Scandinavian film and TV: March 2024

Welcome to the first edition of Scan Magazine’s monthly film column which will provide a look at what is hot in Scandinavian Film and TV.

Fortunately, while many global productions have been impacted by the US SAGFRA strike (now resolved), there’s no such concern in Scandinavia, with the sector booming with exciting content.

Notedly, BBC has just announced the air dates for the fantastic Danish award-winning prison drama Huset (Prisoners). In fact, by the time you are reading this magazine, the first episodes will have aired, but don’t despair, you can catch it on BBC iPlayer. If you loved Huset as much as I did, you might also be interested in watching Shorta. Directed by Frederik Louis Hviid, one of the directors of Huset, it explores some similar themes and can be purchased on Amazon Prime. (Of course, you will also want to read my interview with Youssef Wayne-Hvidtfeldt, one of the leading actors of Huset, in the December issue of Scan Magazine).

On to Bastarden (The Promised Land), Denmark’s selection for the 2024 Academy Awards. Directed by Nikolaj Arcel and Starring Mads Mikkelsen, it is something as rare as a Danish Western. It is produced by Zentropa and premiered in UK cinemas on the 16th of February.

From Norway, Dag Johan Haugerud’s Sex, a brave tale of gender roles exploring toxic masculinity, premiered at Berlinale, one of the world’s most important film festivals, in February. The film is the first instalment of a trilogy, with the second instalment Dreams and Lov currently in production. The trilogy is created in collaboration with the Scandinavian broadcaster and streaming service Viaplay Group which recently launched in the UK, and all three films will be available for streaming via the Viaplay platform.

Continuing the prison theme, also premiering at Berlinale, is the Swedish/Danish co-production Vogter (Sons), directed by Swedish Gustav Möller and featuring Danish Sidse Babett Knudsen, who gained global recognition for her portrayal of the fictional first Danish female prime minister in the political TV-series Borgen. It is produced by Nordisk Film.

Finally, the Swedish teen and coming-of-age TV series A Part of You (En del av dig) premiers on Netflix in 2024. It is the directional debut of producer and editor Sigge Eklund and is produced by SF Studios.

Anders Lorenzen is a Danish blogger and film and TV enthusiast living in London.