Elysia Zeccola’s Top 5 Picks for the Nordic Film Festival at Palace Cinemas
1.) ÁRRU.
From debut director Elle Sofe Sara, this powerful drama follows a family of Sámi reindeer herders whose fight to protect their lands from a
proposed mine exposes long-buried secrets. This is a rare chance to experience Sámi culture, joik music and reindeer-herding life on the big
screen. The director is Sámi, so she brings remarkable authenticity to a story that resonates far beyond northern Scandinavia. It features stunning scenery
and an insight into the lives of Sámi people. It’s a stirring and original story set amid the breathtaking landscapes of Sápmi.
2.) FJORD
One of the year's most acclaimed films and an essential festival event, this Palme d’Or winner from the 2026 Cannes Film Festival is a
thought-provoking drama starring Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan as a Romanian-Norwegian couple whose move to a remote Norwegian village
spirals into a devastating battle with the authorities when their parenting comes under suspicion. This is a film that will stay with you long after the
credits roll.
3.) THE FIRES.
Based on the eponymous best-selling novel, this gripping Icelandic thriller follows a volcanologist whose personal life erupts just as a
volcanic crisis threatens Reykjavík. Winner of six Icelandic Film Awards, the film blends intimate human drama with spectacular natural forces. A timely
reminder of humanity’s fragile relationship with nature. The film spectacularly features Iceland’s real volcanic landscape in an astonishing backdrop that
feels almost apocalyptic.
4.) BUTTERFLY.
Renate Reinsve (also in Fjord) stars in this intriguing drama about two estranged sisters who reunite in the Canary Islands after their
mothers death, only to inherit an unfinished spiritual retreat. Anchored by another magnetic performance from Cannes Best Actress winner Reinsve, the
film blends grief, family drama and mystery in unexpected ways.
5.) THE LAST RESORT.
Winner of the most prestigious prize in Nordic cinema, the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film at the 2026 Göteborg Film Festival,
this gripping moral thriller from acclaimed filmmaker Maria Sødahl (Hope) follows one family’s unexpected encounter on a family holiday, that challenges
everything they believe about kindness, responsibility and doing the right thing. Superbly performed and deeply affecting, this is one of the standout
Nordic films of the year.
