– The directors’ respective upcoming projects, Out of Athens and Chentian, have emerged victorious, while Tropical Malaise by Jorge Cadena received the Coprocity Development Award
Directors Badrudin Ga’ur and Suha Arraf with their prizes (© Göteborg Film Festival/Jenny Duan)
The 27th Nordic Film Market, an integral part of the Göteborg Film Festival, has unveiled its market award winners, spotlighting projects in development that combine strong artistic vision with clear international potential.
Out of Athens, directed by debuting Norwegian-Somali filmmaker Badrudin Ga’ur and produced by Vibeke Ringen for Nordisk Film Norway, received the Film Finances Scandinavia Award, which includes €15,000 in development support. The award recognises a Nordic feature project from the Discovery co-production platform that demonstrates artistic excellence and international appeal.
The jury – composed of Thomas Rosso, programme manager at the Cannes Critics’ Week; Emilie Szemraj, creative executive at Protagonist Pictures; and Max Malka, executive producer at Banijay Finland – stated: “The jury has decided to reward a new talent, a filmmaker who took many risks to be here and to tell this story. This film presents a timely, global issue by intertwining it with a deeply personal experience and the hope that young love inspires.”
Out of Athens is an intimate thriller about Maja, a Norwegian woman hired by a smuggler to pose as the lover of Kasim, an undocumented man trying to cross Europe. What begins as a performance slowly turns into something real and dangerous.
From the Nordic Gateway section, the international platform launched in 2025 to connect non-Nordic projects with Nordic partners, Chentian, directed by Palestinian filmmaker Suha Arraf (Villa Touma [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]), and produced by May Odeh for Odeh Films and Germany’s Mayana Films, was granted the Tint Post-Production Award, valued at 400,000 SEK (€37,000). Presented by Gothenburg-based post-production company Tint, the award offers high-end post-production services, including colour grading and access to Tint’s Dolby Atmos Theatrical mixing stage.
The jury – consisting of Malika Rabahallah, festival director of Filmfest Hamburg; Léonard Altmann, festivals manager at Charades; and Thomas Robsahm, producer at Nordisk Film – commented: “This is a poetic story of women fighting for liberation. The sisters’ personal struggles reflect the complexity of the political context surrounding them. While trying to defend their land, they must deal with their identity and the hidden desire of sexuality. In a quiet and delicate way, the film will bring us a story of hope for women who won’t accept being silenced.”
Set in a Palestinian village inside “Israel”, Chentian follows two sisters-in-law, Nabila and Shams, who are bound by an exchange marriage. When one becomes a widow, forbidden desires surface, tensions rise, and their land is threatened by occupation. As the men disappear, the women must confront betrayal, power and survival on their own terms.
Additionally, as previously reported, Tropical Malaise, directed by Jorge Cadena, received the Coprocity Development Award, presented in partnership with Cineuropa (see the interview). The award includes a €3,500 cash prize and a €2,800 promotional campaign on Cineuropa. The jury also granted a Special Mention to the animated feature-length project The Legend of Salamanders, directed by Catherine Maximoff and produced by French company Les Contes Modernes (see the news).
