The Freyas Names First Nordic Film & TV Honorees — SkimNews
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- The Freyas unveiled its first eight honorees ahead of its inaugural ceremony in Helsinki on Sept. 22, with founder Kirpi Uimonen framing the awards as a celebration of Nordic audiovisual culture's "remarkable global footprint."
- Lasse Hallström and Lena Olin are honored as pioneering transatlantic Nordic talents — Hallström earned two Oscar nominations for 1985's "My Life as a Dog," while Olin's career spans Bergman's "Fanny and Alexander" to "The Unbearable Lightness of Being."
- Trine Dyrholm wins Outstanding Nordic Actor (in a Series) for Benedikt Erlingsson's "The Danish Woman," an Iceland-Denmark-France co-production, adding to a resume that includes a Berlinale Silver Bear for "The Commune."
- Ólafur Darri Ólafsson takes Outstanding Nordic Actor (in a Series) for "Reykjavik Fusion," which he also executive produced, while Fares Fares wins Outstanding Nordic Actor (in a Film) for "Arkipelag."
- Laura Birn is recognized for playing Demerzel across all three seasons of Apple TV+'s "Foundation," and recently appeared alongside Javier Bardem in "Beloved," which premiered at Cannes in May.
- Thea Sofie Loch Næss is honored as an emerging international talent, known for playing Skade in Netflix's "The Last Kingdom" and the title role in festival hit "The Ugly Stepsister."
Why it matters: The Freyas gives five fragmented national film industries — Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland — a unified prestige platform to compete with the BAFTAs and Golden Globes for Nordic talent's attention, with eight honorees whose combined credits span Apple TV+, Netflix, HBO, and Star Wars already validating the region's streaming-era relevance.
Ask SkimNews
