February 2015 from Nordic film
institutes and foundations, international
sales companies and producers, who were
the key contributors and made this study
possible. The hand-picked and organised
statistics are at the core of this study, whose
results are presented in this report.
The perspective of this report moves
from the local to pan-Nordic and finally
worldwide successes of Nordic film. The
report is divided into six chapters. At first,
the focus is on the national characteristics
of Nordic film. The second chapter is an
overview of Nordic cinema trends and a
dive to Nordic film successes: which film
50%
31%
35%
(264 films)
productions were the most successful among

the Nordic audiences. Nordic numbers lead
us to the international successes and more
specific analysis of children and youth films
and documentary hits.
In the beginning of each chapter, you can
find a column from a visiting writer. These
texts represent different points of view to
the film world and hopefully, together with
the statistical findings and analysis, inspires
thinking and future conversations as well as
decision-making.
15%
Supported Films
Premiered in Cinemas
Documentary: 295
Children and Youth film: 129
Other: 423
81 %
(213 films)
Page 6
8%
Denmark: 204
Finland: 164
Iceland: 66
Norway: 155
Sweden: 258
*All percentages rounded to the nearest whole number.
This report, Nordic Film Crossing

Borders, is printed for the stakeholders and
organisations who helped create it, and
accessible online for everyone. The report
and more statistics are available on
www.nordiskfilmogtvfond.com.
Top Financier
Nordisk Film & TV Fond was established
in 1990 to promote high quality film and
TV productions in the Nordic Countries
by allocating funding for Nordic feature
films, TV fiction and series, and creative
documentaries. The Fund is backed by the
Nordic Council of Ministers, the five Nordic
film institutes and 11 Nordic television
channels, but it makes its decisions
independently. To get funding, the project
must have a significant audience potential
primarily in the Nordic countries and
secondarily in the global market. Projects for
children and youth are given priority.
Sara Keskinarkaus
Project Researcher
The Fund also supports a wide range of

film-cultural initiatives, which aims to
support the Nordic film and TV industry
to create networks between professionals
around the world as well as build bridges
between established industry and
newcomers. One of the Funds own annual
events, Nordic Talents, specifically targets
19%
18%
Page 7
this goal by creating a meeting point for

fresh film graduates and professionals.
Another of the Funds objectives is helping
professionals to improve and develop their
knowledge and skills. Special development
projects like the recent High Five Cross
Media Content for Kids and Nordic Genre
Boost can be initiated.
In 2005, the Nordic Council Film Prize was
established and Oslo-based Nordisk Film &
TV Fond became its administrator. The goal
for this prestigious prize is to strengthen the
Nordic cultural community and develop the
Nordic region as a cultural home market. In
time, the nominated films will benefit from
the Film Prize culturally and commercially.
The Fund also promotes distribution and
versioning of Nordic films in the region.
The Fund provides support in a form of top
financing. In 2014 it supported 120 projects
with NOK 84,6 million.
Nordic Cinema Trends
01
NORDIC CINEMA TRENDS
Marjo Pipinen: What Makes a Film Nordic?

Nordic films have a peculiar sense of
humour.
It may be laconic, like (Le Havre), black
(A Somewhat Gentle Man), intelligent
(I Belong), outrageous (Klovn: the Movie)
or it may have something to do with horses
(Of Horses and Men) but you are sure
to recognize it as Nordic. Nordic comedies
are not afraid to make you feel awkward,
embarrassed, or even nauseous, and when
the end credits roll, youll find yourself
pretty damn happy about it.
Local Quality Content and Declining Admissions

Nordic territories have maintained the
reputation for producing successful local
content, despite the fact that, like the rest
of Europe, the market has been struggling
with declining cinema admissions. Over 51
million cinema tickets were sold in 2013 in
the Nordic region, which is a 4.3 percent
decline from the previous year. In 2014,
admissions dropped to 48.7 million.
The decline has been more rapid in the EU
region: cinema admissions have decreased in
the region more or less continuously the past
years. In 2013, admissions dropped to 907.1
million tickets sold, which is the lowest level
since 20051. Despite falling admissions,
increasing ticket prices have kept the box
office growing, but in 2013 the profits were

not sufficed and the EU gross box office
declined for the first time since 2005.
The damages have so far stayed milder in
the Nordic region with especially the local
films having kept their strong position and
even dominating the charts. In Denmark
and Finland, local films drew a substantial
27 percent of the audience in 2014. In
Finland this was an increase compared to
the previous year. In Sweden, the share also
had a slightly positive trend compared to the
previous year, 25.1 percent market share.
The market share of national films tends
to fluctuate depending on the success of
generally a few local blockbusters.
Nordic films tackle painful issues.

Nordic filmmakers are a brave bunch: they
highlight global concerns and are not afraid
of exposing their own vulnerabilities. They
find stories that are not often told (Eat
Sleep Die), or get people to open up about
the stories they probably didnt even know
should be told (Finnish Blood, Swedish
Heart). There are stories that are common to
all of our countries (The Orheim Company),
and films that remind us that there is a
whole world outside this little corner of ours
(Concerning Violence).
Nordic films are about identity crises.

The relatively peaceful life the Nordic
countries have enjoyed has made the ground
fertile for some hard-core introspection:
What is it like to be human in todays world?
And what is my place in the world? The
questions often arise from a life-changing
event (Blind, Metalhead), while some films
play out an identity crisis of the society as
a whole (Play, The Hunt). In others, the
human condition itself has enough fuel
for creating a gripping story (She Monkeys,
Concrete Night).
Nordic film is a myth.
The truth about Nordic films is that there is
no truth. Some films feel like they could not
have been made anywhere else in the world
(The Reunion), some tell universal stories
(In a Better World). The countries and their
films are so diverse that any generalization
fails in some way. That is why we need to
keep our doors and borders open so that all
kinds of filmmakers can come and go: we
never know where the next great Nordic film
is going to be made, by whom, and what
kind of a story it tells.
Marjo Pipinen
Programmer
Helsinki International Film Festival
Country
Admissions (in mio)
GBO (in mio EUR)

Denmark
Finland
Iceland*
Norway
Sweden
2009 2013 Change %

14.1 13.6
-3.5
6.8
7.8 14.7
1.6 1.4 -12.5
12.7 11.8
-7.1
17.4 16.6
-8.1
2009 2013 Change %

138.1 141.0
2.1
57.1
76.0 33.1
8.6 9.3
8.1
130.0 140.4
11.1
145.4 190.1
30.7
National Market Share

2009
2013
17.3% 30.0%
15.0%
23.0%
10.3% 3.1%
20.6% 22.8%
32.7% 24.8%
*estimated
National market share includes minority co-productions in Denmark and Iceland
Source: EAO
Page 8
uropean Audiovisual Observatory, Focus 2014 - World Film Market Trends.

E
Calculated on a pro-forma basis for the 28 EU member states as of 2014.
Page 9
01
Digitalisation and Cinemas

Digitalisation has changed each step of
filmmaking from filming to distribution
and introduced new platforms for watching
films. New technology and the digitalisation
of film has been seen mostly as a positive
development. After a slow start, the
conversion of cinemas to digital projection
proceeded rapidly during this decade.
Thanks to rapid uptake among leading
circuits, by the end of 2011 more than half
of Europes cinema screens were equipped
for digital projection2. The Nordic countries
were even more up to beat and adapted the
new equipment and techniques even more
faster than rest of the Europe, as a lot of
hopes were set in.
Updating of course demanded investments,
and two of the generally recognised
downsides of digitalisation have been
large initial investments and the increase
of vulnerability for malfunctions in the
cinemas, which has made especially singlescreen cinemas struggle3.
Faster circulation of films and better

availability are also generally recognised
as the primary effects of digitisation. The
number of released films has increased
in many countries, but at the same time
the amount of movie theatres and screens
has decreased. Small cinemas and arthouse theatres have reported to struggle
with distribution and are saying that big
blockbusters are taking over screens in the
entire Nordic region.
Of Horses and Men Hrossabrestur Ehf
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared Press3
Icelandic film sensation Of Horses and Men was awarded with

The Nordic Council Film Prize in 2014.
Actor Robert Gustafsson (left) stars Swedish comedy hit The 100-Year-Old Man Who
Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared.
Lastly, the recent falling revenues from the

DVD market are challenging the traditional
business models and as the cinemas and
cinema-goers adapt new technologies and
practices, the conversation of cinemas
exclusivity and new distribution windows
remains strong. While novelty factor of
digital 3D blockbusters initially boosted
underlying cinema attendance in 2009,
admissions have been decreasing more or
less continuously since then.
Nordic Countries and Cinema in a Nutshell

Population 2013 (million)
Admissions 2013 (million)
Admissions, local films 2013 (million)
Average admissions per capita 2013
Number of cinemas
Screens
Digital screens
Digital 3D screens
Feature film first releases 2013
New domestic releases 2013
Norway became the worlds first country

to only have digital cinema technology in
July 20114. In 2013, there were around
200 cinemas in Norway and the number
of digital screens had grown slightly to 422
screens. Denmark, Finland and Norway got
one hundred percent digitised in 2014, and
Sweden was catching up rapidly.
2
3
4
*estimated
European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO), Press release, 18.01.2012.

EAO, Press release, 18.01.2012 and Aalto University, report, 2013.
Film & Kino, Cinemas article, 03.01.2012.
Page 10
Page 11
Denmark Finland Iceland Norway Sweden

5.6 5.5 0.3 5.1 9.6
13.6
7.8
1.4
11.8
16.6
4.1
1.8
0.04*
2.7
4.1
2,4
1,4
4,3
2,3
1,7
157
159
11
192
424
405 282 - 422 774
400 284 38 422 707
243
208
27
281
434
227
200
2
201
248
28
36
-
26
49
01
Top 10 Local Film Successes in Denmark in 2009-2013
Denmark and Danish feature films

Cinema-going in Denmark has stayed
basically stable, and after a 33 percent record
market share in 2012, Danish films continue
their winning course. In 2013, four of top
5 films in the country were local films, led
by director Mikkel Nrgaards crime thriller
The Keeper of the Lost Causes (Kvinden i
buret) and director Thomas Vinterbergs
award-winning The Hunt (Jagten) with over
650,000 admissions. The Hunt was also
among the European film successes of the
year 20135 and the most popular Danish
films in other Nordic countries.
be recognized also from a longer period: the

most successful films during the whole research
period include feature-length films from
childrens film to romantic comedy and thriller.
Local film successes were also popular
among wider Nordic audience. For example,
director Niels Nrlv Hansens comedy
success The Reunion (Klassefesten, 2011)
caught exceptional interest in Finland, and
in February 2015 director Taneli Mustonens
remake made history as Finlands all-time
best domestic opener with 123,939
admissions from 126 screens.
In 2013 Denmark also achieved the highest

market share for the local films (30%) in
the Nordic countries through diversity6.
The five biggest films of the year included a
quality crime film, a drama, a childrens film,
a comedy and a biopic. Similar pattern can
Category
Support
English title
Original title
Release year
Directors

1.
-
YES
Clown
Klovn - The Movie
2010
Mikkel Nrgaard
2.
-
-
This Life
Hvidsten Gruppen - Nogle
2012
Anne-Grethe Bjarup Riis
m d for at andre kan leve

3.
-
YES
The Keeper of Lost Causes Kvinden i buret
2013
Mikkel Nrgaard
4.
-
YES
The Hunt
Jagten
2013
Thomas Vinterberg
5.
-
YES
Love is All You Need
Den skaldede frisr
2012
Susanne Bier
6.
-
YES
A Royal Affair
En kongelig affre
2012
Nikolaj Arcel
7.
-
-
The Reunion
Klassefesten
2011
Niels Nrlv Hansen
8.
-
YES
A Funny Man
Dirch
2011
Martin Zandvliet
9.
-
YES
In a better World
Hvnen
2010
Susanne Bier
10. C
-
Father of Four
Far til fire - p japansk
2010
Claus Bjerre
690,891
651,818
631,937
515,921
505,588
473,042
443,542
418,638
Admission in the country of origin excluded
Category
Support
English title
Original title
Release year
Directors

1.
-
YES
In a better World
Hvnen
2010
Susanne Bier
2.
-
YES
The Hunt
Jagten
2013
Thomas Vinterberg
3.
-
YES
Clown
Klovn - The Movie
2010
Mikkel Nrgaard
4.
-
YES
Melancholia
Melancholia
2011
Lars von Trier
5.
-
YES
A Royal Affair
En kongelig affre
2012
Nikolaj Arcel
6.
-
YES
Den skaldede frisr
2012
Susanne Bier
7.
-
YES
Marie Kryer
Marie Kryer
2012
Bille August
D
8.
YES
Armadillo
Armadillo
2010
Janus Metz Pedersen
9.
-
YES
Antichrist
Antichrist
2009
Lars von Trier
10. C
YES
Freddy Frogface
Orla Frsnapper
2011
Peter Dodd
he Hunt gathered over 850,000 admissions in Europe outside Denmark according to European Audiovisual Observatory statistics.
T
In 2014 market share dropped to 27%.
Page 12
838,881
754,824
Top 10 Danish Film Successes in the Nordics
C Children & Youth Film

D Documentary Film
YES Supported by Nordisk Film & TV Fond
Admissions
in Denmark
Page 13
Admissions in other
Nordic countries
227,065
126,506
94,786
92,002
83,353
69,758
62,541
51,256
38,075
21,186
01
Top 10 Local Film Successes in Finland in 2009-2013
Finland and Finnish Feature Films
Despite the declining cinema admissions,

the Finnish titles have been making records
in recent years. In 2014, local films ended
up controlling 27 percent of the market with
more than two million tickets sold. This
was the third best result for local titles since
Finnish cinema statistics began in 1970.
Still, the Finnish audience in general

favoured comedies and dramas. Director
Johanna Vuoksenmaas comedy film 21 Ways
to Ruin a Marriage (2013) had 403,000
admissions, which makes it the national
cinema success of five years and the fifth
most seen film of the 2000s.
The Finnish phenomenon of 2010s

was the constantly improving success of
documentaries, which captured all of 14
percent of the audience share of national
films in 2013. Documentary films cinema
audience more than doubled in 2012-2013
from 115,000 to 257,000 admissions. The
audience magnet was Finnish Flash - A
Teemu Selnne Story (2013), a documentary
film about the national ice-hockey celebrity
and idol, with 130,000 sold cinema tickets.
Those numbers made it not only the
national documentary hit, but also the
biggest documentary film success in the
Finnish cinemas so far.
Finnish film hits stayed mostly local hits as

only two of top 10 films were introduced
to wider Nordic cinema audience. The
Nordic neighbours favoured documentaries,
children animations and director Aki
Kaurismkis award-winning Le Havre
(2011), which was screened in Denmark,
Norway and Sweden. Director Jalmari
Helanders innovative Christmas horrorstory Rare Exports (2010) was the only title
appearing on both the national and the
Nordic top 10s.
Page 14
Category Support English title

Original title
Release year
Directors

1.
-
-
21 Ways to Ruin a Marriage
21 tapaa pilata avioliitto
2013
Johanna Vuoksenmaa
2.
-
YES
Lapland Odyssey
Napapiirin sankarit
2010
Dome Karukoski
C
3.
-
Ricky Rapper and the Bicycle Thief Risto Rppj ja
2010
Mari Rantasila
polkupyrvaras

C
4.
-
Ricky Rapper and Cool Wendy
Risto Rppj ja
2012
Mari Rantasila
Viile Venla

5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
YES
-
YES
Princess
Road North
Hellsinki
Rare Exports
Backwood Philosopher
Purge
Prinsessa
Tie Pohjoiseen

Rperi
Rare Exports

Havukka-ahon ajattelija

Puhdistus

2010
2012
2009
2010
2009
2012
Arto Halonen
Mika Kaurismki
Aleksi Mkel
Jalmari Helander
Kari Vnnen
Antti Jokinen
Admissions
in Finland
403,045
384,392
328,224
309,939
296,939
265,719
260,020
252,404
222,707
210,013
Top 10 Finnish Film Successes in the Nordics


Original title
Release year
Directors

1.
-
YES
Le Havre
Le Havre
2011
Aki Kaurismki
C
2.
YES
Niko 2 - Little Brother, Big Trouble Niko 2 - lentjveljekset
2012
Kari Juusonen
3.
-
YES
Iron Sky
Iron Sky
2012
Timo Vuorensola
C
4.
YES
Moomins and the Comet Chase
Muumi ja punainen
2010
Maria Lindberg
pyrstthti

D
5.
YES
Steam of Life
Miesten vuoro

2010

D
6.
YES
Finnish Blood, Swedish Heart
Laulu koti-ikvst
2013
7.
-
YES
Rare Exports

Rare Exports
2010
8.
-
YES
The House of Branching Love
Haarautuvan rakkauden talo
2009
9.
-
YES
Lapland Odyssey
Napapiirin sankarit
2010
D -
10.
Reindeerspotting
Reindeerspotting
2010
Page 15
Joonas Berghll &

Mika Hotakainen
Mika Ronkainen
Jalmari Helander
Mika Kaurismki
Dome Karukoski
Joonas Neuvonen
Admissions in other
Nordic countries
66,579
61,402
60,890
25,734
12,991
8,043
7,554
1,811
501
291
01
Headhunters Erik Aavatsmark Friland AS
Headhunters was one of the most popular

Norwegian films in the Nordic region.
It had also over 558,000 local admissions.
Steam of Life Oktober Oy
The Hunt Per Arnesen
One of the Finnish documentary successes of the period was intimate Steam of Life with over
49,000 local admissions and festival screenings in around 30 countries.
Page 16
The Hunt, an award-winning Danish drama about a kindergarten teacher

accused of child abuse, had over 650,000 local admissions.
Page 17
01
Top 10 Local Film Successes in Iceland in 2009-2013
Iceland and Icelandic Feature Films

Director Ragnar Bragasons comedy Mr.
Bjarnfredarson (2009) was the most popular
local film in 2009-2013 with almost
67,000 admissions followed by Oskar Thor
Axelssons thriller Blacks game (2012). The
latter also had an audience of a couple
hundred in Danish cinemas.
Icelandic films stayed local as only eight
films of all 66 films (12%) were screened
in other Nordic countries by the end of the
research period. The Icelandic success stories
in the Nordics were childrens animation
Legends of Valhalla Thor (2011), directed
by skar Jnasson, and survival story The
Deep (Djpi, 2012) directed by Baltasar
Kormkur. Both attracted audience in and
outside of Iceland. Jnassons animation
more than doubled its audience in other
Nordic countries.
In general, children and youth films had a

good position in the Icelandic market. Four
of ten top 10 local films were for a youth or
even younger audience.
Despite the last years having been hard for
Icelandic cinema, local films having only 3.6
percent of B.O. revenues in 2013 and even
less in admissions, 2014 saw a significant rise
of the local market share to 13.6 percent.7
Category Support
English title
Original title
Release year
Directors

1.
- -
Mr. Bjarnfredarson
Bjarnfrearson
2009
Ragnar Bragason
2.
-
YES
Blacks Game
Svartur leik
2012
skar Thr Axelsson
3.
-
YES
The Deep
Djpi
2012
Baltasar Kormkur
C -
4.
The Secret Spell
Algjr Sveppi og
2010
Bragi r Hinriksson
dularfulla htelherbergi

5.
- - Jhannes
C -
6.
The Big Rescue

C -
7.
The Magic Wardrobe

C
8.
YES
Legends of Valhalla - Thor
9.
-
-
Our Own Oslo
10. -
YES
Mamma Gogo
66,876
62,783
50,280
37,506
Jhannes
Algjr Sveppi og
leitin a Villa
2009
2009
orsteinn Gunnar Bjarnason

Bragi r Hinriksson
36,417
32,226
Algjr Sveppi og
tfraskpurinn
2011
Bragi r Hinriksson
30,602
Hetjur Valhallar - r
Okkar eigin Osl
Mamma Gg
2011
2011
2010
skar Jnasson
Reynir Lyngdal
Fririk r Fririksson
24,044
23,892
23,363
Top 7 Icelandic Film Successes in the Nordics

Category Support
English title
Original title
Release year
Directors

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
-
-
-
-
-
-
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES

The Deep
The Good Heart
Volcano
Blacks Game
Mamma Gogo
Summerland
The data does not include the admissions at the Icelands art-house cinema Bio Paradis, which has screened film productions since autumn 2010.
Page 18
Admissions in
Iceland
Page 19
Djpi
The Good Heart
Eldfjall
Svartur leik
Mamma Gg
Sumarlandi
2011
2012
2009
2011
2012
2010
2010
skar Jnasson
Baltasar Kormkur
Dagur Kri
Rnar Rnarsson
skar Thr Axelsson
Fririk r Fririksson
Grmur Hkonarson
Admissions in other
Nordic countries
29,206
11,257
7,731
5,568
898
837
792
01
Top 10 Local Film Successes in Norway in 2009-2013
Norway and Norwegian Feature Films

Norwegian cinemas ticket-sales have gone
moderately downhill for the last years, but
at the same time local films have attracted
somewhat bigger audiences than before: in
2009 cinemas sold 12.7 million tickets. By
2013, total admissions had dropped down
to 11.8 million and by 2014 to 11.3 million
tickets. Local films in turn rose to nearly 2.7
million tickets in 2013, and the year after
went even over that, which means a market
share of 24.4 percent and the second best
year for local film since 1975, Film & Kino
reveals.
The main contributors to the record-high
local film market shares are the children and
family films. For example director Rasmus
A. Sivertsens phenomenal success animation
The Christmas of Solan & Ludvig rose to the
second most successful local film, despite its
late release in 2013.
The children and youth films also
dominated the Top 10 local films. Only
the Oscar-nominated blockbuster epic
Page 20
Kon-tiki (2012), directed by Espen

Sandberg and Joachim Rnning, beat the
Christmas tale with 888,000 sold tickets
in Norway. Adventure film attracted also
over 205,000-headed cinema audience in
Denmark, Finland, and Sweden.
Wider Nordic audiences most enjoyed
action thriller Headhunters (Hodejegerne,
2011), based on Jo Nesbs novel and
directed by Morten Tyldum, and it leads
the Norwegian films top 10 from 20092013 based on cinema admission in other
Nordic countries. Most of the Norwegian
film successes in the Nordic countries had a
cinema release in Sweden and Denmark, and
a few in Finland and Iceland.

Original title
Release year
Directors

1. -
YES
Kon-Tiki
Kon-Tiki
2012
Espen Sandberg

& Joachim Rnning
C -
2.
The Christmas of Solan & Ludvig
Solan og Ludvig
2013
Rasmus A. Sivertsen
- Jul i Flklypa

Admissions in
Norway
888,363
854,210
3.
-
YES
Headhunters
Hodejegerne
2011
C
4.
YES
Journey to the Christmas Star
Reisen til julestjernen
2012
C -
5.
Twigson ties the Knot
Knerten gifter seg
2010
C -
6.
Twigson
Knerten
2009
C -
7.
Magic Silver
Julenatt i Blfjell
2009

C -
8.
Twigson in trouble
Knerten i knipe
2011
C
9.
-
Magic Silver 2
Blfjell 2 - Jakten p det
2011
magiske horn (3D)

Morten Tyldum
Nils Gaup
Martin Lund
sleik Engmark
Roar Uthaug
& Katarina Launing
Arild stin Ommundsen
Arne Lindtner Nss
558,020
462,692
421,798
375,567
370,190
10. -
Marius Holst
282,071
YES
King of Devils Island
Kongen av Basty
2010
320,004
285,864
Top 10 Norwegian Film Successes in the Nordics


Original title
Release year
Directors
Admissions in other
Nordic countries

1.
-
YES
Headhunters
Hodejegerne
2011
Morten Tyldum
266,156
2.
-
YES
Kon-Tiki
Kon-Tiki
2012
Espen Sandberg 205,597
& Joachim Rnning

C
3.
C
4.
5.
-
6. -
C
7.
8. -
9. -
10. -
YES
Hocus Pocus, Alfie Atkins
-
YES
Oslo, August 31st
-
A Somewhat Gentle Man
YES
Elias and The Treasure of the Sea
YES
The Angel
- Must have been Love
YES
Happy, happy
Page 21
Hokus Pokus Albert berg

Solan og Ludvig - Jul i Flklypa
Oslo 31. august
En ganske snill mann
Elias og jakten p havets gull
Engelen
En som deg
Sykt lykkelig
2013
2013
2011
2010
2010
2009
2013
2010
Torill Kove
Rasmus A. Sivertsen
Joachim Trier
Hans Petter Moland
Lise I. Osvoll
Margreth Olin
Eirik Svensson
Anne Sewitsky
128,596
63,345
17,207
14,945
11,536
5,661
5,353
3,908
01
Top 10 Local Film Successes in Sweden in 2009-2013
Sweden and Swedish Feature Films

The Millennium trilogy became a
phenomenon in Sweden and other Nordic
countries in the end of 2000s. Based on
Swedish bestselling novels, the trilogy,
gained a cinema audience of over 3 million
in Sweden and 3.9 million in the other four
Nordic countries.
The millennium effect faded a couple
years later and made room for new Swedish
comedies, biopics and childrens films, which
soon started dominating the local market
share. In 2013, cinema admissions for
Swedish film hit the 4 million mark again,
and the Swedish films market share rose
from the previous year to 24.8 percent. Total
cinema admissions on the other hand went
down by 7.5 percent. In 2014 the change
was smaller, but still negative. The total
admissions were 16.3 million.
Biopic Waltz for Monica (2013) directed
by Per Fly was the Swedish film with the
highest box office figures in 2013. Oscar-
winning documentary Searching for Sugar

Man (2012) and warm comedy
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out
the Window and Disappeared (2013) boosted
Swedish films international triumph.
Director Felix Herngrens The 100-Year-Old
Man Who Climbed Out the Window and
Disappeared got 424,000 viewers in the first
week after the premiere, and rose to become
the sixth most successful Swedish film since
1963/1964.
After the international blockbuster successes,
there are still some local hits that made it to
the top 10, as comedies Tosh in Greece and
A Midsummer Nights Party.

Original title
Release year Directors

1.
- YES
Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Mn som hatar kvinnor
2009
Niels Arden Oplev
2.
- -
Millennium 2 - The Girl Who
Flickan som lekte med elden
2009
Daniel Alfredsson

Played with Fire
3.
- -
The girl who kicked the Hornets nest
Luftslottet som sprngdes
2009
Daniel Alfredsson
4.
- YES
House of Angels - Third Time Lucky
nglagrd - tredje gngen gillt
2010
Colin Nutley
5.
- YES
Easy Money
Snabba cash
2010
Danil Espinosa
C -
6.
Tosh in Greece
Sune i Grekland - all inclusive
2012
Hannes Holm
7.
- - A Midsummer Nights Party
Sommaren med Gran
2009
Staffan Lindberg
8.
-
YES
False Trail
Jgarna 2
2011
Kjell Sundvall
9.
-
YES
Waltz for Monica
Monica Z
2013
Per Fly
10. -
YES
Agent Hamilton: In the
Hamilton - I nationens intresse 2012
Kathrine Windfeld
Interest of the Nation
Page 22
1,217,618
1,031,003
773,991
688,272
608,371
588,297
551,601
537,583
517,077
512,661
Top 10 Swedish Film Successes in the Nordics


Original title
Admissions in other
Nordic countries

1. -
YES
2009
Niels Arden Oplev
1,630,154
2. -
-
Millennium 2 - The Girl Who
2009
Daniel Alfredsson
1,383,311

Played with Fire
3.
-
-
The girl who kicked
2009
Daniel Alfredsson
923,343

the Hornets nest
C
4.
YES
Pettson & Findus IV - Forget-Abilities Pettson & Findus
2009
Jrgen Lerdam &
159,962
- glmligheter
Anders Srensen

5.
-
YES
The Hypnotist
Hypnotisren
2012
Lasse Hallstrm
141,549
6.
-
YES
Nobels Last Will
Nobels testamente
2012
Peter Flinth
121,276
7.
-
YES
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Hundraringen som klevut
2013
Felix Herngren
105,442
genom fnstret och frsvann
Out the Window and Disappeared
8.
-
YES
Kathrine Windfeld
86,662
9.
10.
Admissions in
Sweden
-
-
YES
YES
Beyond
Cornelis
Svinalngorna
Cornelis
Page 23
2010
2010
Pernilla August
Amir Chamdin
83,565
72,021
Nordic Film Success
02
Nordic Film Success
NORDIC FILM SUCCESS
John M. Jacobsen: Outcasts in Their Neighbouring Countries

It is an accepted truth that Nordic films
dont travel across borders, even within
Scandinavia. As the producer of the last
Norwegian film to do big business in
Sweden (Pathfinder, 1988, well over SEK 10
million theatrical gross), it is sad to register
that it is now easier to get a decent release in
Germany and France than to get your film
shown in Sweden at all.
Nordic Films Crossing Borders

Nordic countries released 847 local film
productions during 2009-2013. By the end
of the 2013, around 84 percent of the films
were screened in cinemas in the country
of origin and 15 percent in several Nordic
countries8.
The Swedish Millennium film trilogy based
on bestseller novels by Stieg Larsson reached
the most Nordic residents and dominated
charts. No other film or film series had such
a breakthrough in each Nordic country as
Theatrical Releases in
Neighboring Countries
In 2009-2013
19%
the Millennium trilogy, but thats not to say

there havent also been other film successes
and differences between the Nordic
countries in the film flavour.
But is this a law of nature?

There was a time when Swedish movies
could draw an audience equal to popular
Hollywood films in Norway. Then they sort
of faded away and the Danes entered the
scene led, in my opinion, by Per Holst
and his band of young directors, later to be
followed by Zentropa and Nimbus. Whats
even more dramatic is the way Danish
television drama started to mesmerize
audiences all over Scandinavia and the
world! What better proof that the audience
is there.
In the following chapters the focus is on

how Nordic films succeeded in the Nordic
countries outside of the country of origin.
The excitement surrounding a non-national

Nordic production is, however, very difficult
to get across to a cinema audience.
69 % of the films
completed in
Nordic countries
were released
only locally.
But is it impossible?
Reading the statistics provided by the
Nordisk Film & TV Fond, there are a few
interesting figures. We all know that the
Millennium films did great. But how great?
From 1.630.000 to 923.000 admissions each
outside its home territory! Headhunters
increased its take by almost 50% by adding
the other Nordic territories and Susanne
Biers In A Better World did the same with
227,065 admissions versus 443,542 in its
home territory. The latter simply proves that
success does not require authors like Stieg
Larsson and Jo Nesb.
Im sure there will be more interesting
figures as the statistics are updated. And let
me just add: I am not naive. It is difficult,
but I am convinced that there is a much
bigger Nordic market if we make the right
films for that market.
John M. Jacobsen
CEO, Producer
Filmkameratene
81%
S upported by NFTF: 106 films

Not supported by NFTF: 25 films
Total number of films released in at
least 2 Nordic countries: 131 films
Page 24
S ome of the films might have been or still come to the cinemas in other Nordic countries, especially if the film was released in the country of origin
in 2013. The report is mainly based on to data from years 2009-2013.
Page 25
Nordic Film Success
02
Nordic Film Success
NORDIC FILM SUCCESS
Nordic Films in Finland

The Swedish film productions dominated
the Nordic top 10 in Finland in 20092013. The Millennium saga, holding the
top positions, was followed by childrens
animation film Pettson & Findus IV
Forget-Abilities (2009), which defended its
fourth place against a feature drama Beyond
(Svinalngorna, 2010) directed by Pernilla
August.
Nordic Films in Denmark

The Swedish Millennium film trilogy
dominated the Danish top Nordic films
and was followed by two Norwegian
blockbusters: crime film Headhunters
(Hodejegerne, 2011) and Oscar-nominated
expedition story Kon-tiki (2012).
highly acclaimed novels: Headhunters is

based on Jo Nesbs book, Nobels Last
Will (2012) on Liza Marklunds, The
Hypnotist (2012) on Lars Keplers, and Agent
Hamilton: In the Interest of the Nation (2012)
on Jan Guillous novel.
Their admissions compared to the

Millennium trilogy were, however, modest
it had over 2 million cinema admissions
in Denmark in 2009, which may have had
some effect on Danish films domestic share
that went down from the average share of 26
percent to 17 percent9.
Danish cinemas screened 47 Nordic films

that were not Danish. A bit over half of the
films were Swedish and a fourth Norwegian.
Only a few Finnish and Icelandic
productions made it to the Danish cinemas
in 2009-2013.
Only two Icelandic films made to the

Finnish cinemas in 2009-2013: Dagur Kris
The Good Heart and Baltasar Kormkurs
The Deep.
The most successful Danish film in Finland
was Lars von Triers Melancholia (2011) and
the second Thomas Vinterbergs The Hunt
(2013) both award-winning dramas.
Altogether, Finnish cinemas screened 56

Nordic films of which 43 percent were
Swedish, 20 percent Danish and 13
Norwegian.
The Danish film audience also favoured

other thrillers and action films based on
Nordic Top 10 in Denmark
Nordic Top 10 in Finland

Original title

Country
of origin
1.
-
YES Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
2009
2. -
- Millennium 2 - The Girl Who
2009
Played with Fire

3.
-
-
The Girl Who Kicked the
2009
Hornets Nest
4.
-
YES Headhunters
Hodejegerne
2011
5.
-
YES Kon-Tiki
Kon-Tiki
2012

6.
-
YES Nobels Last Will
Nobels testamente
2012
7.
-
YES The Hypnotist
Hypnotisren
2012
C -
8.
The Christmas of Solan & Ludvig Solan og Ludvig - Jul i Flklypa 2013
C
9.
YES Niko 2 - Little Brother,
Niko 2 - lentjveljekset
2012
Big Trouble
10. -
YES Agent Hamilton: In the

Niels Arden Oplev

Daniel Alfredsson
Sweden
Sweden
959,369
786,683
Daniel Alfredsson
Sweden
501,834
Morten Tyldum
Joachim Rnning &
Norway
Norway
212,535
168,989
Peter Flinth
Lasse Hallstrm
Rasmus A. Sivertsen
Kari Juusonen
Sweden
Sweden
Norway
Finland
112,874
91,963
63,345
61,402
Kathrine Windfeld
Sweden
49,746
Espen Sandberg
Admissions
in Denmark

Original title

Country
of origin
1.
-
YES Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
2.
-
-
Millennium 2 - The Girl
Who Played with Fire
3.
-
-
Hornets Nest

2009
2009
Niels Arden Oplev

Daniel Alfredsson
Sweden
Sweden
86,515
77,124
2009
Daniel Alfredsson
Sweden
61,872
4. C
YES Pettson & Findus IV
Pettson & Findus
2009
- glmligheter
- Forget-Abilities
5.
-
YES Beyond
Svinalngorna
2010
6.
-
YES The Hypnotist
Hypnotisren
2012
7.
-
YES Melancholia
Melancholia
2011
8.
-
YES The Hunt
Jagten
2013
C
9.
YES That Boy Emil
Emil & Ida i Lnneberga
2013

10. -
YES In a Better World
Hvnen
2010
Jrgen Lerdam &

Anders Srensen
Sweden
60,084
Pernilla August
Lasse Hallstrm
Lars von Trier
Thomas Vinterberg
Per hlin, Alicja Jaworsk
i Bjrk & Lasse Persson
Susanne Bier
Sweden
Sweden
Denmark
Denmark
Sweden
51,944
23,565
21,479
20,584
16,705
Denmark
15,587
Facts & Figures, Danish Film Institute.
Page 26
Admissions
in Finland
Nordic Films Distibution Support Report
Page 27
Nordic Film Success
02
Nordic Film Success
NORDIC FILM SUCCESS
Nordic Films in Norway

Norway was the only Nordic country where
a documentary film made it to the Nordic
Top 10. Danish documentary success
Armadillo (2010) directed by Janus Metz
Pedersen attracted almost 36,000 peoples
audience to the cinemas. Otherwise, the
Swedish films dominated the Nordic top 10
in Norway.
Nordic Films in Iceland

In Iceland, the Swedish domination was
challenged by the Danish hit comedy
Clown (2010), based on a famous TV series
carrying the same title. The runner-up rose
to the second place with 42,200 admissions,
and its TV-rights were sold to entire Nordic
Region10. Both, the film and TV series were
directed by Mikkel Nrgaard.
hold a half of the spots in the Nordic top

10. The 10th place went to director Lars
von Triers symbolic Antichrist, a film about
womans nature and natures cruelty.
During 2009-2013, Norway screened 67

Nordic films in the cinemas that were nonNorwegian productions. A bit over one half
of the Nordic films were Swedish and almost
one third Danish. The most successful
Danish film in Norway was Mikkel
Nrgaards comedy, Clown.
At the fourth place after the Millennium

trilogy is director Amir Chamdins
biographic film Cornelis, about troubadour
Cornelis Vreeswijk, with around 72,000
admissions.
Icelandic cinemas screened 18 films from

the other Nordic countries in 2009-2013. A
half of those were from Denmark and one
third from Sweden.
Also two Danish dramas directed by

Susanne Bier made it to the Top 10: Love Is
All You Need (2012) and In a Better World
(2010). In all, the Danish film productions
Nordic Top 10 in Iceland
Nordic Top 10 in Norway

Original title

1.
- YES Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
2009
Niels Arden Oplev
2.
-
YES
Clown
Klovn - the Movie
2010
Mikkel Nrgaard
3.
-
-
2009
Daniel Alfredsson

4.
-
-
2009
Daniel Alfredsson
Hornets Nest
Country
of origin
Admissions
in Iceland
Sweden
Denmark
Sweden
51,862
42,217
31,795
Sweden
26,192
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Norway
Sweden
Denmark
Denmark
Denmark
Denmark
-
-
-
-
-
-
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
Headhunters
Easy Money
The Keeper of Lost Causes
In a Better World
Antichrist
Hodejegerne
Snabba cash
Den skaldede frisr
Kvinden i buret
Hvnen
Antichrist
10
2011
2010
2012
2013
2010
2009
Morten Tyldum
Danil Espinosa
Susanne Bier
Mikkel Nrgaard
Susanne Bier
Lars von Trier
6,738
6,444
5,963
4,267
2,868
2,328

Original title

Country
of origin
1.
-
YES
2.
-
-
3.
-
-
Hornets Nest

2009
2009
Niels Arden Oplev

Daniel Alfredsson
Sweden
Sweden
532,408
487,709
2009
Daniel Alfredsson
Sweden
333,445
4.
-
YES
Cornelis
Cornelis
2010
5. C
YES
Pettson & Findus IV
Pettson & Findus - glmligheter
2009

- Forget-Abilities
6.
-
YES
The 100-Year-Old Man
Hundraringen som klev ut
2013
Who Climbed Out the
Window and Disappeared
Amir Chamdin
Jrgen Lerdam
& Anders Srensen
Felix Herngren
Sweden
Sweden
72,021
63,542
Sweden
44,906
7.
-
YES
8.
-
YES
9. C
YES
10. -
YES

Mikkel Nrgaard
Nikolaj Arcel
Janus Metz Pedersen
Kathrine Windfeld
Denmark
Denmark
Denmark
Sweden
41,391
37,719
35,991
30,018
Clown
A Royal Affair
Armadillo
Klovn - the Movie

En kongelig affre
Armadillo
Hamilton - I nationens intresse
Danish Sitcom CLOWN sold out in all 5 Nordic Countries -update, News, Zentropa. www.zentropa.dk/news_eng/?newsid=17
Page 28
Admissions
in Norway
Page 29
2010
2012
2010
2012
Nordic Film Success
02
Nordic Film Success
NORDIC FILM SUCCESS
Nordic Films in Sweden

The Nordic top 10 in Sweden is a mix
of crime, romance, and drama, without
forgetting a film for younger audiences.
The list is dominated by widely acclaimed
Danish films, but also two Norwegian and
two Finnish films made it to the top. The
Norwegian childrens animation Hocus
Pocus, Alfie Atkins directed by Torill Kove
attracted larger audience in Sweden than in
Norway, where it reached 74,000 admissions
by the end of 2013. Alfie Atkins is a popular
childrens fiction character from Sweden,
which might explain the success.
rose to the sixth place and science fiction

surprise Iron Sky (2012) took eight place in
the Nordic Top 10. Both attracted around
45,000 people to the cinemas.
Swedish cinemas screened 47 Nordic films
from another Nordic country. 43 percent
of those films were Norwegian, 36 percent
Danish, and 17 percent Finnish. Only two
of the films, 4 percent, were Icelandic.
Swedes also favoured Finnish films in a way

that no other Nordic country did: a cultdirector Aki Kaurismkis Le Havre (2011)
Nordic Top 10 in Sweden

Original title
Release year
Directors

Country
of origin
Admissions
in Sweden
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Denmark
Norway
Denmark
Denmark
Denmark
Finland
Denmark
Finland
Denmark
Norway
194,037
114,229
82,552
62,541
46,106
45,893
45,634
44,897
37,658
37,029
-
C
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
In a Better World
The Hunt
Marie Kryer
Melancholia
Le Havre

A Royal Affair
Iron Sky

Headhunters
Hvnen
Jagten
Marie Kryer
Melancholia
Le Havre

En kongelig affre
Iron Sky

Den skaldede frisr
Hodejegerne
2010
2013
2013
2012
2011
2011
2012
2012
2012
2011
Susanne Bier
Torill Kove
Thomas Vinterberg
Bille August
Lars von Trier
Aki Kaurismki
Nikolaj Arcel
Timo Vuorensola
Susanne Bier
Morten Tyldum
Girl with a Dragon Tattoo Knut Koivisto
The first film of the Swedish Millennium trilogy, Girl with a Dragon Tattoo,
gained a cinema audience of almost 3 million in the Nordic region.
Page 30
Page 31
Nordic Film Success
02
Nordic Film Success
NORDIC FILM SUCCESS
Most Popular Feature Films in the Nordic Countries

The most popular film in the Nordic
countries in 2009-2013 was internationally
acclaimed Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
(2009), which was distributed to all Nordic
countries and attracted record-high audience
over 2.8 million people to the cinemas.
It was followed by the rest of the Millennium
Trilogy: The Girl Who Played with Fire and
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest. In all,
the film trilogy was an audience magnet and
drew 6.96 million people to the cinemas in
the Nordic region.
Director Felix Herngrens The 100-Year-Old

Man Who Climbed Out the Window and
Disappeared an adaptation of success novel
made by author Jonas Jonasson would have
broken the same record, if the admissions
from the year 2014 were counted in11.
No documentary films had high enough
admissions to make it to the Nordic Tops.
Three children and youth films on the
other hand did break through. Two of the
films were Norwegian and one Swedish
production.
Only one more film went over the one

million admissions limit in 2009-2013
a Norwegian historical drama and
expedition story, Kon-tiki, directed by
Joachim Rnning and Espen Sandberg.
Top 10 Film Successes in the Nordics

Based on the total admissions

Original title
Release year

1.
-
YES
2009
2.
-
-
Millennium 2
2009
- The Girl Who Played with Fire
Directors

Country
of Origin
Niels Arden Oplev

Daniel Alfredsson
3.
-
-
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest
2009
Daniel Alfredsson
4.
-
YES
Kon-Tiki
Kon-Tiki
2012
Joachim Rnning
and Espen Sandberg

5.
-
YES
Clown
Klovn - the Movie
2010
Mikkel Nrgaard
C
6.
-
2013
Rasmus A. Sivertsen
7.
-
YES
Headhunters
Hodejegerne
2011 Morten Tyldum
8.
- YES
The Hunt
Jagten
2013 Thomas Vinterberg
9.
-
-
This Life
Hvidsten Gruppen - Nogle m d
2012
Anne-Grethe Bjarup Riis
for at andre kan leve

10. -
YES
House of Angels - Third Time Lucky
nglagrd - tredje gngen gillt
2010
Colin Nutley
Admissions
in Denmark
Admissions
in Finland
Admissions
in Iceland
Admissions
in Norway
Admissions
in Sweden
Nordic Total
Sweden
Sweden
959,369
786,683
86,515
77,124
51,862
31,795
532,408
487,709
1,217,618
1,031,003
2,847,772
2,414,314
Sweden
Norway
501,834
168,989
61,872
11,089
26,192
-
333,445
888,363
773,991
25,519
1,697,334
1,093,960
Denmark
Norway
Norway
Denmark
Denmark
838,881
11,178
42,217
41,391
-
933,667
63,345
-
-
854,210
-
917,555
212,535 9,854 6,738
558,020
37,029
824,176
651,818 20,584
- 23,370 82,552 778,324
754,824
-
-
-
-
754,824
Sweden
11
Page 32
28,600
688,272
716,872
According to SFI, film was the biggest selling title of 2014 with over 1.1 million local admissions (total 1,585,042 admissions in 2013-2014).
Page 33
Nordic Film Success
02
Nordic Film Success
NORDIC FILM SUCCESS
In a Better World Nordisk Film A/S
Kon-tiki Nordisk Film A/S
Director Susanne Biers In a Better World was the most popular Danish film
in the Nordic countries with over 220,000 admissions.
Norwegian cinema success Kon-Tiki, filmed in two languages,

received an audience of almost 1.1 million in the Nordic region.
Top 20 Border-Crossing Nordic Films

Original title
Release year
Directors

Country
of Origin
1.
YES
2009
Niels Arden Oplev
2.
-
-
Flickan som lekte
2009
Daniel Alfredsson

med elden

3.
-
-
The Girl Who Kicked
2009
Daniel Alfredsson
the Hornets Nest
4.
-
YES
Headhunters
Hodejegerne
2011
Morten Tyldum
5.
-
YES
In a better World
Hvnen
2010
Susanne Bier
6.
-
YES
Kon-Tiki
Kon-Tiki
2012
Joachim Rnning
and Espen Sandberg

C
7.
YES
Pettson & Findus IV
Pettson & Findus
2009
Jrgen Lerdam

- Forget-Abilities
- glmligheter
and Anders Srensen

8.
-
YES
The Hypnotist
C
9.
YES
10.
-
YES
The Hunt
11. -
YES
Nobels Last Will
12. -
YES
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed

Out the Window and Disappeared

13. -
YES
Clown
14.
-
YES
Melancholia
15. -
YES
Agent Hamilton:
In the Interest of the Nation
16. -
YES
Beyond
17. -
YES
A Royal Affair
18. -
YES
Cornelis
19. -
YES
20. -
YES
Le Havre
Page 34
Admissions
in Denmark
Admissions
in Finland
Admissions
in Iceland
Sweden
959,369
86,515
Sweden
786,683
Sweden
Norway
Denmark
Norway
Sweden
Admissions
in Norway
Admissions
in Sweden
Admissions except in
the country of origin
51,862
532,408 1,217,618
1,630,154
77,124
31,795
487,709 1,031,003
1,383,311
501,834
61,872
26,192
333,445 773,991
923,343
212,535
443,542
168,989
9,854
15,587
11,089
36,336
60,084
6,738 558,020
2,868
14,573
- 888,363
-
37,029
194,037
25,519
266,156
227,065
205,597
63,542 164,944
159,962
Hypnotisren
Jagten
Nobels testamente
Hundraringen som klev ut
2012
Lasse Hallstrm
Sweden
2013
Torill Kove
Norway
2013
Thomas Vinterberg
Denmark
2012
Peter Flinth
Sweden
2013
Felix Herngren
Sweden
91,963
23,565
14,367
-
651,818 20,584
112,874
3,329
46,904
13,632
-
26,021 267,108
- 74,468
114,229
- 23,370 82,552
-
5,073 43,763
-
44,906 423,875
141,549
128,596
126,506
121,276
105,442
Klovn - the Movie

Melancholia
Hamilton
- I nationens intresse
2010
Mikkel Nrgaard
Denmark
2011
Lars von Trier Denmark
2012
Kathrine Windfeld
Sweden
838,881
11,178
42,217
41,391
57,421 21,479 935 23,482 46,106
49,746
6,898
-
30,018 512,661
94,786
92,002
86,662
Svinalngorna
En kongelig affre
Cornelis
Den skaldede frisr
Le Havre
2010
2012
2010
2012
2011
14,840
51,944
515,921
-
-
-
631,937
13,124
7,066 129,142
83,565
83,353
72,021
69,758
66,579
Pernilla August
Nikolaj Arcel
Amir Chamdin
Susanne Bier
Aki Kaurismki
Sweden
Denmark
Sweden
Denmark
Finland
1,702
-
-
5,963
-
15,079 381,209
37,719
45,634
72,021 203,067
13,013
37,658
13,620
45,893
Page 35
International Success of Nordic Film
03
INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS OF NORDIC FILM
Ib Bondebjerg: The Nordic Film and Television Wave

It is a lot more fun these days to attend
international conferences or film and
TV festivals and events than it used to
be. Before, only people with a certain
knowledge of cinema were able to point
to auteurs like Carl Th. Dreyer, Ingmar
Bergman, Aki Kaurismki or Lars von
Trier even if they probably had not seen
very many of their films. Now, numerous
books, articles and conferences are dedicated
to such things as Nordic noir and the
Scandinavian wave, which has also created a
broader and more popular interest in Nordic
culture and society.
World-wide Success of Nordic Films

Nordic films featured at festivals in 95
different countries between the years
2009-2013. When it comes to film sales,
some numbers were even more impressive.
This part of the study is based on festival
visits and film sales to different countries
and territories. The festival data was
received from the Nordic Film Institutes
and Foundations or collected from their
websites databases. The information was
crosschecked and evaluated many times
during the process.
The data does not specify if a film was sold

to theatrical, DVD or TV release. It should
be also remembered that even though the
films rights were sold to a territory, it does
not mean that the right was used and the
film was released or broadcast.
In the following chapters, the focus is on
Nordic films international success first
from a country perspective and later Nordic
perspective.
Nordic film and TV drama are not

producing blockbuster mainstream products
that match US-UK products at the box
office. Nordic film and TV suffer from the
same problems that haunt European film
and television. The fragmentation of the
European market makes it difficult for film
and TV to reach a broad European audience.
This is the case even within the Nordic
countries. But Nordic film and TV
has put its cultural and artistic mark on the
European culture.
The festival data was combined with the

sales data received from various sources from
producers to worldwide sales companies.
Sales data includes data regarding 312
titles. 36% (112) of the answers were
regarding Danish, 14% (43) Finnish, 3%
(10) Icelandic, 19% (58) Norwegian, and
29% (89) Swedish films. The sales data lacks
information of some Nordic films that are
known to have international releases and
likely impressive distribution during the
research period12.
What almost never happened before has

now become the norm: Nordic film and
TV circulate widely in the international
festival system and they also take home
19%
Films at Festivals
In 2009-2013
ilms that visited at least one festival outside of the

F
country of production: 566
81%
33%
67%
ilms that did not go to festivals outside of the

F
country of production: 281
Total number of films: 847
12
Page 36
E.g. sales data of Searching for Sugar Man (2012) not included.
Page 37
important prizes. Several Oscars and many

more nominations, Golden Globe winners,
many Emmy prizes to Nordic TV, European
Film Awards, a strong presence in Cannes,
Venice, Berlin and Sundance.
The intense and fruitful collaboration
between the Nordic countries has certainly
produced a model for the rest of Europe.
Creative co-production and a strong system
of funding across borders is the way forward
if we want to overcome the fragmentation
of European film and TV. The weakness
both in the Nordic region and in the rest
of Europe is still distribution. The general
audience is not always getting the chance to
see what the festival elites do. The system
behind European cinemas is great, but
stronger efforts are needed.
Ib Bondebjerg
Professor
Film and Media Studies,
University of Copenhagen
03
Top 10 Danish Film Festival Successes

Original title
Release year
Directors

Danish Films International Success

Danish films had the widest circulation
when it comes to different festival countries.
The first place goes to hit documentary
Armadillo, which visited festivals in 37
different countries. Documentary films also
hold the second and third places: Anders
stergaards Burma VJ: Reporting from a
Closed Country had screenings in 35 festival
countries and Joshua Oppenheimers
The Act of Killing in 33 countries.
Altogether, 75 percent of the Danish films
had a festival screening outside of Denmark.
The films were screened at festivals and
events in 70 countries, mainly in Germany,
Sweden and Canada.
Top Countries to Screen

Danish Films at Festivals

Festival country
1. Germany
2. Sweden
3. Canada
4. Norway
5. USA
6. Poland
7.
Czech Republic
8. Finland
9.
the Netherlands
10. Estonia
India
Page 38
Documentary films were strongly represented

at the festivals, but when it comes to film
sales, award-winning dramas and children
and youth films were dominating. Top 3
films Melancholia, Love is All You Need
and A Hijacking were sold to around 90
countries. Director Tobias Lindholms
A Hijacking (2012) holds also a shared fourth
place at Top 10 Danish festival successes
and had around 140,000 admissions in the
Nordics by the end on 2013.
1. D
YES
Armadillo
Armadillo
2010
2. D
YES
Burma VJ: Reporting
Burma VJ - Reporter
2009
from a Closed Country i et lukket land
3. D
YES
The Act of Killing
The Act of Killing
2012
4. -
YES
A Hijacking
Kapringen
2012
C

YES
The Great Bear
Den kmpestore bjrn 2011

YES
Submarino
Submarino
2010
D

YES
Into Eternity
Into Eternity
2010
8. -
-
R
R
2010

9. D
YES
The Ambassador
Ambassadren
2011
10. D
-
Teddy Bear
10 Timer til paradis
2012
Nordic Total
Admissions
Janus Metz Pedersen

Anders stergaard
165,841
2,103
37
35
Joshua Oppenheimer
Tobias Lindholm
Esben Toft Jacobsen
Thomas Vinterberg
Michael Madsen
Tobias Lindholm
& Michael Noer
Mads Brgger
Mads Matthiesen
10,847
140,074
60,466
55,909
1,452
34,206
33
30
30
30
30
29
19,996
26,815
28
27
Danish Film Sales 2009-2013
The number of countries that the films were sold to

Original title
Release year
Directors

1.
-
YES
Melancholia
Melancholia
2011
Lars von Trier
2. -
YES
Den skaldede frisr
2012
Susanne Bier

YES
A Hijacking
Kapringen
2012
Tobias Lindholm
4. -
YES
A Royal Affair
En kongelig affre
2012
Nikolaj Arcel
5. -
YES
The Hunt
Jagten
2013
Thomas Vinterberg
6.
-
YES
Antichrist
Antichrist
2009
Lars von Trier
7. C
-
Otto is a Rhino
Otto er et nsehorn
2013
Kenneth Kainz
8. C
YES
Freddy Frogface
Orla Frsnapper
2011
Peter Dodd
9.
-
YES
Nymphomaniac
Nymphomaniac
2013
Lars von Trier
C

-
Antboy
Antboy
2013
Ask Hasselbalch
Amount of films
96
91
69
69
68
61
55
52
49
45
45
Page 39
Amount of
Festival Countries
Amount of
Countries
93
89
89
81
78
73
71
66
64
64
03
Top 10 Finnish Film Festival Successes
Finnish Films International Success

69 percent of Finnish films had at least
one festival screening outside of Finland.
The film with highest amount of festival
countries was Klaus Hrs Letters to Father
Jacob, a drama set in the 1970s. It had
festival screening in 35 countries, and it was
also a local cinema hit, but it did not make
it to the Top film sales. Top film sales were
led by Timo Vuorensolas sci-fi film Iron
Sky and Kari Juusonens children animation
success Niko 2 Little Brother, Big Trouble.
Two Finnish films were present in both
Top 10s. With the highest sales number is
director Aki Kaurismkis Le Havre (2011)
followed by Dome Karukoskis drama
Top Countries to Screen

Finnish Films at Festivals

Festival country
1. Russia
2. USA
3. Germany
4. Sweden
5. Poland
6.
Czech Republic
7. Italy
8. Canada
Norway
10. Turkey
Amount of films
58
55
53
46
36
32
31
29
29
27
Lapland Odyssey. Kaurismkis Le Havre also

gathered 920,000 admissions in Europe,
which raises it to the top 20 European films
2008-201313.
Altogether, the Finnish film productions
visited 76 different countries mostly
Russia, the USA, and Germany.14

Original title
Release year
Directors

1. -
YES
Letters to Father Jacob
Postia pappi Jaakobille
2009
Klaus Hr
2. D
YES
Steam of Life
Miesten vuoro

2010
Joonas Berghll

& Mika Hotakainen
3. D
YES
The Punk Syndrome
Kovasikajuttu
2012
Jukka Krkkinen

& JP Passi
4. -
YES
Le Havre
Le Havre
2011
Aki Kaurismki
5. -
YES
Forbidden Fruit
Kielletty hedelm
2009
Dome Karukoski
6. -
YES
Bad Family
Paha perhe
2010
Aleksi Salmenper
7. -
-
The Good Son
Hyv poika
2011
Zaida Bergroth
8. D
-
The Living Room
Kansakunnan olohuone 2009
Jukka Krkkinen
of the Nation
35
31
19,875
29
195,721
115,904
15,837
10,159
368
28
26
22
22
22
Dome Karukoski
Arto Halonen
384,893
296,939
21
21

Original title
Release year
Directors

1. -
YES
Iron Sky
Iron Sky

2012
Timo Vuorensola
2. C
YES
Niko 2 - Little Brother, Niko 2 - lentjveljekset 2012
Kari Juusonen
Big Trouble
Amount of
Countries
77
76
9. -
10. -
YES
-
Lapland Odyssey
Princess
Napapiirin sankarit
Prinsessa
2010
2010
Finnish Film Sales 2009-2013
3. -
YES
Rare Exports

4. -
YES
Le Havre

5. -
YES
Priest of Evil
6. -
YES
Purge
7. -
-
Road North
8. -
YES
Lapland Odyssey
9. -
-
21 Ways to Ruin
a Marriage
10. -
YES
Heart of a Lion
Rare Exports

2010
Le Havre

2011
Harjunp ja pahan pappi 2010
Puhdistus
2012
Tie Pohjoiseen

2012
Napapiirin sankarit
2010
21 tapaa pilata avioliitto 2013
Jalmari Helander
Aki Kaurismki
Olli Saarela
Antti Jokinen
Mika Kaurismki
Dome Karukoski
Johanna Vuoksenmaa
53
43
37
36
28
26
23
Leijonasydn
Dome Karukoski
21
14
Page 40
Amount of
Festival Countries
99,481
62,902
13
Nordic Total
Admissions
2013
Based on admissions in European Cinemas member countries in 2008-2013. Published in EAOs Focus 2014 World Film Market Trends.
Iron Skys sales data was received in late February 2015 and therefore it is counted in only when it comes to the Finnish Film Sales chart.
Page 41
03
Top 10 Icelandic Film Festival Successes

Films visiting the most countries 2009-2013
Icelandic Films International Success

75 percent of Icelandic films were screened
at festivals and events abroad in 20092013. Four of the films visited 25 or
more countries, and most of the Icelandic
productions travelled to festivals in
Germany, USA and Sweden.
The first place went to Rnar Rnarssons
international success film Volcano, which
had festival screenings in 32 countries. It
was also sold to 19 different countries.
Director skar Jnassons children and
youth film Legends of Valhalla - Thor
holds the first place at the Icelandic Top
film sales with 90 countries followed by
director Baltasar Kormkurs The Deep with
73 countries. The latter had also festival
screenings in 22 countries.
Top 10 Countries to Screen

Icelandic Films at Festivals

Festival country
1. Germany
2. USA
3. Sweden
4. Canada
5. Denmark
6. France
Poland
8. Lithuania
Norway
UK
Page 42
Amount of films
27
19
18
17
14
13
13
11
11
11
The Icelandic top 10 film festival successes

also included one film that did not have any
cinema screening at the local cinemas. That
was Grandma Lo-fi, a documentary of an
Icelandic lady, who started recording and
releasing music for the first time in her life
at the age of 70. The film was also sold to
two countries.
None of the other top 10 film festival
successes included a film without a local
cinema screening.

Original title
Release year
Directors
Nordic Total
Admissions

1. -
YES
Volcano
Eldfjall
2011
Rnar Rnarsson
14,608
2. -
YES
Mamma Gogo
Mamma Gg
2010
Fririk r Fririksson
24,200
D

-
Dreamland
Draumalandi
2009
orfinnur Gunason &
16,213

Andri Snr Magnason

-
-
Either Way
annan veg
2011
Hafsteinn Gunnar
1,282
-
Sigurdsson
5. -
YES
The Deep
Djpi
2012
Baltasar Kormkur
61,537
6. C
-
Jitters
ri
2010
Baldvin Zophonasson
12,764
7. -
YES
Undercurrent
Brim
2010
rni lafur sgeirsson
10,853
D

-
Gnarr
Gnarr
2010
Gaukur lfarsson
3,961
D

-
Grandma Lo-fi
Amma Lo-Fi
2011
Orri Jnsson, Kristn Bjrk
-

Kristjnsdttir & Ingibjrg

Birgisdttir
10. D
-
Future of Hope
Future of Hope
2010
Henry Bateman
956
Icelandic Film Sales 2009-2013

Original title
Release year
Directors

1. C
YES
Legends of Valhalla
Hetjur Valhallar - r 2011
skar Jnasson
- Thor
2. -
YES
The Deep
Djpi
2012
Baltasar Kormkur
3. -
YES
The Good Heart
The Good Heart
2009
Dagur Kri
4. -
YES
Blacks Game
Svartur leik
2012
skar Thr Axelsson
5. -
-
The Frost
2012
Reynir Lyngdal
6. -
YES
Mamma Gogo
Mamma Gg
2010
Fririk r Fririksson
7. -
YES
Volcano
Eldfjall
2011
Rnar Rnarsson
8. C
-
Jitters
ri
2010
Baldvin Zophonasson
9. D
-
Future of Hope
Future of Hope
2010
Henry Bateman
Page 43
Amount of
Countries
90
73
71
59
48
40
19
16
12
Amount of
Festival Countries
32
25
25
25
22
17
14
14
14
13
03
Top 10 Norwegian Film Festival Successes

Norwegian Films International Success

Norwegian films travelled to 70 different
countries in 2009-2013. The most active
countries to screen Norwegian films at
events and festivals were Germany, Sweden
and Canada. Six different countries screened
over 40 Norwegian films during the period.
Director Joachim Triers highly acclaimed
drama, Oslo, August 31st, and Rune Denstad
Langlos road movie, North, shared the first
place of the top 10 Norwegian film festival
successes - both films visited festivals and
events in 30 different countries.
The majority of the top 10 film festival
successes were dramas as only one was a
documentary Yodok Stories and one

Norwegian Films at Festivals

Festival country
1. Germany
2. USA
3. Sweden
4. Canada
5. Poland
6. Finland
7. UK
8. Italy
9.
the Netherlands
10. Denmark
Russia
Page 44
Amount of films
71
70
55
47
44
42
39
38
34
33
33
children and youth film The Liverpool

Goalie. Norwegian children and youth films
were, on the other hand, well-represented
among the most sold Norwegian films as
four of ten films were for young audience.
In all, 68 percent of the films were screened
at festivals and events outside of Norway,
but only one film made it to both Top lists:
Nordic cinema success Kon-Tiki directed
by Joachim Rnning and Espen Sandberg.

Original title
Release year
Directors
Nordic Total
Admissions

1. -
YES
Oslo, August 31st
Oslo 31. august
2011
Joachim Trier
83,132

-
YES
North
Nord
2009
Rune Denstad Langlo
36,629
3. -
-
A Somewhat
En ganske snill mann
2010
Hans Petter Moland
111,086
Gentle Man
4. -
YES
Happy, happy
Sykt lykkelig
2010
5. -
-
Before Snowfall
Fr snen faller
2013
6. D
-
Yodok Stories
Yodok
2009
7. -
-
Trollhunter
Trolljegeren
2010
C

-
The Liverpool Goalie
Keepern til Liverpool
2010
9. -
-
90 Minutes
90 minutter
2012
10. -
YES
Kon-Tiki
Kon-Tiki
2012

-
YES
Sons of Norway
Snner av Norge
2011

-
-
The Mountain
Fjellet
2011
Anne Sewitsky
Hisham Zaman
Andrzej Fidyk
Andr vredal
Arild Andresen
Eva Srhaug
Joachim Rnning
& Espen Sandberg
Jens Lien
Ole Giver
26
24
23
22
22
21
20
88,550
4,262
20
20
Page 45
30
30
29
32,193
16,178
18,773
279,063
106,510
45,939
1,093,960
Norwegian Film Sales 2009-2013

Original title
Release year
Directors

1. C
-
Totally True Love
Jrgen + Anne = sant
2011
Anne Sewitsky
2. -
-
Victoria
Victoria
2013
Torun Lian
3. -
YES
Kon-Tiki
Kon-Tiki
2012
Joachim Rnning

& Espen Sandberg
4.
-
YES
Headhunters
Hodejegerne
2011
Morten Tyldum
5. C
-
Rafiki
Bestevenner
2009
Christian Lo

-
YES
A Thousand Times
Tusen ganger god natt
2013
Erik Poppe
Good Night
7. C
-
Ploddy the Police Car
Pelle Politibil
2010
Rasmus A. Sivertsen

Makes a Splas
gr i vannet
& Rune Spaans
8. C
YES
Journey to the
2012
Nils Gaup
Christmas Star
9. -
-
Escape
Flukt
2012
Roar Uthaug
10. D
YES
A Love Story:
Liv & Ingmar
2012
Dheeraj Akolkar
Liv & Ingmar
Amount of
Festival Countries
Amount of
Countries
150
148
86
84
70
70
68
64
62
58
03
Top 10 Swedish Film Festival Successes

Swedish Films International Success

Around 58 percent of Swedish films had
a festival screening abroad, mostly in
Germany, USA and Canada followed by
Nordic countries. Director Tarik Salehs film
Metropia and Lisa Aschans She Monkeys lead
the chart with festival screenings in over 30
countries.
Surprisingly, none of the festival successes

made it to the top 10 in film sales, which
was led by Kathrine Windfelds
Agent Hamilton: In the Interest of the Nation.
The tight top 10 Swedish sales included
films from local successes to sequels and
documentary films.
The rest of the Top 10 Festival Successes also

had screenings in over 20 different countries
around the world. Only one of the films
was a documentary and the rest were feature
dramas.
Two childrens and youth films made it to

the top sales: Stephen Apelgrens Eskil and
Trinidad (2013), and Peter Schildts
A Thousand Times Stronger (2010).

Original title
Release year
Directors

1. -
YES
Metropia
Metropia
2009
Tarik Saleh
2. -
-
She Monkeys
Apflickorna
2011
Lisa Aschan
3. -
YES
Mammoth
Mammut
2009
Lukas Moodysson

-
-
Eat Sleep Die
ta sova d
2012
Gabriela Pichler

-
-
The Girl
Flickan
2009
Fredrik Edfeldt
6. -
-
Pure
Till det som r vackert
2010
Lisa Langseth

-
The Ape
Apan
2009
Jesper Ganslandt
8. D
YES
Videocracy
Videocracy
2009
Erik Gandini

-
YES
Burrowing
Man tnker sitt
2009
Henrik Hellstrm

& Fredrik Wenzel

-
YES
Sebbe
Sebbe
2010
Babak Najafi

Festival country
1. Germany
2. USA
3. Canada
4. Denmark
5. Norway
6. Finland
7.
the UK
8.
the Netherlands
Poland
10. Czech Republic
Page 46
Amount of films
82
74
54
52
50
49
45
42
42
39
Amount of
Festival Countries
10,184
39,477
177,145
106,974
30,959
18,648
11,484
19,640
13,043
37
34
26
26
26
24
24
21
21
12,016
21
Swedish Film Sales 2009-2013

Original title
Release year
Directors


Swedish Films at Festivals
Nordic Total
Admissions
Amount of
Countries
1. -
YES
2. -
YES
The Hypnotist

-
-
The Importance of
Tying Your Own Shoes
Hamilton
2012
Kathrine Windfeld
152
Hypnotisren
Hur mnga lingon
finns det i vrlden
2012
2011
Lasse Hallstrm
Lena Koppel
151
151
4. -
YES
False Trail
C

-
Eskil and Trinidad
D

-
... but Film Is
My Mistress

-
-
Simple Simon

8. -
YES
Waltz for Monica
9. C
-
A Thousand
Times Stronger
10. -
YES
Easy Money
Jgarna 2
Eskil och Trinidad
... men filmen r
min lskarinna
2011
2013
2010
Kjell Sundvall
Stephan Apelgren
Stig Bjrkman
150
150
150
I rymden finns
inga knslor
Monica Z
Tusen gnger starkare
2010
Andreas hman
150
2013
2010
Per Fly
Peter Schildt
148
146
Snabba cash
2010
Danil Espinosa
Page 47
92
03
Nordic Films International Sales and Festival Success

At least eleven Nordic films were sold to
more than 100 countries. Nine of the films
were Swedish, two Norwegian.
One of the most successful Nordic film
productions of the period, internationally,
was director Janus Metz Pedersens awardwinning Armadillo (2010) with over
165,000 admissions, festival screenings
in 37 different countries and sales to 16
countries. Metz Pedersens documentary film
focuses on Danish soldiers in the frontlines
of Afghanistan and blurs the line between
documentary and fiction. With the same
amount of festival countries, is Swedish film
Metropia, directed by Tarik Saleh.
Nordic Film Sales Top 10
The number of countries that the films were sold to in 2009-2013
1. -
YES
2. -
YES
The Hypnotist

-
-
The Importance of
Tying Your Own Shoes
4. -
YES
False Trail
C

-
Eskil and Trinidad
D

-
... but Film Is
My Mistress

-
-
Simple Simon

C

-
Totally True Love
9. -
YES
Waltz for Monica

-
-
Victoria
Top 10 Countries to Buy Nordic Films

Festival country
Amount of films
1.
the Netherlands
161
2. Poland
160
3. Belgium
150
4. Germany
146
5. Croatia
145
6. Slovenia
142
7. Macedonia
135
8.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
134

USA
134
10. Montenegro
133
Hamilton
2012
Kathrine Windfeld
Sweden
152
Hypnotisren
Hur mnga lingon
finns det i vrlden
2012
2011
Lasse Hallstrm
Lena Koppel
Sweden
Sweden
151
151
Jgarna 2
Eskil och Trinidad
... men filmen r
min lskarinna
2011
2013
2010
Kjell Sundvall
Stephan Apelgren
Stig Bjrkman
Sweden
Sweden
Sweden
150
150
150
I rymden finns
inga knslor
2010
Andreas hman
Sweden
150
* The max. amount of films 568.
Jrgen + Anne = sant

Monica Z
Victoria
2011
2013
2013
Anne Sewitsky
Per Fly
Torun Lian
Norway
Sweden
Norway
150
148
148
Page 48
Amount of
countries sold to
Only two children and youth films made it

to the Nordic top festival successes and film
sales. One is an animation from Denmark
and one from Sweden.
Top 10 Festival Countries for Nordic Film

Festival country
1. Germany
2. USA
3. Canada
4. Sweden
5. Poland
6.
Czech Republic
7. Norway
8. Netherlands
9. UK
10. Finland

Original title
Release year
Directors
Country

Germany, the US and Canada were the

most active countries to screen Nordic films
at festivals and events, but when it comes
to the sales, the leading countries are the
Netherlands, Poland and Belgium.
None of the top sold films made it among
the Nordic festival successes.
Amount of films
329
286
216
210
195
161
159
158
155
151
* The max. amount of films 312.
Page 49
03
Le Havre Arthaus Sputnik Oy
Director Aki Kaurismkis Le Havre succeeded internationally both in cinemas

and film festivals. It is also one of the most sold Finnish films.
Nordic Festival Successes

Category Support
English title
Original title
Release year
Directors

D
1.
YES
Armadillo
Armadillo
2010
Janus Metz Pedersen

-
YES
Metropia
Metropia
2009
Tarik Saleh
D
3.
YES
Burma VJ: Reporting
Burma VJ - Reporter i
2009
Anders stergaard
et lukket land
from a Closed Country

-
YES
Letters to Father Jacob
Postia pappi Jaakobille
2009
5.
-
-
She Monkeys
Apflickorna
2011
D
6.
YES
The Act of Killing
The Act of Killing
2012
7.
-
YES
Volcano
Eldfjall
2011
D
8.
YES
Steam of Life
Miesten vuoro
2010

9.
-
YES
A Hijacking
Kapringen
2012
C

YES
The Great Bear
Den kmpestore bjrn
2011

-
YES
Submarino
Submarino
2010
D

YES
Into Eternity
Into Eternity
2010

-
YES
Oslo, August 31st
Oslo 31. august
2011

-
YES
North
Nord
2009
15. -
-
R
R
2010

D

YES
The Punk Syndrome
Kovasikajuttu

2012

-
-
A Somewhat Gentle Man En ganske snill mann
2010
18. D
YES
The Ambassador
Ambassadren
2011

-
YES
Le Havre
Le Havre

2011
20. -
-
Teddy Bear
10 Timer til paradis
2012
Page 50
Country
of origin
Nordic Total
admissions
Amount of
Festival Countries
Denmark
Sweden
Denmark
165,841
10,184
2,103
37
37
35
Klaus Hr
Lisa Aschan
Joshua Oppenheimer
Rnar Rnarsson
Joonas Berghll &
Mika Hotakainen
Finland
Sweden
Denmark
Iceland
Finland
99,481
39,477
10,847
14,608
62,902
35
34
33
32
31
Tobias Lindholm
Esben Toft Jacobsen
Thomas Vinterberg
Michael Madsen
Joachim Trier
Rune Denstad Langlo
Tobias Lindholm &
Michael Noer
Denmark
Denmark
Denmark
Denmark
Norway
Norway
Denmark
140,074
60,466
55,909
1,452
83,132
36,629
34,206
30
30
30
30
30
30
29
Jukka Krkkinen & JP Passi

Hans Petter Moland
Mads Brgger
Aki Kaurismki
Mads Matthiesen
Finland
Norway
Denmark
Finland
Denmark
19,875
111,086
19,996
195,721
26,815
29
29
28
28
27
Page 51
03
Nordic Films at Nordic Festivals

Sweden was the most active Nordic
country to screen film productions from
the neighbouring countries at festivals and
events. During 2009-2013 Sweden screened
210 films from another Nordic country,
where Finland and Norway screened around
150 films.
bit over one hundred films. In Iceland the

number of non-local Nordic films was 70.
Denmark and Finland screened mostly
Swedish films. Iceland, Norway and
Sweden on the other hand showed Danish
productions.
The Nordic films festival success was a

bit milder in Denmark, which screened a
Nordic Films at Nordic Festivals and Events

Amount of films screened in 2009-2013

Danish films
Finnish films
Icelandic films
Norwegian films
Swedish films
Total
Denmark Finland Iceland Norway Sweden

-
52
27
69
91
16
-
12
29
46
14
8
-
11
18
33
42
15
-
55
52
49
17
50
115 152 71 159 210
Agent Hamilton: In the Interst of the Nation The Walt Disney Company Nordic
Swedish Agent Hamilton: In the Interest of the Nation had over half a million local
admissions and it was sold to around 150 countries.
Page 52
Page 53
Focus on Children and Youth Film
04
FOCUS ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH FILM
Silje Hopland Eik: Making Nordic Children

and Youth Films Succeed Across Borders
The year 2014 was a good one for
Norwegian Childrens Films. Great
blockbusters like Captain Sabertoothand
Doctor Proctor, as well as our own premiers
ofCasper and Emma (Karsten og Petra) and
Kick it (Kule Kidz grater ikke) drew many
families to the cinema. Sales from childrens
films are the main reason Norwegian films
achieved a market share of 24.4%, the
next best since 1975. With these results we
can be proud of having reached important
political goals, as well as international
recognition of Norwegian childrens culture.
Nordic Characteristics of Children and Youth Film

Local children and youth franchise films
have a strong position in the Nordic
countries. The most successful local children
and youth films were franchise films without
an exception.
Children and youth films also stayed mostly
local only 17 percent were released in
cinemas also in another Nordic country.
Despite that, some children and youth
films attracted audience in several Nordic
countries some times even more than in
the country of origin.
In this chapter, we will take a closer look

into the Nordic childrens and youth films
from the local and Nordic perspectives.
The last chapter will focus on the
international success of the children and
youth films. The data is based on the film
institutes categorization, which varies a bit
between the countries, e.g. in Denmark,
Sweden and Iceland the children and youth
film category includes also family films.
The Fund supported 27 film productions

for young audiences. 19 of them (70%) were
in cinemas in more than one Nordic country
by the end of 2013.
33%
Success with a childrens or family

film outside Norways borders is more
complicated.Generally it is very difficult to
achieve a theatrical release in Denmark or
Sweden despite success here at home. The
reason is often because the distributor does
not believe the film will be successful in
those countries and will therefore not invest
the time and money to make it happen.
There are, however two films which
have sold extremely well abroad, Captain
Sabertooth and the Treasure of Lama
Ramaand Doctor Proctors Fart Powder.
Imaginative universes in the fantasy/
adventure genre, extensive CGI, big budgets
as well as an established brand can be the
reason that Captain Sabertooth sold to over
70 countries even before its Norwegian
premier.
Producing Norwegian language films has
its limitations, but also some advantages.
Childrens films can easily be dubbed into
Children and Youth Films

In 2009-2013
27%
36%
Denmark: 46
Finland: 12
Iceland: 6
Norway: 30
Sweden: 36
23%
5%
9%
Total number of children & youth films: 129
Page 54
Page 55
other languages as child audiences have

perhaps a higher threshold for accepting bad
lip sync than adults.
An unexplored area of opportunity is
producing a film in several languages
at once, to increase the prospects of
distribution outside of Norway.This is
however a costly endeavour.When the
producers of Kon-Tiki did this a few years
ago, their production budget increased 30%.
Productions lighter on CGI would, however,
be relatively less costly. An English language
version would make it possible to reach
several more territories; one just has to
accept being in competition with all other
English language produced material.
With good political incentives, children
and family films can continue to flourish,
and if we manage to establish good cinema
habits among children we will eventually
have a strong group of adult consumers of
Norwegian film culture.
Silje Hopland Eik
Producer
Cinenord
04
Finnish Children and Youth Film

Director Mari Rantasilas Ricky Rapper
films hold the highest positions at the top
5 local children and youth films. They are
also among the top 10 most popular films
in Finland. The films are based on Sinikka
and Tiina Nopolas childrens book series,
whose main character is a lively 10-year-old
drummer Ricky Rapper. The Nopolas are
also behind the film scripts.
Danish Children and Youth Film

Danish audience seems to have a soft spot
for feel-good film series. All top 5 local
children and youth films are part of film
series.
The children and youth films audience
magnet of the period was the Father of Four
franchise directed by Claus Bjerre. The film
series is continuation of a highly popular
Danish family comedy Father of Four from
the 1950-60s.
or festival screenings outside of Denmark.

Childrens and youth animation with the
highest admissions was director Jrgen
Lerdams Olsen Gang Gets Polished with
almost 330,200 locally sold tickets.
Director Kari Juusonens high-quality

animation film Niko 2 - Little Brother,
Big Trouble, was the fourth most popular
children and youth film in Finland, but
it also gathered audience of 61,400 in coproducing Denmark and rose to the second
most popular children and youth film in the
Nordic region. The reindeer story was also
sold to over 70 countries.
Denmark released 46 local films for children

and youth in 2009-2013. The films were
mainly local cinema hits as only 16 percent
were released in cinemas in another Nordic
country: 5 films in Norway and 2 in
Sweden.
An even bigger local hit was the adventure

family film, Rolli and the Golden Key, with
over 204,000 admissions. Rolli and the
Golden Key is the latest in a series of films,
TV and audio franchise that have been
entertaining children and families over three
decades.
Altogether, twelve Finnish children and
youth films were released in 2009-2013.
Only two of the films had cinema premieres
in other Nordic countries Niko 2 Little
Brother, Big Trouble and Moomins and the
Comet Chase. The latter had almost 61,200
admissions in the entire Nordic region.
Each of the three Father of Four films

released in 2010-2012 attracted around
400,000 people to the cinemas, which is
over one million people in total. Father
of Four in Japanese Mode also made it
to the Top 10 local film with its 418,600
admissions. None of the three films had
cinema premieres in other Nordic countries
Top 5 Local Children and Youth Films in Denmark 2009-2013
Top 5 Local Children and Youth Films in Finland 2009-2013
Support English title

Original title
Release year
Directors
Admissions
in Denmark

1.
-
Father of Four - in Japanese mode
Far til fire - p japansk
2010
Claus Bjerre
418,638
2.
-
Father of Four - at Sea
Far til fire - til ss
2012
Claus Bjerre
405,899
3.
-
Father of Four - Back to Nature
Far til fire - tilbage til naturen
2011
Claus Bjerre
390,888
4.
-
My African Adventure
Min ssters brn i Afrika
2013
Martin Miehe-Renard
374,285
5.
-
Olsen Gang Gets Polished
Olsen banden p de bonede gulve
2010
Jrgen Lerdam
330,159

Original title
Release year
Directors

1.
-
Ricky Rapper and the Bicycle Thief Risto Rppj ja polkupyrvaras
2010
Mari Rantasila
2.
-
Ricky Rapper and Cool Wendy
Risto Rppj ja Viile Venla
2012
Mari Rantasila
3. YES
Rolli and the Golden Key
Rlli ja kultainen avain
2013
Taavi Vartia
4. YES
Niko 2 - Little Brother, Big Trouble Niko 2 - lentjveljekset
2012
Kari Juusonen
5.
-
Ella and Friends
Ella ja kaverit
2012
Taneli Mustonen
Page 56
Page 57
Admissions
in Finland
328,224
309,939
204,459
154,986
88,720
04
Norwegian Children and Youth Film

Stop-motion animation film, The Christmas
of Solan & Ludvig, was released in the
winter of 2013 and hit the top hard with
over 850,000 admissions in Norway, which
makes it the most popular Norwegian
children and youth film and the second
biggest film in Norway in 2009-2013,
straight after Kon-Tiki (2013).
Icelandic Children and Youth Film

One of six Icelandic children and youth
films released in 2009-2013 premiered also
in another Nordic country.
Director skar Jnassons animated film,
Legends of Valhalla Thor, more than
doubled its audience after being released in
Norway and was the most popular Icelandic
film in the Nordic region. Still, Legends of
Valhalla - Thor was not the most popular
children and youth film in Iceland, where it
had audience of 24,000 people.
Top 3 was dominated by director Bragi r

Hinrikssons family films, which are based
on a locally popular TV show. All three films
also had high enough admissions to raise the
films to the Top 10 local films in Iceland.
Page 58
Still, only three of the films reached cinema

audiences in other Nordic countries:
The Christmas of Solan & Ludvig, Hocus
Pocus, Alfie Atkins, and Elias and The
Treasure of the Sea.
Children and youth films had stronger

position in Norway compared to the other
Nordic countries: Seven films of the ten
most popular local films were for younger
audience. Those gathered over three million
people to cinemas in Norway.
Top 5 Local Children and Youth Films in Norway 2009-2013
Top 3 Local Children and Youth Films in Iceland 2009-2013

Original title
Release year
Directors

1.
-
The Secret Spell
Algjr Sveppi og dularfulla
2010
Bragi r Hinriksson
htelherbergi

2.
-
The Big Rescue
Algjr Sveppi og leitin a Villa
2009
Bragi r Hinriksson
3.
-
The Magic Wardrobe
Algjr Sveppi og tfraskpurinn
2011
Bragi r Hinriksson
The Christmas story also got rave reviews

and over 60,000 admissions in Denmark,
which makes it the third most popular
children and youth film in the Nordic
region.
In all, 30 films for children and youth were

released and screened in the Norwegian
cinemas in 2009-2013, and those attracted
admirably over 5.4 million people to the
local cinemas.
Admissions
in Iceland
37,506
32,226
30,602

Original title
Release year
Directors

1.
-
The Christmas of Solan & Ludvig Solan og Ludvig - Jul i Flklypa
2013
Rasmus A. Sivertsen
2. YES Journey to the Christmas Star
2012
Nils Gaup
3.
-
Twigson ties the Knot
Knerten gifter seg
2010
Martin Lund
4.
-
Twigson
Knerten
2009
sleik Engmark
5.
-
Magic Silver
Julenatt i Blfjell
2009
Roar Uthaug
& Katarina Launing

Page 59
Admissions
in Norway
854,210
462,692
421,798
375,567
370,190
04
International Success of Children and Youth Film
Swedish Children and Youth Film

Family comedies dominated the Swedish top
5 chart of local children and youth films.
Director Hannes Holms Tosh in Greece - All
Inclusive (2012) was leading the top with
almost 588,300 admissions. Holms family
comedy was the only children and youth
film that also made it to the top 10 local
successes in Sweden. In Finland, it gathered
over 10,000 admissions.
The most popular animation film for

children and youth was Jrgen Lerdam
and Anders Srensens Pettson & Findus
IV - Forget-Abilities with almost 165,000
admissions, which raises it to eight place.
Almost all Nordic children and youth film

premiered in cinemas. Many of the films
attracted large local audiences, but did not
necessarily circulate to cinemas or festivals
outside of the production country.
from the Nordic countries, which is 52

percent of the total amount released.
52 percent of the films included in the sales
data were Danish, 4 Finnish, 3 Icelandic, 22
Norwegian, and 18 Swedish productions.
34 percent of the films did not have any

festival screenings outside of country of
origin, but on the other hand 28 percent
of the films visited festivals in at least ten
different countries.
The focus of the following chapters is on

children and youth films international
success: admissions, sales and festival
screenings.
During 2009-2013, the Nordic countries

saw the release of 129 films for children and
young audiences. The sales data includes
information of 67 children and youth films
The Pettson & Findus film was also

released in cinemas in Denmark, Finland
and Norway, where it sold almost 160,000
tickets in total.
Actor-director Lasse bergs comeback film

The Stig-Helmer Story, which focuses on
the comical character Stig Helmers years
in the 1950s, was the second most popular
Swedish children and youth film of the
period.
Children and Youth

Films in Cinema
In 2009-2013
17%
98%
Top 5 Local Children and Youth Films in Sweden 2009-2013

Original title
Release year
Directors
Country

of Origin

1.
-
Tosh in Greece - All Inclusive
2012
Hannes Holm
Sweden
2.
-
The Stig-Helmer Story
The Stig-Helmer Story
2011
Lasse berg
Sweden
3.
-
Metal Brothers
Mammas pojkar
2012
Ulf Malmros
Sweden
4.
-
Gta Kanal - The Secret
Gta Kanal 3
2009
Christjan Wegner
Sweden
- kanalkungens hemlighet
of the Canal King
5. - sa-Nisse - wlkom to Knohult sa-Nisse - wlkom to Knohult
2011
Fredrik Boklund
Sweden
Admissions
in Sweden
588,297
420,142
320,367
290,053
Films screened in cinemas: 126

Films screened in cinemas
in at least two Nordic countries: 22
257,086
Total number of films premiered: 129
Page 60
Page 61
04

1.
Festivals
Director Esben Toft Jacobsens debut feature
The Great Bear from 2011 was the most
successful children and youth film when
it comes to festival screenings in different
countries. The Danish animation hit was
screened at film festivals in 30 different
countries, but had milder success in the local
cinemas, where it had an audience of 44,500
people.
Norwegian childrens film by sleik
Engmark, Twigson, on the other hand
attracted wide attention when it comes to
the festivals, sales and cinema admissions. It
was among the most popular local children
and youth films with 375,600 admissions, it
was sold to 45 countries and it had festival
screenings in 19 different countries around
the world.
The Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish

children and youth films had festival
screening abroad the most often. Almost
a half of the top 20 Nordic children and
youth films were Danish origin. The Finnish
children and youth productions did not
compare that favourably the first film is at
34th place.
The Nordic children and youth film
productions travelled the most often to
festivals in Germany, Canada and Sweden.
Sweden screened 37 children and youth
films from neighbouring Nordic country.
Norway was neither far from that: 35
Nordic non-Norwegian children and youth
film productions had a festival screening in
Norway in 2009-2013.
The Great Bear Europafilm AS
Danish childrens animation The Great Bear had only 44,500 local admissions,
but festival screenings in around 30 countries.
Top 10 Festival Countries for Nordic

Children and Youth Films
Top 10 Nordic Children and Youth Films at Festivals in 2009-2013

Original title
Release year
Directors

Country
of origin
Number of
Festival Countries
1. YES
2.
-
3.
-
4. YES

-

-
7.
-

YES

-

-

Denmark
Norway
Denmark
Denmark
Norway
Norway
Iceland
Sweden
Sweden
Sweden
30
22
21
19
19
19
17
17
17
17
The Great Bear

The Liverpool Goalie
Northwest
Lost in Africa
Twigson
Rafiki
Jitters
Glowing Stars
Eagle Hunters Son
A Thousand
Times Stronger
Den kmpestore bjrn

Keepern til Liverpool
Nordvest
Kidnappet
Knerten
Bestevenner
ri
I taket lyser stjrnorna
rnjgarens son
2011
2010
2013
2010
2009
2009
2010
2009
2010
2010
Esben Toft Jacobsen

Arild Andresen
Michael Noer
Vibeke Muasya
sleik Engmark
Christian Lo
Baldvin Zophonasson
Lisa Siwe
Ren Bo Hansen
Peter Schildt

Country
1. Germany
2. Canada
3. Sweden
4.
Czech Republic
Norway
USA
7. Estonia
8. Finland
Italy
Poland
UK
Number of countries visited when the production country is excluded
Page 62
Amount of films
60
39
37
35
35
35
33
30
30
30
30
Local productions excluded from the statistics.
Page 63
04
Top 10 Countries to Buy Films for Youth

Amount of films sold to a country in 2009-2013

Country
Amount of films
1. Slovenia
38

the Netherlands
38
3. Poland
36
Belgium
36
5.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
35
6. Macedonia
34
7. Croatia
33
Montenegro
33
9. Estonia
32
France
32
Sales
Three films stand out from the top
10 children and youth film sales data:
Norwegian Totally True Love and Swedish
films Eskil and Trinidad and A Thousand
Times Stronger. All three were sold to around
150 countries.
Director Peter Schilds feature A Thousand
Times Stronger, based on Christina
Herrstrms youth book, also scored high at
the Nordic children and youth festival films:
it had screenings in 17 different countries.
Only one other youth film besides Schilds
film was represented on both top 10s. That
was Christian Los feature debut Rafiki,

which was sold to 70 countries and screened
at festivals in 19 countries.
Also rest of the top 10 children and
youth films with highest sales had festival
screenings abroad. For example, Totally True
Love had festival screening in 16 different
countries.
* Maximum amount of films per country 67
The most active countries to buy children

and youth films were Slovenia, the
Netherlands, Poland and Belgium.
Top 10 Children and youth film sales

Original title
Premiere year
Director

1.
-
Totally True Love
Jrgen + Anne = sant
2011
Anne Sewitsky

Eskil and Trinidad
Eskil och Trinidad
2013
Stephan Apelgren
3.
-
A Thousand Times
2010
Peter Schildt
Stronger
4.
YES
2011
skar Jnasson
5.
YES
Niko 2 - Little Brother,
2012
Kari Juusonen
Big Trouble
6.
-
Otto is a Rhino
Otto er et nsehorn
2013
Kenneth Kainz
7.
-
Rafiki
Bestevenner
2009
Christian Lo
8.
-
Ploddy the Police
Pelle Politibil gr i vannet
2010
Rasmus A. Sivertsen
Car Makes a Splash and Rune Spaans
9.
YES
Freddy Frogface
Orla Frsnapper
2011
Peter Dodd
10. YES
We Are the Best!
Vi r bst!
2013
Lukas Moodysson
Country
of origin
Sold to x amount
of countries
Norway
Sweden
Sweden
150
150
146
Iceland
Finland
90
76
Denmark
Norway
Norway
71
70
68
Denmark
Sweden
66
65
* Maximum amount of countries 160
Albert berg Maipo Film AS
Norwegian childrens animation Hocus Pocus, Alfie Atkins was among

most attractive children and youth films in the Nordics.
Page 64
Page 65
04
Nordic Children and Youth Film Successes

Nordic children and youth films had
a strong influence on local admissions
especially in Norway and Finland, but the
statistics suggest that the success is national
rather than pan-Nordic. The most popular
children and youth film of the period
was the second newest Pettson & Findus
animation film Forget-Abilities (2009), based
on the well-known childrens book series
of an elderly man living in the countryside
with his cat and chickens. The film was
followed by another childrens animation
based on famous book series, Alfie Atkins.
Local and wider Nordic audiences favoured
both animations.
After the two animations mentioned, the

children and youth films did not reach
nearly as high admissions outside of
the country of origin. For example, The
Christmas of Solan and Ludvig was childrens
and youth cinema hit in Norway, but it had
a modest audience of 63,000 in Denmark.
The number six, Moomins and the Comet
Chase, gathered only 26,000 admissions all
together in Iceland, Norway and Sweden,
but locally it sold 35,400 tickets.
Children and Youth Film Admissions in the Nordic Region in 2009-2013

Original title

1.
YES
Pettson & Findus IV - Forget-Abilities
Pettson & Findus - glmligheter
2009
Jrgen Lerdam
and Anders Srensen

2.
YES
2013
Torill Kove
3.
-
2013
Rasmus A. Sivertsen
4.
YES
Niko 2 - Little Brother, Big Trouble
2012
Kari Juusonen
5.
YES
2011
skar Jnasson
6.
YES
Moomins and the Comet Chase
Muumi ja punainen pyrstthti
2010
Maria Lindberg
7.
YES
That Boy Emil
Emil & Ida i Lnneberga
2013
Per hlin, Alicja Jaworski
Bjrk and Lasse Persson

Country of
Origin
Sweden
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Denmark
172,173
Denmark
44,554
Norway
-
Sweden
-
Denmark
53,003
Sweden
-
Sweden
-
Denmark 5,011
YES
YES
YES
-
YES
YES
YES
YES
Freddy Frogface
The Great Bear
Elias and The Treasure of the Sea
Tosh in Greece
Lost in Africa
Dont Be Afraid, Tall Uncle
We Are the Best!
Tigers & Tattoos
Orla Frsnapper
Den kmpestore bjrn
Elias og jakten p havets gull
Kidnappet
Var inte rdd, Lnga farbrorn
Vi r bst!
Tigre og tatoveringer
2011
2011
2010
2012
2010
2011
2013
2010
Peter Dodd
Esben Toft Jacobsen
Lise I. Osvoll
Hannes Holm
Vibeke Muasya
Lasse Persson
Lukas Moodysson
Karla von Bengtson
Norway
Norway
Finland
Iceland
Finland
Sweden
Admissions
in Denmark
36,336
Admissions
in Finland
60,084
Admissions
in Iceland
-
14,367
-
- 74,468
63,345
-
- 854,210
61,402 154,986
-
-
-
- 24,044
29,206
- 35,419
1,752
10,337
-
16,705
-
8,143
-
-
2,872
10,613
-
7,163
4,062
-
-
-
497
-
-
-
-
-
*Admissions in the production country excluded.
Page 66
Admissions
Admissions
in Norway
in Sweden
63,542 164,944
Page 67
21,186
15,912
121,131
-
8,923
-
902
4,953
Admissions in Other
Nordic Countries*
159,962
114,229
-
-
-
13,645
59,123
128,596
63,345
61,402
29,206
25,734
24,848
-
-
8,167
588,297
-
-
80,992
-
21,186
15,912
11,536
10,613
8,923
7,163
4,964
4,953
Focus on Documentary Film
05
FOCUS ON DOCUMENTARY FILM
Karolina Lidin: Where Are the Nordic Hit Documentaries?

Theyre everywhere! Nordic documentaries
are engaging, entertaining and challenging
audiences worldwide through the whole
food chain of traditional distribution
windows, at festivals, in cinemas, on
television, and now through streaming
services on all sorts of devices.
Nordic Characteristics of Documentary Films

At least 295 Nordic documentary films were
released in 2009-2013. Circa 65 percent of
the films had a cinema premiere and some
even broke national audience records with
their high admissions. Some of the films also
reached wide international recognition and
distribution.
The focus of this chapter is on over 40
minute long Nordic documentary films.
The analysis is based on data received from
the Nordic film institutes and selected sales
companies and directors. The listings were
completed with thorough research on the
film institutes and foundations online
databases.
Many documentaries receive their largest

audience numbers when shown in television.
In this report, we are unfortunately not
able to provide comprehensive TV viewing
figures.
The success of Nordic Documentaries is

not so much a result of smart formatting or
mass-branding, but rather of its impressive
scope of visions and voices, subjects and
styles and their steady group of backers:
a unique joining of forces between film
institutes and broadcasters, funds and
foundations crisscrossing the Nordic region.
First, we look at the local characteristics

and after we provide more depth focus on
the Nordic and international success of the
Nordic documentary films.
Documentary distribution has never been

a one-size-fits-all operation, rather it is the
Haute Couture of the distribution business,
devising tailor-made marketing strategies
for both general and specified audiences
with long tails often far exceeding the time
and resources available, but proving the
attraction and durability of Real Stories.
These days, digital opportunities are legion.
Mix and match! How about TPB AFK: The
Pirate Bay Away From Keyboard launching
online the same moment the film premiered
at the Berlinale (and still being picked up
Supported Documentaries
Crossing Borders
In 2009-2013
12%
53%
34%
ilms supported by NFTF : 103

F
Supported films with cinema premiere: 55
Supported film premiered in several
Nordic countries: 12
Page 68
Page 69
by television), or 1989 simultaneously

screening at 60 venues across Europe
with an app uniting the audiences? And
on the production side, the latest buzz is
sustainable production, thinking multiple
pieces for various platforms within the same
production, thereby maximizing
pre-premiere outreach through news-sites,
events and special interest organizations.
These are exciting times for experimentation,
playfulness and open-mindedness. Not just
for producers to make ends meet, but for
stories to proliferate and meet audiences
wherever they are from festivals to phones.
Stay Tuned!
Karolina Lidin
Documentary Advisor
Nordisk Film & TV Fond
05
Finnish Documentaries
Finnish audience is peculiarly keen on
documentary films compared to the other
Nordic countries when measured in cinema
admissions. In 21st century Finland,
documentary films have enjoyed constantly
improving success and raised a lot of societal
debate.
Danish Documentaries
The documentary success of the period
was director Janus Metz Pedersens awardwinning Armadillo (2010) with almost
115,000 local admissions, and 1.29 million
viewers on local TV2. The film about
Danish soldiers in the Afghanistan frontline
also spurred heated debate and circulated to
the cinemas around the Nordic region.
Director Anne Wivels biographic

documentary of her late husband, Svend
(2011), also did fairly well in cinemas, but it
had remarkably better success on television:
in 2011 it attracted 815,000 people in the
front of the TV screens.15
In 2013, Finnish documentaries attracted

257,000 people to the cinemas, and
captured 14 percent of the audience share of
national films. Director Jukka-Pekka Siilis
documentary The Finnish Flash - A Teemu
Selnne Story about the national ice-hockey
legend gathered most of that audience. It
had 130,000 admissions during its premiere
year, which makes it the most popular
documentary of the period and also the
most popular local documentary film in the
Finnish cinema history.
The second largest cinema success was

director Anders Riis-Hansens The Invisible
Cell (2009), a documentary about crimecommitting political activist group from the
1970-80s, with around 77,000 admissions
in the local cinemas.
Top 5 Danish Documentaries in Denmark 2009-2013

Support
1. YES
2. YES
3.
-
4. YES
5.
-
English title
Armadillo
The Invisible Cell
Svend
The Ambassador
The Will
Original title
Armadillo
Blekingegadebanden
Svend
Ambassadren
Testamentet
15
Top 5 Finnish Documentaries in Finland 2009-2013

Release year
2010
2009
2011
2011
2012
Director
Janus Metz Pedersen
Anders Riis-Hansen
Anne Wivel
Mads Brgger
Christian Snderby Jepsen
Admissions
114,585
77,167
38,455
17,215
15,868
Support
English title
Original title
Release year
1.
-
The Finnish Flash
Selnne

2013

- A Teemu Selnne Story
2.
-
Tale of a Forest
Metsn tarina
2012

3.
-
Reindeerspotting
Reindeerspotting
2010
4. YES
Steam of Life
Miesten vuoro
2010

5.
-
Vesku from Finland
Vesku
2010
TV viewer figures are based on the Danish Film Institutes Fact & Figures report series 2010-2011.
Page 70
Some of the documentary films that did

not succeed in the cinemas nevertheless
attracted admirably large television
audiences. For example, director Aleksi
Bardys documentary film Madam President
about the former president of Finland
had almost 23,000 admissions, but its
premiere on television attracted impressive
774,000 viewers. Also director Arto
Halonens documentary film When Heroes
Lie had almost 80 times bigger audience
in television than in cinemas, where it had
6,000 admissions.16
Press release, 25 March 2013, Art Films production.
16
Page 71
Director
Jukka-Pekka Siili
Admissions
130,390
Ville Suhonen and

Kim Saarniluoto
Joonas Neuvonen
Joonas Berghll and
Mika Hotakainen
86,740
Mika Kaurismki
37,448
63,654
49,911
05
Norwegian Documentaries
The top Norwegian documentary film based
on cinema admissions is director Frode
Fimlands first feature length documentary
Siblings Are Forever, which is a history of
an elderly brother and sister running a
family farm. Another peek into Norwegian
countryside life, director yvind Sandbergs
The People by the Fjord (2011), holds the 5th
place with 31,900 admissions.
Icelandic Documentaries
The Icelandic documentary film with
the largest cinema audience was director
orfinnur Gunason and Andri Snr
Magnasons Dreamland, a story on the
exploitation of the Icelandic nature. It
also was among the top Nordic festival
documentaries with screenings at festivals
and events in 25 different countries.
A Mothers Courage: Talking Back to Autism.

Both films attracted over 13,500 people to
the local cinemas.
The crowd-pleasing The Optimists featuring

elderly womens volleyball team by Gunhild
Westhagen Magnor gathered audience of
24,600 people during its premiere year
None of the 25 Icelandic documentaries

premiered in 2009-2013 had cinema
screenings in another Nordic country. Eight
of the documentaries had cinema release in
Iceland.
2013. In 2014, the film premiered also in

the neighbouring countries of Sweden and
Denmark and was sold to at least Finland
and Sweden.
None of the top 5 documentaries made it
to the Nordic top of festival documentaries
or top list of sold documentaries. Only a
couple of Norwegian documentaries from
2009-2013 premiered in another Nordic
country.
The second most popular documentary

in cinemas was director Fririk r
Fririkssons intimate story of a mother
searching for proper treatment for her child,
Top 5 Icelandic Documentaries in Iceland 2009-2013
Top 5 Norwegian Documentaries in Norway 2009-2013
Support
English title
Original title
Release year
1.
-
Dreamland
Draumalandi
2009

2. YES
A Mothers Courage:
Slskinsdrengurinn
2009
Talking Back to Autism
Director
orfinnur Gunason
and Andri Snr Magnason
3.
4.
5.
Gaukur lfarsson
Helgi Felixson
ra Tmasdttir
-
YES
-
Gnarr
God Bless Iceland
Our Girls
Gnarr
Gu blessi sland
Stelpurnar okkar
Page 72
2010
2009
2009
Fririk r Fririksson
Admissions
16,213
13,568
3,961
3,604
2,961
Support
English title
Original title
Release year
1.
-
Siblings Are Forever
Ssken til evig tid
2013
2.
-
Supervention
Supervention
2013

3. YES
Bravehearts
Til ungdommen
2012
4. YES
Nowhere Home
De andre
2012
5. YES
The People by the Fjord
Folk ved fjorden
2011
Page 73
Director
Frode Fimland
Filip Christensen and
Even Sigstad
Kari Anne Moe
Margreth Olin
yvind Sandberg
Admissions
40,628
37,721
33,804
32,012
31,855
05
International Success of Documentary Film

The top Nordic documentary films can be
divided to three categories: to films that
have strong local audiences and some festival
screenings, to films that gathered strong
international attention in sales and festivals,
but did not widely make it to cinemas, and
to films that were strong in all three areas.
Swedish Documentaries
The most popular local documentary film
in Sweden was director Maud Nycander and
Kristina Lindstrms historical Palme (2012)
with impressive 243,000 admissions. The
internationally acknowledged Searching for
Sugar Man by Malik Bendjelloul (2012)
came second, but gathered a wider audience
in other Nordic countries.
After the two top documentaries, the
admissions are a lot smaller. The third
place went to Peter Gerdehags sympathetic

history of two Swedish sisters in 70s and
their cows: Women with Cows had almost
48,000 admissions in the local cinemas.
The first category includes e.g. The Finnish

Flash - A Teemu Selnne Story and The
Invisible Cell, e.g. The Red Chapel and
Into Eternity fit into the second category,
and the third holds films such as Armadillo,
The Ambassador, The Act of Killing,
The Queen and I and Steam of Life. Many
films found their own audiences either in
cinemas, at festivals and/or on television.
Director Nahid Persson Sarvestanis

The Queen and I and Tova Magnussons Four
More Years also had modest admissions, but
besides that, they had high sales, to 36 and
30 different countries respectively.
The basic film data includes admissions of

295 documentaries, of which around one
third was screened at festivals. The sales data
includes only 66 films, of which 18 were
Danish, 19 Finnish, 2 Icelandic,
7 Norwegian, and 20 Swedish productions17.
The following chapters focus in the Nordic
documentary films international success
including festivals and sales.
Top 5 Swedish Documentaries in Sweden 2009-2013

Support
English title
Original title
Release year
1. YES
Palme
Palme
2012

2. YES
Searching for Sugar Man
2012
3. YES
Women With Cows
Kokvinnorna
2011
4.
-
The Queen and I
Drottningen och jag
2009
5. YES
Four More Years
Fyra r till
2010
Director
Maud Nycander and
and Kristina Lindstrm
Malik Bendjelloul
Peter Gerdehag
Nahid Persson Sarvestani
Tova Magnusson
Admissions
242,647
147,484
47,748
39,329
34,692
Burma VJ Tour de Force
Danish documentary Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country had

festival screenings in around 35 countries around the world.
17
Page 74
ocumentary series Cities on Speed (2009) was excluded from the documentary film sales data because it was not comparable.
D
The sales information of Swedish Searching for Sugar Man (2012) was not received.
Page 75
05
Top 20 Nordic Festival Documentaries
Festivals
One third of the Nordic documentary
films had a festival screening outside of
the country of origin. In 2009-2013,
documentaries toured festivals in 78
different countries. The most active
countries to screen Nordic documentaries in
their festivals were Germany, USA and the
Netherlands.
The top 3 Nordic documentaries based on
festival screening were Danish productions:
war-documentary Armadillo, illegally shot
Burma VJ Reporting from a Closed Country,
and Oscar-nominated The Act of Killing.
The top 3 was followed closely by Finnish
documentary film Steam of Life by Joonas
Berghll and Mika Hotakainen, and yet
another Danish documentary Into Eternity
directed by Michael Madsen.
Only one Icelandic documentary made it

to the top 20 Nordic documentaries, and
that was local hit Dreamland by orfinnur
Gunason and Andri Snr Magnason.
Many of the festival success documentaries
attracted only small cinema audiences,
but on the other hand had good sales
figures. For example the top three festival
documentaries were also among the most
sold Nordic documentaries.
Support
English title
Original title
Release year
Directors

1. YES
Armadillo
Armadillo
2010
Janus Metz Pedersen
2. YES
Burma VJ: Reporting
Burma VJ
2009
Anders stergaard
- Reporter i et lukket land
3. YES
The Act of Killing
The Act of Killing
2012
Joshua Oppenheimer
4. YES
Steam of Life
Miesten vuoro
2010
Joonas Berghll and
Mika Hotakainen

5. YES
Into Eternity
Into Eternity
2010
Michael Madsen
6. YES
The Punk Syndrome
Kovasikajuttu
2012
Jukka Krkkinen
and JP Passi

Country
of origin
Denmark
Denmark
Amount of
festival countries
Denmark
Finland
33
31
Denmark
Finland
30
29
7. YES
The Ambassador
Ambassadren
2011
8.
-
Dreamland
Draumalandi
2009

9.
-
Yodok Stories
Yodok
2009
10. -
The Living Room
Kansakunnan olohuone
2009
of the Nation
11. -
The Red Chapel
Det rde kapel
2009

YES
Videocracy
Videocracy
2009
13. YES
Canned Dreams
Silttyj unelmia
2012

YES
Soundbreaker
Soundbreaker
2013

YES
Regretters
ngrarna
2010

-
Blood in the Mobile
Blod i mobilen
2010
17. YES
Freetime Machos
Freetime Machos
2010

YES
Putins Kiss
Putins kys
2012

YES
The Good Life
Det gode liv
2011
20. YES
The Expedition to
Ekspeditionen til
2013
verdens ende
the End of the World

-
Gazas trer
Tears of Gaza
2010

YES
Gulabi Gang
Gulabi Gang
2013

YES
Ballroom Dancer
Ballroom Dancer
2012
Mads Brgger
orfinnur Gunason
and Andri Snr Magnason
Denmark
Iceland
28
25
Andrzej Fidyk
Jukka Krkkinen
Norway
Finland
23
22
Mads Brgger
Erik Gandini
Katja Gauriloff
Kimmo Koskela
Marcus Lindeen
Frank Piasecki Poulsen
Mika Ronkainen
Lise Birk Pedersen
Eva Mulvad
Daniel Dencik
Denmark
Sweden
Finland
Finland
Sweden
Denmark
Finland
Denmark
Denmark
Denmark
21
21
20
20
20
20
19
19
19
18
Vibeke Lkkeberg
Nishtha Jain
Christian Holten Bonke
Norway
Norway
Denmark
18
18
18
Number of countries visited when the production country is excluded
Top 10 Festival Countries

Most active countries to screen
Nordic documentaries

Festival country
1. Germany
2. USA
3.
the Netherlands
4. Poland
5. Sweden
6. Canada
7.
Czech Republic
8. Norway
9. Finland
10. UK
Page 76
Amount of films
94
88
74
72
63
62
50
48
45
44
Page 77
37
35
05
Top 20 Documentary Film Sales

Original title

1.
-
... but Film Is
My Mistress
Sales
Director Stig Bjrkmans But Film Is My
Mistress did not have any cinema admissions
in the Nordic countries and it visited
festivals only in ten different countries, but
when it comes to the documentary sales,
the film stands out from the data with 150
different countries. The Swedish production
was followed by Norwegian documentary
A Love Story: Liv & Ingmar directed by
Dheeraj Akolkar. Akolkars film was sold
to over 50 countries; it visited film festivals
in 17 different countries and attracted a
cinema audience of 8,900 people in Norway.
The sales top 20 included two documentary
films directed by Mads Brgger: The
Ambassador was sold to 39 countries and
had around 20,000 admissions together
in Denmark and Norway. The Red Chapel
was sold to 24 countries, and both films

also made it to the top Nordic festival
documentaries with over 20 countries.
The most active countries getting Nordic
documentaries were mostly the same as the
ones having documentaries at festivals, the
difference is that Estonia, Belgium and Israel
rose to the top instead of Finland, Canada
and the Czech Republic.
... men filmen r

min lskarinna
Country
1. Germany
2. the Netherlands
USA
4. Estonia
5. Poland
6. Belgium
Sweden
8. Switzerland
9. the UK
10. Israel
Sweden
150
2. YES
A Love Story: Liv & Ingmar Liv & Ingmar
2012
3. YES
The Act of Killing
The Act of Killing
2012
4. YES
Gulabi Gang
Gulabi Gang
2013
5. YES
The Ambassador
Ambassadren
2011
6.
-
The Queen and I
Drottningen och jag
2009
7. YES
Into Eternity
Into Eternity
2010

YES
Four More Years
Fyra r till
2010
9. YES
Burma Vj: Reporting
Burma VJ
2009

from a Closed Land

10.
-
Sepideh
Sepideh - Drmmen
2013
om stjernerne

11. YES
Videocracy
Videocracy
2009
12.
-
Blood in the mobile
Blod i mobilen
2010

YES
The Black Power Mixtape
The Black Power Mixtape
2011
1967-1975 1967-1975
14.
-
The Red Chapel
Det rde kapel
2009
15. YES
The Punk Syndrome
Kovasikajuttu
2012

16. YES
1/2 Revolution
1/2 Revolution
2011

YES
Armadillo
Armadillo
2010
18. YES
The Expedition to
Ekspeditionen til
2013
the End of the World
verdens ende
Dheeraj Akolkar
Joshua Oppenheimer
Nishtha Jain
Mads Brgger
Nahid Persson Sarvestani
Michael Madsen
Tova Magnusson
Anders stergaard
Norway
Denmark
Norway
Denmark
Sweden
Denmark
Sweden
Denmark
58
52
43
39
36
30
30
28
Berit Madsen
Denmark
27
Erik Gandini
Frank Piasecki Poulsen
Gran Hugo Olsson
Sweden
Denmark
Sweden
27
25
25
Mads Brgger
Jukka Krkkinen
and JP Passi
Denmark
Finland
24
17
Omar Shargawi
and Karim El Hakim
Denmark
16
Janus Metz Pedersen

Daniel Dencik
Denmark
Denmark
16
14

-
A Bitter Taste of Freedom
Frihetens bittra smak
2011
20.
-
Tale of a Forest
Metsn tarina
2012

Marina Goldovskaya
Ville Suhonen
and Kim Saarniluoto
Sweden
Finland
14
13
Page 78
Amount of films
30
27
27
26
25
22
22
22
20
19
Page 79
2010
Number of
Countries Sold to
Stig Bjrkman
Top 10 Countries to Buy Nordic

Documentaries

Premiere
Director
Country
year
05
Nordic Documentary Successes

Two Swedish documentary films from
2012 led the top 10 most popular local
documentaries in the Nordic region.
Biographic portrait documentary Palme and
international documentary hit, Searching
for Sugar Man, are also the most successful
Swedish documentaries in Sweden so far.
Director Janus Metz Pedersens film
Armadillo rose to the third and was followed
by two Finnish documentary films, The
Finnish Flash A Teemu Selnne Story and
Tale of a Forest, which both gathered their
high admissions in Finland. Internationally
awarded Tale of a Forest was the only nature
documentary that made it to the top 10.
When looking at the ticket sales outside of
the production country, the top three stays
the same, but the fourth place went to an

intimate Finnish documentary film Steam
of Life with 13,000 admissions and the fifth
emotional Finnish Blood, Swedish Heart with
8,000 admissions in the neighbour country
Sweden.
All top 10 documentaries in the Nordics
were supported by the Nordisk Film & TV
Fond, when local admissions are excluded.
Bravehearts Alen Grujic Euforia film
Director Kari Anne Moes Bravehearts about politically active young people marked
by July 22, 2011 events, was among the most popular local documentaries in Norway.
Searching for Sugarman Tour de Force
Swedish documentary Searching for Sugar Man had almost 200,000 Nordic
admissions, and it was in cinemas in all Nordic countries except Iceland.
Page 80
Page 81
05
Top 10 Documentaries in the Nordic Region

Support
English title
Original title
Release year
Director

Country
of origin
1. YES
Palme
Palme
2012

2. YES
2012
3. YES
Armadillo
Armadillo
2010
4.
-
The Finnish Flash
Selnne
2013
- A Teemu Selnne Story
5.
-
Tale of a Forest
Metsn tarina
2 012

6. YES
The Invisible Cell
Blekingegadebanden
2009
7.
-
Reindeerspotting
Reindeerspotting
2010
8. YES
Steam of Life
Miesten vuoro
2010

9. YES
Women With Cows
Kokvinnorna
2011
10. -
Siblings are Forever
Ssken til evig tid
2013
Maud Nycander
Sweden
Malik Bendjelloul
Janus Metz Pedersen
Jukka-Pekka Siili
Sweden
Denmark
Finland
Ville Suhonen
and Kim Saarniluoto
Finland
Anders Riis-Hansen
Joonas Neuvonen
Joonas Berghll
and Mika Hotakainen
Denmark
Finland
Finland
Peter Gerdehag
Frode Fimland
Sweden
Norway
Admissions
in Denmark
Admissions
in Finland
Admissions
in Iceland
Admissions
in Norway
Admissions
in Sweden
Nordic total
15,352
4,673
5,337 242,647
268,009
24,897
114,585
-
9,689
4,237
130,390
-
-
-
12,937
35,991
-
147,484
11,028
-
195,007
165,841
130,390
86,740
86,740
77,167
291
522
-
63,654
49,911
-
-
-
-
-
4,375
-
-
8,094
77,167
63,945
62,902
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
40,628
47,748
-
47,748
40,628
Top 10 Documentaries in the Nordic Region Outside of the Production Country

Support
English title
Original title
Release year

1. YES
Armadillo
Armadillo
2010
2. YES
2012
3. YES
Palme
Palme
2012

4. YES
Steam of Life
Miesten vuoro
2010

5. YES
Finnish Blood, Swedish Heart Laulu koti-ikvst
2013
6. YES
The Act of Killing
The Act of Killing
2012
7. YES
The Ambassador
Ambassadren
2011
8. YES
A Love Story: Liv & Ingmar Liv & Ingmar
2012
9. YES
Bravehearts
Til ungdommen
2012
10. YES
Burma VJ: Reporting
Burma VJ
2009

Page 82
Director

Country
of origin
Admissions
in Denmark
Admissions
in Finland
Admissions
in Iceland
Admissions
in Norway
Admissions
in Sweden
Total except the

Country of origin
Janus Metz Pedersen

Malik Bendjelloul
Maud Nycander
Denmark
Sweden
Sweden
114,585
24,897
15,352
4,237
9,689
4,673
-
-
-
35,991
12,937
5,337
11,028
147,484
242,647
51,256
47,523
25,362
Joonas Berghll
and Mika Hotakainen
Finland
522
49,911
4,375
8,094
12,991
Mika Ronkainen
Joshua Oppenheimer
Mads Brgger
Dheeraj Akolkar
Kari Anne Moe
Anders stergaard
Finland
-
Denmark 5,865
Denmark 17,215
Norway
-
Norway
1,164
Denmark 1,357
9,512
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4,982
2,781
8,859
33,804
324
8,043
-
-
1,964
573
422
8,043
4,982
2,781
1,964
1,737
746
Page 83
06
CONCLUSION
Johanna Koljonen: Finding a New Place in the Ecosystem

As film content has unmoored itself
from physical locations and follows us
everywhere, as the internet shifts from a
text-based to an audio-visual medium, the
consumer relationship to film art and
entertainment will also change.
Jakob Kirstein Hgel: In a Wondrous State

We all know the cinema of the past.
One entered a dark, communal room for
a few hours and experienced emotional
immersion, be it in fear, awe, joy or
suspense. Recently cinema as venue and
cinema as art form have been declared dead
many times.
Yet, new films come out that renew our
attraction to cinema, giving us that sense
of wonder that is at the core of what film
is about. Even if cinema halls do become
the vinyl of the film industry, they will
undoubtedly keep engaging audiences for
the many generations.
Perhaps our main challenge is to realize that
new developments in and around film do
not imply a rejection of what we know and
love about cinema. The changes are rather
an expansion, a diversification. We want
more and we get it by binge watching series.
We want to take part in the action, so we
play video games with extensive film scenes.
We use social media and internet channels
to share films and make films of our own.
Short films slot effortlessly into new

distribution channels. Feature films must,
however, find a new place in the ecosystem.
Sometimes this actually involves returning
to older haunts. To the consumers, going to
the movies is once again becoming similar to
going to a live event, like a concert. We may
be entering a movie theatre renaissance, with
entertainment palaces like in Hollywoods
golden age, the re-birth of the local
independent theatre, even an increase of
truly underground screenings in temporary
spaces.
Numerous forms of expression and formats

that did not exist a few decades ago have
surfaced; webisodes, machinima, cut scenes
etc. Is this film? All of this is very far from
celluloid, so what is the connection to
film? Well, it is actually interesting how
often film, cinema and cinematic are
invoked in this digital age. In a promo from
a virtual reality studio the creatives and
execs boast about how completely new and
ground-breaking their products are only to
end up calling them films*. Films will be
what they have always been, but many other
audio-visual forms will also be films.
Since we, as consumers, invest money and

effort in the cinema-going experience, we
are also motivated to give it our undivided
attention: turning off our phones, being
present. In exchange we demand complex,
rewarding storytelling of the highest quality
the quality of stories we are already offered
in TV drama, but bigger, more visual,
bombastically or movingly cinematic.
Films are wondrous and cinema is that

digital or physical space where we are put
in a wondrous state. Perhaps this is the only
stability in an ever changing media and art
scape.
Jakob Kirstein Hgel
Producer and Consultant
Artistic Director of New Danish Screen in
2007-2014
* www.vimeo.com/117849907
Page 84
Page 85
In the Nordic countries, this probably

means we will need to make fewer films that
are better. It is by no means obvious that
the directors and writers currently working
with the biggest projects should or will get
to continue making them in the future. But
where can new filmmaking talent prove itself
if screen space and funding for independent
film dries up? And where can new audiences
learn to love the art of cinema?
New distribution windows like streaming
services can support a culture of watching
quality films, but they cannot create it. Like
always, the onus is on filmmakers to create
something that both appeals to and respects
the audiences. In film policy, strategies for
creating passionate audiences supporting
film in schools, making film festivals
accessible should be key.
Johanna Koljonen
Broadcaster & media analyst
Nostradamus Project, Gothenburg Film
Festival/Nordic Film Market
06
CONCLUSION
Conclusion
This study shows that there is not only
one recipe for international film success:
Swedish blockbusters Girl with a Dragon
Tattoo and The 100-Year-Old Man Who
Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
attracted million-audiences locally and
internationally. The first mentioned is a
novel-based mystery thriller and the latter
comedy of an elderly escaping retirement
home, also based on a novel.
Data Collecting and Its Challenges

This research evolved from a need for
hard facts and tools to comprehensive
statistical analysis of Nordic films national,
pan-Nordic and international success. In
addition to the national and international
perspective, the analysis emphasizes
documentary films and films for children
and youth, because those are Nordisk Film
& TV Fonds priorities.
Making the received information

comparable was the real challenge. The
data arrived in different forms and often
the variable was a region, a language region
or even a company instead of a country.
The regions and other information received
were split into countries as systematically as
possible.
All Nordic Film Institutes and Foundations

keep good track on local theatrical
admissions, and this data was relatively easily
available. They also monitor festival success,
but the listing format is often festivals
instead of countries.
In the future, statistical analysis of the

Nordic film trends could become easier and
faster if the data was collected systematically
with same variables. In-depth statistics
and analysis would help argumentation
and decision-making as well as enhance
transparency and public interest on Nordic
film and its success.
Foreign sales rights of films are spread to

several companies, many of whom operate
outside the Nordics. Around 60 agencies
participated in this research and even more
were contacted. Data on sales was the most
fragmented information; therefore the focus
was on films that were most likely sold
abroad.
This research would have an even more

comprehensive touch on the films success, if
it had been possible to be updated with the
films television ratings and television series
success, but that data was not available for
this report.
Page 86
Danish war documentary Armadillo had

over 165,000 admissions in the Nordic
region, festival screenings in almost
40 countries and sales to 16 countries.
Norwegian cinema success Kon-tiki, an
expedition story that was filmed both in
English and in Norwegian, received an
Oscar nomination and an audience of
almost 1.1 million in the Nordic region.
And these are just a few examples of the
cavalcade of successful Nordic films.
The sales list included around 350 titles and

by the end of February 2015 we received
data of 312 films. Nordisk Film and TV
Fonds contacts were crucial in executing the
collection of data.
We contacted the first sources in May 2014,

and received the last data in February 2015.
In order to receive comparable data, we set
variables and strict timeframes. We crossreferenced the film listings received from the
Nordic Film Institutes and Foundations, to
online film-databases and our own database
of films that have applied for funding. In
the end, we had a list of 847 Nordic titles
premiered in 2009-2013.
To find out which films should be on that

list, we started with films that had high
amount of festival visits and cross-referenced
it with our list of films with top admissions
and European Audiovisual Observatorys
Lumiere database on admissions of films
released in Europe.
The list was completed with children and

youth films and documentary films. We
reviewed and supplemented the list based on
our own knowledge of the topic.
Children and youth films have also had

favorable outcomes, even though they, in
general, remained local success stories. For
example, Danish animation The Great Bear
had 44,500 local admissions and festival
screenings in over 30 countries. The Finnish
animation, Niko 2 Little Brother, Big
Trouble, based on a unique original story,
did well locally and internationally: it had,
in the Nordic countries, apart from Finland,
around 61,000 admissions but sales to over
70 countries.
This report shows only a part of the

collected statistics. More comprehensive
charts are available online on the Fonds
website.
Page 87
Children and youth films have a strong

position and cultural meaning in the Nordic
countries. Especially in Norway, films for
younger audiences are dominating the film
charts.
In Finland, the local characteristic is
the popularity of documentary films. In
Denmark, the local market share is based on
diversity and in Sweden the market share of
local films is based on fewer blockbusters.
In Iceland, the local film production has
been low, but people are still the most active
cinema-goers of all Nordic neighbors.
Nordic documentaries seldom make it to
the national or Nordic top 10 lists, but some
of them have had a strong position locally
and internationally. Documentary films
succeeded especially in festivals and on sales.
Supporting Nordic films international
success is one of Nordisk Film & TV Fonds
main goals. The data shows that three out
of four top 20 festival documentaries were
funded by the Nordisk Film & TV Fond.
All top 10 documentaries in the Nordic
region were funded by the Fond, when the
local admissions are excluded. All except two
of top 20 border crossing Nordic films were
funded by the Fond.
Thank you to everyone who contributed and inspired

this research project. You made it possible.
This project was partly financed by the Finnish Cultural and Academic Institutes
Internationalization and Employment Program for Young Culture Professionals.
Danish Film Institute

The Finnish Film Foundation
Bio Paradis
Icelandic Film Centre
Film & Kino
New Nordic Films
Norwegian Film Institute
Swedish Film Institute
TV4
TV2
SVT
DR
Sant & Usant
4 1/2 Fiksjon
Alma Film
Anagram Produktion
Avanton
Blind Spot Pictures
Bob Film Sweden
Brain Academy
Cinema Mondo
Cinephil
Copenhagen Bombay
Coproduction Office
Deckert Distribution GmbH
DR Sales
ECA European Collection Agency
Filmlance
Films Transit International Inc.
First Edition Pictures
First Hand Films
For Real Productions
Fortissimo
Garagefilm International
Global Screen
Gtafilm
Ground Control Productions
Haslund Film ApS
Illumina Films
Klaffi
Koefoed Film
Koskela Art & Media House
Kvikmyndaflag slands
Lngfilm Productions Finland
Level K
Luxian Productions
Maipo
Nice Drama Production
Page 88
Kasper Slvsten, Sanne Jacobsen,

Lizette Gram Mygind, Anne Hoby
Reetta Hautamki, Niina Otva
Hrnn Sveinsdttir
Gunnar Egill Danelsson, Laufey Gujnsdttir
Ingar Johansen
Gyda Myklebust
Live Nermoen
Pia Lundberg, Torkel Stl
Anna Lindberg
Malene Nordahl, Katrine Vogelsang
Mikael Sterner
Ditte Christiansen, Henrik Gregor Knudsen
Anita Rehoff Larsen
Turid versveen, Karin Julsrud
Sara Broos
Martin Persson
Sonja Lindn
Tero Kaukomaa
Jan Blomgren
Helena Danielsson
Ville Purjo
Ori Bader
Malene Iversen, Sarita Christensen
Olimpia Pont Chfer
Vaidute Fischer
Helen Aur, Camilla Maria Saabye Krog
Trine Bech
Lars Blomgren, Magnus Lindberg
Jan Rofekamp, John Nadai
Emil Jonsvik
Danica Garajova
Cilla Werning
Gabrille Rozing
Anna-Maria Kantarius
Klaus Rasmussen, Olaf Aichinger
Christer Nilsson
Hanna Bjrk Valsdttir
Michael Haslund
Robin Brinster
Kimmo Paananen
Andreas Koefoed
Kimmo Koskela
Ingvar Thordarson
Mats Lngbacka
Tine Klint, Niklas Frost
Mika Koskinen
Synnve Hrsdal
Mikael Wallen, Henrik Jansson Schweizer
Monster
Motlys
Mouka
Neo Films
Nimbus Film
Oktober
Piraya Film
Radiator Film
SF International
Skofteland Film
Sgn ehf & RVK Studios
Sola Media
Solar Films
Spier Films
Sputnik Oy
Starhaus Filmproduktion GmbH
Story AB
Subzerofilment
SVT Sales
Trust Nordisk
Wide Management
Yellow Affair
Yellow Bird
ZDF Enterprises
Zikzak
Hkon Briseid
Yngve Sther
Sami Jahnukainen
Aage Aaberge
Claus Thobo-Carlsen
Satu Majava
Torstein Grude, Oddleiv Vik
Henrik Underbjerg
Anita Simovic, Mariette Laurn
Hilde Skofteland
Agnes Johansen
Solveig Langeland
Jesse Fryckman
Heather Millard
Halje Tulokas
Sandra
Tobias Janson
Petri Jokiranta
Paulette Rosas-Hott
Rikke Ennis, Tamara Skau
Geoffrey Garreau, Emmanuelle le Courtois
Miira Paasilinna, Sigrid Saag
Johannes Jensen, Line Winther Skyum Funch
Saskia Rittner
Skuli Malmquist, Hannes Thor Arason
Visiting writers
Helsinki International Film Festival
Filmkameratene
University of Copenhagen
Cinenord
Independent Producer and Consultant
Independent Broadcaster & Media Analyst
Marjo Pipinen
John M. Jacobsen
Ib Bondebjerg
Silje Hopland Eik
Karolina Lidin
Jacob Kirstein Hgel
Johanna Koljonen
Everyone at the office

Ann-Sophie, Cecilie, Karolina, Lise, Torleif

and Petri & Annika.
Page 89
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Page 90
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Research and Text:

Sara Keskinarkaus
Editing:
Petri Kemppinen
Artwork and Design:
Yellow1.dk
Print by:
Nofo Print

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