The first Freyas, or Nordic Film and TV Awards, saw Hanna Bergholm’s Finnish horror film Nightborn take home the prize for best film. The movie stars “Compartment No. 6”, lead Seidi Haarla, alongside Rupert Grint, and the award was presented during the ceremony held at Finlandia Hall in Helsinki. Bergholm collected the trophy and used her acceptance speech to speak about unity among Nordic filmmakers.
“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.”
She thanked the filmmakers whose work opened windows for her to understand the world, the ones she grew up watching. She also praised the organizers for bringing everyone together.
The Danish Woman Takes Two Prizes
“The Danish Woman” won the prize for best Nordic series, and the show’s star Trine Dyrholm took best Nordic actor in a series. French-Danish producer Marianne Slot accepted the actor award, issuing a warning about artificial intelligence.
“These days, AI is threatening originals,” she said. “We have to take care of originals.”
Darri Ólafsson Wins Actor Honor
Icelandic-American actor Ólafur Darri Ólafsson won the award for Nordic actor in a series for “Reykjavik Fusion.” He celebrated the coalition of Nordic nations, calling it a source of pride in a strange world.
“We are proud to be part of this coalition of the Nordic nations,” he said. “Especially in this strange world we live in now, I’m happy to be here.”
Fares Fares Gets His Moment
Sweden’s Fares Fares won the Nordic actor in a film award for Alex Schulman’s “Archipelago.” He reflected on why the award had arrived so late.
“It’s so nice to be here,” he said. “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!”
He urged viewers to check out more films from neighboring nations, pointing out that Swedish audiences already welcome Danish and Norwegian productions.
“I really want to see more Finnish and Icelandic films – more stuff from Estonia,” he said.
Valkyrie Goes to Finnsdóttir
The Valkyrie Award went to Icelandic actress Ebba Katrín Finnsdóttir for her part in the crime drama series “Hildur.”. Her win kept the Icelandic presence alive at the ceremony.
Hallström Gets the Falcon
Swedish filmmaker Lasse Hallström was presented with the Falcon Award by Finnish filmmaker Dome Karukoski, who paid tribute to him, saying: ” ‘My Life as a Dog’ – one of my favorite films – has shaped numerous young Nordic directors with its humanity and warmth.”
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.”
The Goddess Award recipient Olin addressed the essence of acting during her remarks.
“When I started in the Nordics, I was told being an actor is a privilege,” she said. “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.”
Lasse is Bradley Cooper’s father, and Olin said her dog loves him.
“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?” she said. “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.”
The Impact Award and the Icebreaker
The Finnish and Norwegian documentary “The Secret Reading Club of Kabul,” directed by Shakiba Adil and Elina Hirvonen, won the Nordic Impact Award. The film honors women who defied a cruel regime.
“For me, Shakiba and the other protagonists are role models,” Hirvonen said. “They show how to fight totalitarian regimes.”
From Afghanistan, Shakiba addressed the audience directly, opening with these words: “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.”.
Laura Birn received the Local Nordic Hero Award for her turn as Demerzel in Apple TV’s “Foundation”, a role that brought her fame beyond Finland.
“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,” Birn said. “I feel joy to witness something unique.”
A young professional was honored for her work’s signal international breakthrough, and the award went to Norwegian actress Thea Sofie Loch Næss.
Strang Hosts With a Joke
Finnish actor Pekka Strang hosted the ceremony, and he is currently filming the fourth season of “White Lotus.”. During the event, he made light of the Nordic reputation for bleakness.
“In Finland we say, ‘Last year summer was on a Tuesday,'” he said. “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!”
A Forum Built on Mutual Support
The night began with Bergholm’s remarks, which framed the event around Nordic filmmakers backing one another, letting their films do the talking, and discovering shared ground across national lines. Gratitude and pride were the clear undertones running through those speeches.
Nordic filmmakers found a platform through the Freyas to acknowledge each other’s work, and the ceremony itself provided a look at a region that holds its cinematic past in high regard even as it builds its future.
Source material: “‘Nightborn,’ ‘The Danish Woman’ Win at Inaugural Edition of Nordic Film and TV Awards, Also Known as the Freyas,” Variety.
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