The Freyas, also known as the Nordic Film and TV Awards, has revealed its first honorees and award-winners. They are Lasse Hallström, Lena Olin, Trine Dyrholm, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Fares Fares, Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Laura Birn and Ebba Katrín Finnsdóttir.
The first-ever edition will be held in Helsinki on Sept. 22, bringing together leading creative talents and industry professionals from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland.
“The Nordic countries may represent relatively small individual markets, but together they have created an audiovisual culture with a remarkable global footprint,” Kirpi Uimonen, one of The Freyas founders, said. “The Freyas are about celebrating that collective achievement – and the people who have been bold enough to take Nordic stories to the world.”
Honorees will include Swedish director Lasse Hallström, who represents “one of the pioneering Nordic filmmakers who have established successful careers on both sides of the Atlantic,” the awards organizers said.
His international breakthrough came with “My Life as a Dog” in 1985, which earned him two Oscar nominations. He subsequently built an extensive international career, including audience and critics pleasers such as “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” “Chocolat,” “An Unfinished Life” and “The Hundred-Foot Journey.”
Another honoree will be Swedish actress Lena Olin, who “embodies the international reach of Nordic acting talent.” From Bergman’s “Fanny and Alexander” and “After the Rehearsal,” and of her international breakthrough performance in Philip Kaufman’s “The Unbearable Lightness of Being,” to “Enemies,” “A Love Story” and “Chocolat,” Olin built a distinguished international career spanning European and American cinema and television.
Denmark’s Trine Dyrholm will be awarded at The Freyas with Outstanding Nordic Actor (in a Series) for her role as the formidable Ditte Jensen in Benedikt Erlingsson’s series “The Danish Woman,” a co-production between Iceland, Denmark and France.
Her past performances include Thomas Vinterberg’s “The Celebration,” Susanne Bier’s “In a Better World” and “Love Is All You Need,” Nikolaj Arcel’s “A Royal Affair,” Vinterberg’s “The Commune,” for which she won the Silver Bear for best actress at the Berlinale, and May el-Toukhy’s “Queen of Hearts.”
Recently, she has starred in “Margrete: Queen of the North,” “The Girl With the Needle” and “Beginnings.”
Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, one of Iceland’s most internationally recognized actors, will be accepting an Outstanding Nordic Actor (in a Series) Freya Award for the lead role in the Icelandic-Finnish series “Reykjavik Fusion,” which he also executive produced through his company Act4.
He is perhaps best known internationally for his leading role in the acclaimed Nordic noir series “Trapped,” alongside appearances in “True Detective,” “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” “The Big Friendly Giant,” “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” “The Tourist” and “Severance.”
Swedish-Lebanese actor and filmmaker Fares Fares is awarded with a Freya Award for Outstanding Nordic Actor (in a Film) for “Arkipelag,” directed by Alex Schulman.
He first rose to prominence with “Jalla! Jalla!” and went on to appear in films including “Easy Money,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and “The Contractor,” as well as the series “Westworld,” “Chernobyl” and “The Wheel of Time.”
Icelandic actress Ebba Katrín Finnsdóttir will also be honored. She won Iceland’s Gríman Award for Actress of the Year in 2020 and has recently starred in the series “Húsó,” “Vigdis,” “Reykjavik 112,” “The Danish Woman” and “Hildur.”
The Freyas also recognizes a new generation of Nordic artists working at the highest international level.
Finnish actress Laura Birn is being honored, recognizing a Finnish professional whose international breakthrough has “helped put Nordic talent in front of a global audience.” Birn has become internationally known for her acclaimed portrayal of Demerzel in Apple TV+’s epic science-fiction series “Foundation,” a role she has carried across the series’ first three seasons. She also recently appeared alongside Javier Bardem in “Beloved” (El Ser Querido), which got its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
Thea Sofie Loch Næss is one of Norway’s internationally recognized young acting talents. She gained local fans in the “Olsenbanden” movies and international attention as Skade in Netflix’s “The Last Kingdom” and has since built an impressive body of work across Norwegian and international film and television, including “Wisting,” “Christmas Storm,” “So Long Marianne,” “La Palma” and as Cinderella in recent festival darling “The Ugly Stepsister.”
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