Nordic NEST at Göteborg Film Festival 2026 – Co-development initiative picks up speed
Göteborg, 26 January 2026 – Ten writers, 20 producers, six countries: at the Göteborg Film Festival, the “Nordic NEST” initiative by MOIN Film Fund, the German Federal Film Board (FFA) and The Five Nordics, is entering its decisive stage. The aim: new feature films and TV drama series for the international market.
Following a joint story development phase at the Baltic coast, ten selected writers will meet 20 producers from Germany, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden at the Göteborg Film Festival. In a curated matchmaking process – in collaboration with Le Groupe Ouest, one of Europe’s most innovative initiatives for script development – new Nordic–German co-development teams are set to be formed. Nordic NEST will conclude with the presentation of the developed film and series projects at Filmfest Hamburg 2026.
THE WRITERS
At the heart of Nordic NEST are the writers’ ideas. Accordingly, the five-day Nordic NEST Space on the Baltic coast of Schleswig-Holstein marked an important milestone: in mid-January 2026, ten writers –from Germany and from the Nordic countries – worked there on new project ideas. The writers were selected by a jury of industry experts from the participating countries. More than 150 projects were submitted.
The following writers and projects are taking part in Göteborg:
Toby Chlosta (Germany) with Hold Your Horses
Joakim Granberg (Sweden) with Double Fault
Anna Gutto (Norway) with Ibsen’s Dollhouse
Sarah M. Kempen (Germany) with Magic Ensemble
Eva-Maria Koskinen (Finland) with Deeper
Stefanie Ren (Germany) with White Noise
Valeria Richter (Denmark) with Cargo Crime
Jonas Rothlaender (Germany) with Beyond the Fence
Henner Schulte-Holtey (Germany) with Flesh and Blood
Oskari Sipola (Finland) with Echo Valley
THE PRODUCERS
At the launch of Nordic NEST during Filmfest Hamburg, 60 producers from Germany and the Nordic countries came together for a working and networking meeting. From this pool, the participating funding institutions jointly selected ten German and ten Nordic producers. These will now meet the ten writers at a matchmaking event held as part of the 49th Göteborg Film Festival (23 January to 1 February), which is supporting Nordic NEST as a partner in Göteborg.
The following producers are taking part in Göteborg:
Leif Alexis (Sommerhaus Serien, Germany)
Erik Andersson (Läskfilm, Sweden)
Wiebke Andresen (Letterbox, Germany)
Solmaz Azizi (Studio Zentral, Germany)
Finn Gjerdrum (Paradox, Norway)
Verena Gräfe-Höft (Junafilm, Germany)
Linus Günther (Klinker Film, Germany)
Janne Hjeltnes (Empathitude Pictures, Norway)
Charlotte Hjordt (Zentropa, Denmark)
Birkir Blær Ingólfsson (ACT4, Iceland)
Per Janérus (Harmonica Films, Sweden)
Frauke Kolbmüller (Oma Inge Film, Germany)
Lea Løbger (True Content Production, Denmark)
Mark Lwoff (Oy Bufo Ab, Finland)
Max Malka (Banijay Finland, Finland)
Jennifer Mueller von der Haegen (Weydemann Bros. Film, Germany)
Andreas Pfohl (Odeon Fiction, Germany)
Tinna Proppé (Sellout, Iceland)
Karsten Stöter (ROW Pictures, Germany)
Jamila Wenske (Achtung Panda!, Germany)
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE GÖTEBORG FILM FESTIVAL?
For each writer that teams up with a German and a Nordic production company by March 2026, MOIN Film Fund will provide treatment funding of up to €20,000. Following the treatment writing phase, three projects will be selected to receive additional script development funding of up to €60,000 each. The circle closes at Filmfest Hamburg 2026, when the ten developed projects will be presented to an international market for the first time.
ABOUT NORDIC NEST
Nordic NEST is an initiative of MOIN Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, in partnership with the German Federal Film Board (FFA) and the Five Nordics – the alliance of the Danish Film Institute, Finnish Film Foundation, Icelandic Film Centre, Norwegian Film Institute and the Swedish Film Institute.
The NEST programme developed by MOIN Filmförderung has already proven successful in Germany and is now being implemented internationally for the first time. With Nordic NEST, new paths are being taken in the field of international co-development, providing a strong foundation for future co-productions between Germany and the Nordic countries.
More information about Nordic NEST is available here.