Nordic Broadcasters Issue Joint Call for Documentary Projects

The Nordic public broadcasters—SVT, NRK, DR, Yle and RÚV—and national film institutes have issued a joint call for high-quality documentary projects rooted in contemporary issues that possess Nordic relevance.

“Nordic documentaries are strongly positioned internationally, while the competition for audience attention is increasingly challenging,” said Teréz Hollo-Klausen, head of production at the Norwegian Film Institute. “With this initiative, we aim to bring together broadcasters and film institutes earlier in the development phase to elevate stories with broad Nordic relevance. We want to contribute to documentaries that are not only watched but also set the agenda and spark conversations across national borders.”

Ideal projects will feature accessible storytelling, compelling characters and narrative arcs that capture attention through investigations, revelations, mysteries or justice-seeking angles. Pan-Nordic collaboration, involving talent or perspectives from multiple Nordic countries, is highly encouraged.

To apply, producers and directors across the Nordic region with projects anywhere from the idea stage to advanced development can submit a pitch deck outlining the narrative arc and the subject’s current relevance, an outline of unique access or investigative angles, clear development goals and a team bio and a collaboration plan detailing involved Nordic partners, budgets and funding sources. The submission deadline is June 1.

Following submission, the national film institutes—Danish Film Institute, Swedish Film Institute, Norwegian Film Institute, Icelandic Film Centre and the Finnish Film Foundation—and public broadcasters will review the projects, and each country will nominate a maximum of three projects for further consideration.

Selected projects will be invited to a closed pitch session in Malmö in September, held just before the Nordisk Panorama Forum. The 20- to 30-minute sessions will allow creators to present directly to key decision-makers to secure letters of intent or expressions of interest from other Nordic countries.

The primary goal is to accelerate production. Selected projects will receive immediate development commitments from their national partners to move quickly.

“A tightened documentary collaboration has been on the agenda of the Nordisk Film & TV Fond’s yearly documentary think tanks, which seek concrete ways of working together,” said Liselott Forsman, CEO. “This is exactly what the documentary meeting organized in Malmö a year ago advanced. It is fantastic to see how, in economic tough times, our public parties join forces for this vital cause. The need for and strength of Nordic documentaries are especially apparent globally today as we celebrate Denmark’s well-deserved Oscar for the important film Mr Nobody against Putin.”