Palace has announced the full lineup for the 2026 Hurtigruten Nordic Film Festival, which spotlights films made across Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden to audiences in Australia throughout July and August.
As announced, the lineup charts an array of films, from experimental features to award-winning narratives, all of which aim to showcase ‘the unique storytelling and profound cultural insights that has earned Nordic cinema a distinct place in the film world’.
Nordic Film Festival 2026 revealed – quick links
Nordic Film Festival 2026 lineup announced
The opening film for the 2026 Nordic Film Festival will be drama Árru, from debut director Elle Sofe Sara, which follows a family of reindeer herders in Sápmi ‘whose community and way of life is threatened by a proposed mining project.’
Palme d’Or winner Fjord, starring Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan, will be the ‘Festival Centrepiece.’ This film, inspired by real life events, follows a conservative couple dealing with the ‘contradictions of society’ after they move to a progressive and remote Norwegian town.
Comedy-drama The Love That Remains from Hlynur Pálmason will be the festival’s Special Presentation. This follows a family of five as ‘the parents navigate their separation, exploring love, family and shared memories’. At the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, the lead animal actor Panda – an Icelandic sheep dog – won the Palm Dog Award.
Also on the list of films appearing during the Nordic Film Festival 2026 are:
- Butterfly (dir. Itonje Søimer Guttormsen) – ‘An intriguing drama about a pair of estranged sisters who reunite after their mother’s sudden passing.’
- Persona (dir. Ingmar Bergman) – ‘Liv Ullmann, in the first of many iconic collaborations with the director, plays a screen actress who has fallen into an unexplained silence, while Bibi Andersson is captivating as the talkative young nurse assigned to her care in a secluded island retreat.’
- Being Bo Widerberg (dir. Widerberg) – ‘In the shadow of Ingmar Bergman, Widerberg became Sweden’s most influential filmmaker. From the progressive early 1960s in Malmö, where he worked as a writer and film critic, to his successes as a director in Stockholm and adventures in Cannes and New York, the film showcases Widerberg’s incredible artistic legacy.’
- Ådalen 31 (dir. Bo Widerberg) – ‘A gripping blend of political history and adolescent awakening.’
- Raven’s End (dir. Bo Widerberg) – ‘An unflinching 1936 Malmö portrait that follows young dreamer Anders, as he pursues his writing ambitions while slowly suffocating beneath poverty and dysfunction.’
- Elvira Madigan (dir. Bo Widerberg) – ‘Follows two lovers who abandon everything for each other.’
- The Guest (dir. Mads Mengel) – ‘Trine Dyrholm stars as an estranged mother determined to prove herself. Hoping to rejoin the family, Vibeke (Dyrholm) appears unannounced at her grandson’s naming ceremony.’
- The Last Resort (dir. Maria Sødahl) – ‘An absorbing drama that follows a Danish family on holiday at an all-inclusive resort.’
- The Last Viking (dir. Anders Thomas Jensen) – ‘Stars Mads Mikkelsen and Nikolaj Lie Kaas as brothers on a crime adventure filled with unpredictable twists and turns as they attempt to unlock Mandfred’s (Mikkelsen) memory to recover stolen loot.’
- Offroad (dir. Rasmus Heide) – ‘A woman’s stable life begins to unravel during a girls’ trip, leading her and her friends into an impulsive and chaotic journey.’
- Weightless (dir. Emilie Thalund) – ‘A bold and intimate exploration of adolescent desire and identity, this coming-of-age drama follows the transformative summer of a fifteen-year-old girl at a Danish summer health camp.’
- The Kidnapping of a President (dir. Samuli Valkama) – ‘A blackly comic drama based on a bizarre true story about the chaos that ensues when a group of far-right Finnish officers drunkenly decide to start a revolution in 1930.’
- A Light That Never Goes Out (dir. Lauri-Matti Parppei) – ‘A successful flautist who returns to his hometown in need of recuperation is drawn into the world of experimental music when he reconnects with an old school friend.’
The full lineup is available on the Nordic Film Festival website.
Where to watch the 2026 Nordic Film Festival lineup
The films screening as part of the 2026 Nordic Film Festival lineup will be showcased in cinemas around Australia, with dates varying by locations.
- Canberra – Tune in from 9 July to 2 August at Palace Electric.
- Melbourne – Tune in from 10 July to 2 August across Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Church St, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, Palace Penny Lane, The Kino, Pentridge Cinema and The Astor Theatre.
- Ballarat – Tune in from 10 July to 2 August at Palace Regent Cinema.
- Brisbane – Tune in from 22 July to 16 August at Palace James St, Palace Barracks.
- Adelaide – Tune in from 22 July to 16 August at Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas.
- Sydney – Tune in from 23 July to 16 August at Palace Norton St, Palace Moore Park and Palace Central.
- Perth – Tune in from 23 July to 16 August at Luna Leederville, Luna on SX and Palace Raine Square.
- Bryon Bay and Ballina – Tune in from 23 July to 16 August at Palace Byron Bay, Ballina Fair Cinemas.
