How can Nordic film compete on the global market?

As a side event prior to the Award Ceremony for the Nordic Council prizes a panel discussion will be arranged for the nominees to the film prize by The Nordic Region in Focus Finland. The panel will be led by film critic Silja Sahlgren-Fodstad.

Registrations through this link

The main focus in the discussion will be on the fact that the films competing for the Nordic Council Film Prize this year all have been directed by feature film debutants. Directors that from the beginning has proven to have a very personal narrative approach – and that also does so with a steady hand.

But how is it from a producers perspective to back up these primeval productions? How challenging is it to find financiers and create pre-requisites for productions made by newcomers?
And what is that one as a producer is mostly seeking today – strong stories or uniqe ways of telling them?

Another thing that the nominated films have in common, is the strong focus on young leading roles. Is it a challenge for the producer to ”sell” projects where the actors in the leading roles are unknown to the broad audience?

Finally, how important is a prize like the Nordic Council Prize? How can Nordic film compete on the global market? And what happens with feature films as an art form when tv-series steal so much of the attention?