‘Nightborn,’ ‘The Danish Woman’ Win at Inaugural Edition of Nordic Film and TV Awards, Also Known as the Freyas

Hanna Bergholm’s Finnish horror film “Nightborn,” starring “Compartment No. 6” lead Seidi Haarla and Rupert Grint, won best film at the inaugural edition of the Freyas, also known as the Nordic Film and TV Awards.

Accepting the award at the gala ceremony at Helsinki’s iconic Finlandia Hall, Bergholm said, “The most important thing is how we filmmakers in Finland always support each other. We stick together. I’m so happy to have this forum where we Nordic filmmakers can support each other and speak for Nordic films. That’s so precious. I want to thank all of you for the inspiring films I saw growing up. Your films have opened windows for me to understand our world. Thank you everyone at the Freyas for making everyone come together.”

“The Danish Woman” won the prize for best Nordic series and the show’s Trine Dyrholm won best Nordic actor in a series. Accepting the award, French-Danish producer Marianne Slot issued a warning, “These days, AI is threatening originals. We have to take care of originals.”

Icelandic-American actor Ólafur Darri Ólafsson won the award for Nordic actor in a series for “Reykjavik Fusion.” He said, “We are proud to be part of this coalition of the Nordic nations. Especially in this strange world we live in now, I’m happy to be here.”

Sweden’s Fares Fares won the Nordic actor in a film award for Alex Schulman’s “Archipelago.” He said, “It’s so nice to be here. When I heard of this award, I thought this was long overdue. Why didn’t we have this Nordic film and TV award before? What a great idea! We have so many talented people here. Hopefully this is going to entice us in Sweden to watch more films from our neighboring countries. In Sweden, we watch Danish, Norwegian films. I really want to see more Finnish and Icelandic films – more stuff from Estonia.”

Icelandic actress Ebba Katrín Finnsdóttir received the Valkyrie Award for her role in crime drama series “Hildur.”

Among the evening’s highlights was the Falcon Award, presented to Swedish filmmaker Lasse Hallström. Presenting the award, Finnish filmmaker Dome Karukoski paid tribute to Hallström, saying: “ ‘My Life as a Dog’ – one of my favorite films – has shaped numerous young Nordic directors with its humanity and warmth.”

Accepting the award, Hallström paid tribute to his wife, Swedish actress Lena Olin. “Lena has been by my side so many years. Without her, these achievements would have been very few. We’re still working, alive. We have lots to say, lots to do, give us a few more years, Freyas! Give us a decade to get another lifetime to keep doing a little bit better. We can do even better.”

Olin, who received the Goddess Award, said, “When I started in the Nordics, I was told being an actor is a privilege. We were constantly told, ‘No one cares about you. You are there to tell a story. If you’re talented or not, no one cares – just tell that freaking story.’ We felt we’re just getting hammered to the ground. But then when I started working internationally it felt like an honor. We’re not full of ourselves – we are enjoying every moment and constantly feel it’s an honor.”

She added, “Freya is fantastic. It is timely, so long overdue. Now I feel there are so many extraordinary films, TV shows coming out of the Nordics. We have created so much greatness.

“I have a small dog called Bradley Cooper. I can’t walk him because he is in love with his dad – when I want to take him on an adventure, he looks back – where is Lasse, where is dad? I feel that’s the way I’ve been working for the last four decades. I’ve been filming, acting – without looking at what’s been going on at home. Now, the last few years, I’ve been looking at my fellow actors. There is so much talent. I feel so proud and honored.”

Finnish and Norwegian documentary “The Secret Reading Club of Kabul,” directed by Shakiba Adil and Elina Hirvonen, won Nordic Impact Award. Hirvonen said, “The women in the film have defied one of the cruellest regimes in the world. Shakiba has sent greetings to you all. She is in Afghanistan. She said: ‘I grew up with the Taliban, spent six years in the world of my home. If I had known then that our film would be honored here, I would have had hope. I would have believed that if the world hears, at least someone cares.’”

Hirvonen added: “For me, Shakiba and the other protagonists are role models. They show how to fight totalitarian regimes.”

The Local Nordic Hero Award recognized Finnish actress Laura Birn, whose performance as Demerzel in Apple TV’s “Foundation” introduced her to an international audience. Birn said, “In Finland, we have these strange peculiar honest, weird filmmakers, and weird, great financiers who give money to these filmmakers, and we have found a voice in cinema that didn’t exist when I started a decade ago. I feel joy to witness something unique.”

The Icebreaker Award, created to celebrate a younger Nordic professional whose work signals an international breakthrough, went to Norwegian actress Thea Sofie Loch Næss.

The ceremony was hosted by Finnish actor Pekka Strang, currently shooting the fourth season of “White Lotus.” He joked, “In Finland we say, ‘Last year summer was on a Tuesday.’ Maybe our climate was one of the creators of Nordic noir. It’s been replicated all around the world. What they see as fiction is everyday life for us. Silence, darkness and grayness and naked female bodies on the shores – welcome to the Nordic audiovisual family!”