From Pine Trees to Palme d’Or
The prospect of the Nordics striking Gold in Cannes again
The Nordic Track Record at Cannes
Over the past ten years, filmmakers from the Nordic countries have made a significant mark at the Cannes Film Festival with several wins. It began with ‘Rams’ (2015), an Icelandic-Danish co-production directed by Grímur Hákonarson. The film won the Un Certain Regard Prize, a section of the festival that runs parallel to the main Palme d’Or competition and awards Best Director, Best Performance and the Jury Prize (which went to ‘Rams’ that year).
Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier’s 2015 feature film ‘Louder Than Bombs’ was the first Norwegian film to be selected for the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 36 years (!). This film marked the second time a film by Trier had been recognized at the festival. In 2011, his film ‘Oslo, August 31st’ was selected for the Un Certain Regard section.
Swedish director, screenwriter and editor Ruben Östlund's Palme d’Or win in 2017 for ‘The Square,’ was quite sensational. This was the second film in an Östlund trilogy that started with ‘Force Majeure’ in 2014. Sometimes referred to as his ‘satirical social discomfort trilogy,’ he is a master at crafting dark comedy films that confront norms, power structures and general human behavior.
In 2021, two Nordic films received award recognition at the Cannes Film Festival. Finnish director and screenwriter Juho Kuosmanen shared the Grand Prix award (considered the runner-up award at Cannes) for his feature film ‘Compartment No. 6.’ alongside ‘Hero’ by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi.
That same year, Joachim Trier’s critically acclaimed film ‘The Worst Person in the World’ received worldwide attention and was nominated for several awards, including two Oscars. In Cannes, the break-out star of the film, Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve, won the award for Best Actress. She is the only actor or actress from Norway to ever win this prestigious award. This recognition put her on magazine covers and in editorials for Vogue, Town & Country, New York Times, Vulture and the Financial Times, and resulted in her first Hollywood role in Apple TV+’s 2024 drama series ‘Presumed Innocent’ where she starred opposite Jake Gyllenhaal.
In 2022, Ruben Östlund's final chapter of his trilogy, ‘Triangle of Sadness,’ won him the Palme d'Or again. At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, he has been tasked with the prestigious job of being President of the Feature Film Jury, reprising his 2023 stint at this job after his 2022 win. From two wins to now being the one to hand out the award for a second time is a clear recognition of his status in European filmmaking. One might think it is a tradition at Cannes to have the winner go on to be the jury president the following year, but it isn’t. The jury president is chosen independently.
‘Triangle of Sadness’ is a brilliant study of hierarchy, power, and perception of class. The film shows how circumstances can turn everything upside down. Those who can solve the immediate needs of the group then and there become the resourceful authority instead of those who might have unlimited resources elsewhere which are useless and worthless in the moment. The film also looks at how newfound respect and power is hard to let go of. The brilliant performance by Woody Harrelson as the carefree captain of a $250 million yacht made the film along with Dolly De Leon’s great performance as Abigail, the toilet cleaner who takes charge after a tragic accident. The Captain’s Dinner scene is definitely a memorable, bizarre and entertaining moment.
Iranian actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi won the Best Actress award in 2022 for her performance in director, screenwriter and producer Ali Abbasi's ‘Holy Spider’, which was a Danish co-production. We will therefore put this win also in the Danish and Nordic column.
In 2023, Norwegian director and screenwriter Marlene Emilie Lyngstad's short film ‘Norwegian Offspring’ won First Prize in La Cinef, a section dedicated to student films.
A year later, Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel’s debut feature ‘Armand’ received the Caméra d'Or for Best First Feature. The film starred his friend Renate Reinsve, who certainly added significant star power to ‘Armand.’ The story unfolds in a school meeting between parents and school staff regarding an alleged incident between two 6-year-old boys.
What Cannes We Expect This Year
For the 2025 Cannes Film Festival main competition for the Palme d’Or, there are two Nordic films in the running:
From Norway comes Joachim Trier’s new film ‘Sentimental Value.’ If we thought Trier was a master at catchy movie titles based on ‘The Worst Person In the World,’ then the title ‘Sentimental Value’ doesn’t conjure up the same curiosity. Thankfully there is more to a film than the title. In addition to having Norway’s award-winning actress from 2021, Renate Reinsve, as his leading lady once again, the cast also includes Swedish legend Stellan Skarsgård (‘Good Will Hunting,’ ‘Dune,’ ‘Thor,’ ‘Pirates of the Caribbean,’ ‘Mamma Mia!’) and American actress Elle Fanning (‘Maleficent,’ ‘A Complete Unknown’). Trier has another strong card on his hands that is also a repeat: U.S. distributor Neon has secured the rights to this film, just like they did for Trier’s ‘The Worst Person in the World.’
Neon has been very successful over the course of their short eight-year lifespan. With five Palme d’Or wins out of the past six, and two Best Picture wins at the Oscars in the past five years, Neon’s founder and CEO, Tom Quinn, is a rockstar. Quinn and his team know how to pick, market and promote audio-visual winners.
This year, only two of the 19 films competing for the Palme d’Or, are Neon films. The one other than ‘Sentimental Value,’ is Julia Ducournau’s ‘Alpha.’ She has home court advantage being French and she already won the Palme d’Or in 2021 for ‘Titane.’ Who did she beat that year? Joachim Trier’s ‘The Worst Person in the World,’ among others. Two Neon films; one winner.
If there ever was a rematch in film competitions, this is one! Trier v. Ducournau, Norway v. France. If it comes down to these two films, then Neon will continue its impressive winning streak at Cannes.
The Swedish selection for the main competition, is ‘Eagles of the Republic’ by Tarik Saleh. Distributed by French distributor Memento Films International and produced by Arte France Cinema, this film definitely also has home court advantage with its production and distribution ties to France. Saleh’s film can also boost one of the leading film composers of our time in Alexandre Desplat, known for the ‘Harry Potter’ franchise, ‘Argo,’ ‘Rise of the Guardians,’ ‘Godzilla,’ ‘The Twilight Saga,’ ‘The Imitation Game,’ ‘The Secret Life of Pets 1 and 2,’ and the upcoming ‘Frankenstein.’ Not to mention his two Oscar-winning scores, ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ and ‘The Shape of Water.’ It seems like quite a coup for a Swedish director to get a two time Oscar-winner to score a political thriller with a total budget of 9 million Euros.
‘Eagles of the Republic’ is the final installment of Tarik Saleh’s Cairo trilogy following ‘The Nile Hilton Incident’ in 2017 and ‘Cairo Conspiracy’ in 2022, the latter of which was called ‘A Boy from Heaven’ in Sweden when directly translated from Swedish. These films are all in Arabic and set in Egypt. Saleh was born and raised in Sweden to a Swedish mother and an Egyptian father.
A few days before the shooting of ‘The Nile Hilton Incident’ about the Arab Spring was supposed to begin, Saleh was removed from Egypt and told never to return. His film was considered offensive by the Egyptian government, and the result was that production was moved to Casablanca, Morocco, where the film was shot. ‘The Cairo Conspiracy’ and ‘Eagles of the Republic’ were for the most part shot in Instanbul, Turkey.
Out of the five Nordic countries, only Sweden and Denmark can brag about winning the Palme d’Or. The score to date is 3-2 in the Swede’s favor. One of Denmark’s finest filmmakers, Bille August, won the award twice with ‘Pelle the Conqueror’ and ‘The Best Intentions.’ Ruben Östlund’s two recent wins with ‘The Square’ and ‘Triangle of Sadness’ go in the Swedish column along with Alf Sjöberg’s win for ‘Miss Julie’ back in 1951.
Some Competitors to Look Out For
What is the competition looking like for the two Nordic films competing for the Palme d’Or this year?
Some films to look out for, are:
Wes Anderson’s ‘The Phoenician Scheme’ (Focus Features) with a stellar ensemble cast including Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston, Benicio Del Toro, and Benedict Cumberbatch. We even have two Desplats on this project; Alexandre Desplat as the film composer while his daughter Antonia is in the cast. Anderson has been a Palme d’Or nominee before, but never a winner, but he did win an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film in 2024 for ‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.’
Ari Aster’s ‘Eddington’ (A24) features performances by Pedro Pascal, Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Luke Grimes and Austin Butler. This Western black comedy about a New Mexico standoff could do well. This is Aster’s first Palme d’Or nomination.
Richard Linklater’s ‘Nouvelle Vague’ or ‘New Wave’ (ARP Sélection) is entirely shot in France and is Linklater’ first Palme d’Or nomination. He previously won two BAFTA’s for ‘Boyhood’ in 2015 (Best Picture and Best Director), a film that was also nominated for three Oscars (Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Picture).
Mario Martone’s ‘Fuori’ (01 Distribution). The film is about three women who meet in prison and form a close bond after they are released. After their release, the three of them form a deep bond. The lead is played by Italian actress Valeria Golino, probably best known to an American audience in the role of Susanna opposite Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman in the four-time Oscar-winner ‘Rain Man’ (1988). Martone was nominated for the Palme d’Or once previously for ‘Nostalgia’ at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.
The 78th Cannes Film Festival takes place in Cannes, France from May 13th through May 24th, 2025.
Hi Erik,
I haven't really paid attention to this year's Cannes' selections so thank you for the overview. Also, I'm a huge fan of Joachim Trier's work - "Reprise" is one of my favorite all-time films. I eagerly await "Sentimental Value!" Hopefully, it will play here in Nebraska soon after its premiere in Cannes. If you get to see it ahead of its U.S. release, I look forward to your review of the film.