| The Nordic
Countries Nordic films
It has been said that most Nordic people prefer the intimate to the monumental.
This might be the most accurate statement there is to describe Nordic films.
In any case, Nordic films have a certain character about them which can
only be described as Nordic. Names like Ingmar Bergman, Carl Dryer, Bille
August, Aki Kaurismaki and Svend Nykvist are known to all lovers of the
cinema. Younger Nordic film makers are also becoming increasingly successful,
such as Friðrik Þór Friðriksson from Iceland, an Oscar nominee for Children
of Nature as best foreign film in 1994. Other young film makers have won
international awards like Jan Troell for Il Capitano, which won a Silver
Bear for best direction, and Susanne Bier for Freud Leaving Home.
Nordic co-production can often lead to additional financing from other
parts of the world and successful film makers who started their careers
with Nordic funding have gained success in Hollywood and Europe.
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The Nordic House in Iceland, designed by the Finnish
architect Alvar Aalto.
The majority of Nordic films are produced as
co-production projects, a substantial part financed by funds from the Nordic
Television and Film Fund, and the film funds in each country. The problem
facing Nordic film production is that even though the film is a box-office
hit, the returns do not even come close to recouping the production costs
due to the small populations.
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