🇺🇸 Festival celebrating cinema from Greenland, Iceland & the Faroe Islands returns this October

New York, NY – August 2026 – Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America is pleased to announce the return of West Nordic Film Days, a celebration of cinema from Greenland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands, from October 9-11, 2026. The annual festival this year features selections curated by Birgir Thor Møller, including acclaimed recent narrative films, documentaries, and shorts. All screenings take place in person with English subtitles at Scandinavia House.

The West Nordic countries have attracted foreign filmmakers since the dawn of cinema. In the late 1970s, however, Iceland began to develop a national film industry, gaining domestic and international attention and recognition. The history of Greenlandic, Faroese, and Sámi film production is of a bit later date, yet in recent years, an increasing number of their films have attracted attention both at home and abroad.

The selection at West Nordic Film Days will not only reflect the current development and tendencies in West Nordic cinema but also the diversity, combining films by prolific, prizewinning directors and upcoming filmmakers, who all live in and tell their stories from very different parts of the region.

This year’s lineup

Feature Films:

The Last Paradise on Earth / Seinasta paradís á jørð (dir. Sakaris Stórá, Faroe Islands, 2025) – October 9
A poetic tale of love and loss, following the different paths of two grieving siblings amid change in their small island village. In 2025, it became the first Faroese feature film ever to be nominated for—and win—the Nordic Council Film Prize.

Dreams by the Sea / Dreymar við havið (dir. Sakaris Stórá, Faroe Islands, 2025) – October 10, 5 PM
A coming-of-age film exploring the bond between a village-raised teen and a city girl, who both dream of escape.

Documentary Films:

Walls – Akinni Inuk (dir. Nina Paninnguaq Skydsbjerg and Sofie Rørdam, Greenland/Denmark, 2025) – October 10, 2 PM
A raw, non-sensationalized look at the Greenlandic justice system, portraying Ruth Mikaelsen Jerimiassen, a Greenlandic woman who has spent nearly half her life behind bars, through the bond she develops with a filmmaker.

The Ground Beneath Our Feet / Jörðin undir fótum okkar (dir. Yrsa Roca Fannberg, Iceland/Poland, 2025) – October 11
Set within Grund, Iceland’s oldest retirement home, capturing the rhythmic passage of seasons and everyday moments.

Short Films:

October 9:
– Blaðberinn / Paperboy (dir. Ninna Rún Pálmadóttir, Iceland, 2019): Explores an unexpected connection between a young boy and a grieving woman.
– The Price of a Story / Oqaluttuap Akia / Cena Příběhu (dir. Lukáš Masner, Greenland/Czechia, 2023): Looks at a cultural clash between a wealthy Czech tourist and an Inuit shaman.

October 10, 2 PM:
– Selshamurinn / Sealskin (dir. Ugla Hauksdóttir, Iceland, 2020): Looks at solace found in an old Icelandic tale.
– Faðir mín Faðir / Father, Oh Father (dir. Julia í Kálvalíð, Faroe Islands, 2025): A tragicomic story about grief and estrangement.

October 10, 5 PM:
– Dögun / Dawn (dir. Valdimar Jóhannsson, Iceland, 2012): Depicts a brief but intense shared dream between a father and son.
– Ivikkisartoq Kingulleq / The Last Grass Seamstress (dir. Arina Kleist, Greenland, 2024): Follows South Greenland Inuk Marie Josefsen, the last surviving specialist of the traditional craft of grass sewing.

October 11:
– Halt um meg / Hold Me Close (dir. Maria Winther Olsen, Faroe Islands, 2025): Captures an intimate encounter at a bar’s closing time.
– Always Moving (dir. Alberte Parnuuna, Greenland, 2026): A poetic animated reflection on our urge to stay in motion.

About the Curator

Birgir Thor Møller was born in Iceland (1970) but lives in Copenhagen. He is the head of the annual film festival North Atlantic Film Days at The North Atlantic House in Copenhagen, where he also holds the position as program editor. Apart from organizing film, literature, and other cultural events and festivals since 2005, Møller has published essays and articles related to Nordic and especially North Atlantic cinema and film history in a variety of publications, including the books Transnational Cinema in a Global North: Nordic Cinema in Transition and Historical Dictionary of Scandinavian Cinema. He has also been a jury member at the film festival Nordic Panorama in Sweden (New Nordic Voices 2023) and at the Faroes short film awards Geytin 2025, and he holds an M.A. in film studies from the Institute of Film and Media Studies, University of Copenhagen.

Other Seasonal Film Highlights

Other film highlights at Scandinavia House this fall season will include:

• A special screening of director Sabine Lidl’s documentary Siri Hustvedt – Dance Around the Self, with Siri Hustvedt present for a Q&A on November 21 at 2 PM.
• The return of New Nordic Cinema on Wednesdays at 7 PM, featuring films such as:
  • Live a Little (dir. Fanny Ovesen, Sweden, August 26)
  • Battle of Oslo (dir. Daniel Fahre, Norway, September 2)
  • Weightless (dir. Emilie Thalund, Denmark, September 9)
  • The Quiet Beekeeper (dir. Unknown, September 16)
  • A Light That Never Goes Out (dir. Lauri-Matti Parppei, Finland, September 30)
  • Solomamma (dir. Janicke Askevold, Norway, October 7)
  • Home Sweet Home (dir. Frelle Petersen, Denmark, October 14)
  • Tell Everyone (dir. Alli Haapasalo, Finland, October 21)
  • No Comment (dir. Petter Næss, Norway, October 28)
• The New York Baltic Film Festival (NYBFF), bringing the best new films from the Baltic region to New York, with screenings and director talks, from November 5-8.

Media contact

Lori Fredrickson
Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America
Email: lori@amscan.org
Phone: +1 212-847-9727

For more information, visit Scandinavia House.

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Scandinavia House
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New York, NY 10016
Phone: 212–779–3587
Website: scandinaviahouse.org

Originally published in August 2026 by Scandinavia House.