Out of Athens and Chentian Awarded at Nordic Film Market 2026
On January 29, Göteborg Film Festival’s 27th Nordic Film Market announced the winners of the market awards: Out of Athens, directed by Badrudin Ga’ur, received the €15,000 Film Finances Scandinavia Award, and Chentian, directed by Suha Arraf, was honored with the Tint Post-Production Award worth 400,000 SEK (€37,000). Additionally, Tropical Malaise, directed by Jorge Cadena, received the Coprocity Development Award.
Film Finances Scandinavia Award | Discovery Co-Production Platform
Out of Athens, directed by Badrudin Ga’ur, and produced by Vibeke Ringen (Nordisk Film), has been awarded the Film Finances Scandinavia Award, including €15,000 in development support. This award, part of the Discovery co-production platform, recognizes a Nordic feature project that demonstrates artistic excellence and international potential. The award is presented by Film Finances Scandinavia.
Film Finances Scandinavia Award jury: Thomas Rosso (Program Manager, Semaine de la Critique), Emilie Szemraj (Creative Executive, Protagonist Pictures), and Max Malka (Executive Producer, Banijay Finland).
Jury statement:
“The jury decided to award a new talent, a filmmaker who took many risks to be here and 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. After careful deliberation, the jury decided to award the Film Finances Scandinavia Award to Out of Athens.”
Out of Athens
Norway
Director: Badrudin Ga’ur
Screenwriter: Badrudin Ga’ur
Producer: Vibeke Ringen
Production Company: Nordisk Film
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.
Discovery is the market’s platform showcasing feature films in development, promoting Nordic talents and fostering international co-production, financing and sales connections.
Tint Post-Production Award | Nordic Gateway
The Tint Post-Production Award, valued at 400,000 SEK (€37,000), was awarded to Chentian, directed by Suha Arraf. Presented by Göteborg-based post-production company Tint, the award recognizes an exceptional project from the Nordic Gateway section, offering high-quality post-production services, colour grading and access to Tint's state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos Theatrical mixing stage, to support the winning project’s artistic vision.
Tint Post-Production Award jury: Malika Rabahallah (Festival Director, Filmfest Hamburg), Léonard Altmann (Festivals Manager, Charades), and Thomas Robsahm (Producer, Nordisk Film).
Jury statement:
“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 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.”
Chentian
Palestine, Germany
Director: Suha Arraf
Screenwriter: Suha Arraf
Producer: May Odeh
Production company: Odeh Films (Palestine), Mayana Films (Germany)
In a Palestinian village inside “Israel,” two sisters-in-law, Nabila and Shams, 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.
Nordic Gateway, Nordic Film Market’s new section launched in 2025, showcases six international feature projects seeking connection with Nordic partners.
Additionally, Tropical Malaise, directed by Jorge Cadena, was awarded the Coprocity Development Award 2025 by Cineuropa, including a €3,500 grant and a €2,800 promotional campaign by Cineuropa. Presented for the fourth time in partnership with Cineuropa, the award is decided by a jury committee, which also decided to grant a Special Mention to the animated feature-film in development The Legends of Salamanders by Catherine Maximoff, produced by the French company Les Contes Modernes.