Film i Väst presented eight new co-productions at a press conference in Cannes

High profile Danish actors Sidse Babett Knudsen and Sofie Gråbøl to star in a new feature film. A drama series based on an original story by bestselling author Jens Lapidus for SVT. Rojda Sekersöz to direct an adaptation of an acclaimed book. Stellan Skarsgård in an animated children's film.

These were some of the announcements made at Film i Väst’s annual press conference at the Cannes Film Festival. Eight new co-productions were presented alongside the five co-productions selected for this year’s Cannes programme. Six of the new co-productions will be filmed in Västra Götaland, home of Film i Väst.

“2025 is a very strong festival year for Film i Väst, with three co-productions in the main competition for the Palme d’Or and two additional co-productions in other sections. We are also incredibly excited about the eight new co-productions we presented today. Some of them will hopefully appear at major festivals in the future. All are being filmed or post-produced in Västra Götaland, which creates jobs in a thriving regional film industry,” says Kristina Börjeson, Head of Production at Film i Väst.

Film i Väst’s new co-productions presented at Cannes:

Amalie Næsby Fick: Good Mothers (main picture)

Danish film Good Mothers (original title De gode mødre) is an intense story about the price of ambition, the power of lies, and how far parents are willing to go for their children. It is directed by Amalie Næsby Fick and written by Nikolaj Arcel (The Promised Land, Riders of Justice, A Royal Affair) and Sara Isabella Jønsson (Dark Horse, Unruly). The film stars Denmark’s most prolific actors: Sidse Babett Knudsen (Borgen, Westworld) and Sofie Gråbøl (The Killing, The Shift) and Asta Kamma August (A Family Like Ours, Kalak, The Hypnosis). The film is partly shot in Västra Götaland.

A small suburban community is shaken by an alleged sexual assault on a teenage boy, committed by two other boys. When successful real estate agent Anne Sofie discovers that her son is more deeply involved than she initially thought, she decides to protect him and the family’s reputation—no matter the cost. This brings her into direct conflict with the mothers of the other two boys.

As evidence against Anne Sofie’s son begins to circulate, the pressure builds, and she decides that one of the other boys must be made the scapegoat. Her morals—and her relationships with everyone around her—are pushed to the breaking point, and Anne Sofie is forced to make a defining decision.

Good Mothers is a gripping tale of the price of ambition, the power of deception, and the lengths to which parents will go for their children.

The film is produced by Louise Vesth of Zentropa Entertainment, in co-production with Lizette Jonjic of the Gothenburg-based company Zentropa Sweden, Topkapi Films, and Film i Väst, with support from the Danish Film Institute and the Netherlands Film Fund, in collaboration with DR, SVT, and September Film, and with development support from the EU.

Erik Poppe: Bad Moon Rising

Bad Moon Rising is the new feature film from award-winning director Erik Poppe (Quisling: The Final Days, The Emigrants, A Thousand Times Good Night), based on the first ever original screenplay for the screen by Nobel Prize-winning author Jon Fosse. Shooting will begin in the fall of 2025 and will take place in Norway and in Sweden’s Västra Götaland. Produced by Paradox in co-production with Film i Väst and others.

In Fosse's distinctive, minimalist style, the unsaid is conveyed through sparse dialogue, surprising shifts, and a brutally beautiful landscape. She and He find each other, become parents to a boy, and for a while, their happiness is complete. But her roots in their homeland run deeper than his, and the distance between them grows. Loneliness eats away, love fades, language slowly disintegrates, and the inevitable question arises: “How much distance can love endure before it bursts?”

"This is, paradoxically, an extraordinarily beautiful story about the dissolution of a relationship. Every project must explore new spaces I have not yet inhabited—spaces unlike anything I have done before. A story that has not yet been told to an audience. Bad Moon Rising is a painful, visual, and powerful story about the fragility of love and the power of longing. This is the most demanding project I have ever embarked on. I am now mobilizing all my experience to create a seductive and gripping film that will invite you into Jon Fosse's rich and dramatic universe—through the lens of my temperament,” says Erik Poppe, director.

The film is produced by Finn Gjerdrum, Njål Lambrecht and Rebecca Mathisen for Paradox in co-production with True West AS, Mediefondet Zefyr, SF Studios and Film i Väst. SF Studios distributes the film in the Nordics with REinvent handling international sales.

Jasmila Žbanić: Quo Vadis, Aida? – The Missing Part

Six months after the genocide in Srebrenica and after the Peace Treaty was signed, the women still don’t know the whereabouts of their sons. Out of desperation, they organize protests and private investigations. Despite being emotionally fragile, often under-informed and lacking education, these women embody an incredible strength that overcomes all political and bureaucratic barriers. They demand their sons, the truth, and justice, and nothing can stand in their way. The story is dramatic, full of tension, action and emotions.

The first film Quo Vadis, Aida? was focused on July 11, 1995, on the consequences of UN decisions and the crimes of the Serbian army. The second film is continuation during the peace which the lead character describes as “harder than the war itself”.

Jasmila Žbanić is an Oscar and BAFTA-nominated director. In 1997., together with her friends, she founded Artist’s Association “Deblokada” through which she produced, wrote and directed her feature film Grbavica, awarded with Golden Bear on Berlinale 2006, Best film at American Film Institute (AFI). Quo Vadis Aida premiered at Venice Film Festival, and besides multiple other awards, this movie received an Independent Spirit Awards for Best International Film, a European Film Academy Award for Best film, director and main actress, as well as an Oscar nomination in the category Best International Feature Film, and two BAFTA Awards. Žbanić directed one episode of the acclaimed HBO TV show The Last of Us and her TV show I Know Your Soul in 2023 screened in Venice in 2023.

Produced by Damir Ibrahimovic (Deblokada), in co-production with Erik Hemmendorff (Plattform Produktion) and Film i Väst.

Cristian Mungiu, Fjord

Romanian Palme d'Or winner Cristian Mungiu’s highly anticipated first English-language feature, Fjord marks a shift from his previous Romanian settings to the stark landscapes of Scandinavia. It will be filmed in Norway and partially post-produced by Göteborg-based Filmgate Films.

The plot revolves around two families living in a small, remote Norwegian village. One family is Romanian and has moved to the village where the mother was born, while the other is Swedish-Norwegian. Their children, of similar age, attend the same school, and the families initially bond over their shared experiences as parents. However, their seemingly harmonious relationship begins to unravel as differing cultural perspectives on family life, education, and societal values emerge, especially when suspicions arise that the newly arrived couple is harming their own children. The film explores the challenges of reconciling personal beliefs with societal norms in an increasingly globalized world, diving deep into cultural differences, the boundaries of personal privacy, and the limits of tolerance within a close-knit community.

Fjord features a stellar cast, starring Romanian-American actor Sebastian Stan and Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve in the lead roles. Stan plays Mihai, a Romanian expat living in Norway. Sebastian Stan recently earned Best Actor nominations at the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTAs, for Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice (co-produced by Film i Väst). Renate Reinsve, internationally acclaimed for Joachim Triers The Worst Person in the World (co-produced by Film i Väst), plays Lisbet, Mihai’s Norwegian partner.

Mungiu, who also wrote the script for Fjord, is known for his exploration of complex social issues, as demonstrated in his previous films, including 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Palme d'Or winner) and (Best Director at Cannes). For Fjord, Mungiu reunites with several long-time collaborators, including Romanian cinematographer Tudor Vladimir Panduru, who worked on Mungiu’s R.M.N. (co-produced by Film i Väst).

Fjord is produced by Cristian Mungiu and Tudor Reu through Mobra Films (Romania), with co-producers including Why Not Productions (France), Eye Eye Pictures (Norway), Snowglobe Film (Denmark), Aamu Film Company (Finland), and Filmgate Films (Sweden). The film has already secured substantial support from key industry bodies, including the Romanian Film Centre (CNC), Creative Europe - MEDIA, Film i Vast, and the Western Norway Film Commission.

Jens Sjögren: Bloody Men

This fall, filming begins on Bloody Men (original title Jävla karlar), the bestselling hit novel by Andrev Walden. The book has won multiple awards, been sold to over 30 countries, and topped bestseller lists in both Sweden and Norway. The film will be shot in Region Västra Götaland, Sweden.

Aliette Opheim (Knutby, Black Crab) who stars as Andrev’s mother, is joined in the cast by Filip Berg (Whisky on the Rocks, Strul) as one of the men.

This will be director Jens Sjögren’s third feature film, following successes like I Am Zlatan and the TV series The Pirate Bay. It also marks Sjögren’s third collaboration with producer Fredrik Heinig (B-Reel Films) and screenwriter Jakob Beckman. It is also the third co-production with Film i Väst.

Just like in Walden’s novel, we follow 7-year-old Andrev growing up in 1980s Sweden, beginning with the moment he brutally learns that the man he thought was his father is not. Instead of being devastated, Andrev becomes excited by the possibilities this revelation opens up. With the resilience of a child, he navigates life and his mother’s more or less destructive relationships with various men. It’s a coming-of-age story filled with both darkness and humor — about love for an incapable mother, about a bunch of damn men, and about not becoming one of them.

The film is produced by B-Reel Films and distributed by SF Studios in the Nordic countries, with the theatrical release scheduled for fall 2026.

Rojda Sekersöz: Will You Care if I Die?

Nicolas Lunabba's acclaimed autobiographical debut book Will You Care If I Die? is adapted into a feature film by producers Sandra Harms and Helen Ahlsson (Nordic Drama Queens) in collaboration with Guldbagge Award-winning director Rojda Sekersöz (Beyond Dreams, My Life as a Comedian, Young Royals). Filming will begin this summer, in Malmö and Västra Götaland, and the movie is expected to premiere in 2026.

Will You Care if I Die? (original title Innan vi lyfter) is a moving and hopeful drama. The film tells the true story of an unexpected friendship between youth mentor Nic and 14-year-old Elijah, a young basketball talent with a troubled upbringing. With honesty, the film portrays the power that emerges when someone decides to believe in you.

"After six years in television drama, I’m passionate about returning to feature films, and when I was asked to direct Will You Care if I Die?, I was immediately inspired. I want to create a film that’s warm, sad, and genuinely funny at the same time. You know those films you want to rewatch just to feel the emotions again? This will be one of those films," says Rojda Sekersöz.

The film is produced by Nordic Drama Queens in co-production with Sveriges Television, Film i Väst, Film i Skåne, and Nordisk Film Distribution, in collaboration with DR and RUV, with support from the Swedish Film Institute. The international sales agent is TrustNordisk. Distributed by Nordisk Film.

Linda Hambäck: Dante

Stellan Skarsgård stars as the voice of the streetwise rat Dante, who encounters bank clerk Helge, voiced by David Dencik. Helge is suddenly forced to flee and ends up at the city dump, where Dante lives. The film is a crime story in which the quest to find the real culprit—so Helge can prove his innocence—leads through an unexpected friendship, stolen millions, and dynamite.

Dante is written by Jessika Jankert and Linda Hambäck, freely adapted from Frida Nilsson’s book Me and Dante at the Dump. Linda Hambäck reunites with the Nordic region’s top animation team at Dockhus Animation in Trollhättan, Nørlum in Viborg, Denmark, and Mikrofilm in Norway. The leading roles are voiced by Stellan Skarsgård, David Dencik, Vanna Rosenberg, Eric Stern, Kalle Westerdahl, Tova Magnusson, Melinda Kinnaman, Erik Lundin, and the child Ella is excellently portrayed by Noemi Sjöblom.

Linda Hambäck most recently directed The Ape Star, which had its world premiere at the Annecy Film Festival in 2021 and was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the European Film Awards, and went on to win several festival awards. Hambäck’s feature debut Gordon & Paddy premiered in the Generation section at the Berlin Film Festival in 2018 and also won multiple international awards.

Dante is produced by LEE Film in co-production with Nørlum, Mikrofilm, and Film i Väst, with support from the Swedish Film Institute, the Danish Film Institute, the Norwegian Film Institute, the Nordisk Film & TV Fund, the West Danish Film Fund, and Creative Europe. In collaboration with SVT and DR. The film is distributed in the Nordic countries by TriArt Film and sold internationally by Attraction Distribution. The Swedish theatrical release is planned for fall 2026.

Lisa Linnertorp: Burden of Justice

Filming kicks off in August for SVT’s upcoming legal drama Burden of Justice (original title Försvararna), based on an original idea by bestselling author Jens Lapidus. The series is directed by Lisa Linnertorp (Threesome), with scripts by Frans Milisic Wiklund (Snabba Cash, Alex, Lust), and stars Kit Walker Johansson (Threesome) in one of the lead roles.

The story follows friends Sasha and Kalle, both high-profile defense lawyers running one of Stockholm’s most prestigious law firms. Sasha is driven by status and money, while Kalle is passionate about defending his clients — but also about being the best. When Sasha becomes personally involved in a rape case and Kalle takes on one of the most high-profile gang crime trials in recent history, their worlds begin to unravel.

Meanwhile, newly graduated law student Tilde gets the opportunity of a lifetime — but also a dangerous look into the darkest corners of the legal industry. Ambitious and eager Oscar (Kit Walker Johansson) dreams of becoming the next star lawyer, but soon realizes the profession may demand more than he is willing to give. As the pressure mounts, all of them are forced to confront difficult ethical choices and personal dilemmas. In the end, the series asks: what kind of lawyers — and what kind of people — do they want to be?

“This is a series I’ve dreamed of making for a long time. Everything that happens in society eventually comes into sharp focus in a courtroom— it’s a uniquely rich environment for telling stories about the people within the justice system, especially the lawyers.” says Jens Lapidus

The eight-part series is produced by Strive Stories (Nicklas Wikström Nicastro, Caroline Landerberg) in co-production with SVT, Strive Stories and Film i Väst, and will be filmed in western Sweden. The premiere is planned for spring 2026.