Eight international film and television projects developed through the Nordic NEST co development program have entered the screenplay phase, bringing together producers and writers from Germany and the Nordic countries in a cross border collaboration aimed at strengthening European storytelling.

The Nordic NEST initiative is organized by MOIN Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig Holstein in partnership with the German Federal Film Board and the Five Nordics alliance, which includes the Danish Film Institute, Finnish Film Foundation, Icelandic Film Centre, Norwegian Film Institute, and Swedish Film Institute.

Each participating project team consists of one writer and two producers, one from Germany and one from a Nordic country. The program supports the development of new film and series concepts by fostering collaboration between creators across national film industries.

The eight selected projects span a wide range of genres and storytelling styles, including drama series, thrillers, road movies, and black comedies. MOIN Film Fund is providing treatment development funding of up to 160,000 euros in total to support the participating teams during this phase of the program.

The team formation process began earlier this year during a matchmaking event held at the Göteborg Film Festival. During the event, ten selected writers met with twenty producers from Germany, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.

Before the matchmaking session, the writers took part in an intensive development workshop organized by Le Groupe Ouest, a European initiative known for supporting innovative screenplay development. During the workshop, the writers refined their ideas and prepared their projects for collaboration with producers.

The participating projects include a German Finnish road movie titled Beyond the Fence, written by Jonas Rothlaender and produced by Verena Gräfe Höft of Junafilm and Mark Lwoff of Bufo. The story follows a teenager in 1960s Finnish Lapland who discovers a family secret and begins a journey across post war Europe in search of connection.

Another project, Cargo Crime, is a drama series written by Valeria Richter with producers Jennifer Mueller von der Haegen and Janne Hjeltnes. The series follows a long haul truck driver whose life is disrupted by a series of events that force her to confront threats affecting both her personal safety and wider society.

Deeper, a drama thriller series written by Eva Maria Koskinen, focuses on a Finnish military deep sea diver investigating sabotage linked to the Nord Stream pipeline while discovering that one of the key suspects is someone from her past.

The program also includes Double Fault, a black comedy film about a Norwegian banker who discovers her biological father is a disgraced German tennis legend, leading to an unexpected and chaotic reunion.

Another project, Hold Your Horses, combines tragicomedy and family drama as a young transgender man travels to Iceland to fulfill his late father’s dream, only to be joined by his estranged mother on a journey that challenges their relationship.

Ibsen’s Dollhouse explores the story behind the creation of Henrik Ibsen’s famous play A Doll’s House, focusing on the intense intellectual partnership between Henrik and Susanna Ibsen.

Sense of Silence introduces a fantasy drama about a young man whose hidden abilities begin to surface after his mother disappears, forcing him to confront the reasons she kept him isolated from the world.

The final project, White Noise, is a mystery series set on the Danish North Sea coast where a woman investigating her brother’s death discovers strange underground vibrations linked to a deeper mystery.

After the treatment writing phase, a jury will select three projects to receive additional screenplay development funding of up to 60,000 euros each. The winning projects will be announced during the Cannes Film Festival.

The program will conclude later in 2026 at Filmfest Hamburg, where the developed projects will be presented to international producers, distributors, and industry professionals for potential co production opportunities.

Nordic NEST represents an expansion of the development model originally created by MOIN Film Fund in Germany. By bringing together talent from multiple countries, the initiative aims to encourage stronger international collaboration and create new opportunities for European film and television co productions.