The Faroese writer/director Sakaris Stórá, the Danish writers Tommy Oksen and Mads Stegger, and the Faroese producer Jón Hammer are awarded the 2025 Film Prize.
The Faroese film The Last Paradise on Earth has won the Nordic Film Prize of 2025. The prize of DKK 300,000 (ca. 41,000 €) is shared equally among the director, the writers, and the producer, underscoring how film as an art form is brought about by the close collaboration of these three main contributors.
For the first time in its two-decade history, the Nordic Council Film Prize nominations were expanded to seven films. Out of the four feature films and three documentaries, the Faroese feature wins, and “leaves a mark on Nordic cinema,” according to the jury.
The 2025 Nordic jury members are Heidi Hilarius-Kalkau Philipsen (DK), Jan Berg Jørgensen (FO), Marjo Pipinen (FI), Klaus Georg Hansen (GL), Jóna Finnsdóttir (IS), Anne Gjeldsvik (NO), and this year’s chair Jonas Holmberg (SE). Their motivation was as follows: “With calm yet courageous vision, this story captures the essence of lonely island life. It goes far beyond the question of staying or leaving – it delves into personal grief, emotional paralysis, and the urgent challenges of an ecological crisis. Rather than relying on dramatic twists, the narrative gently unveils the quiet yet powerful struggle for survival and for family relations. With impressive performances from young talents supported by experienced actors, alongside breathtaking cinematography and a haunting score, the film stands as a landmark in Faroese – and Nordic – cinema.”
All the nominated films were screened at this year’s edition of HIFF. The six other nominated films in 2025 were My Eternal Summer, The Helsinki Effect, WALLS – Akinni Inuk, When the Light Breaks, Dreams (Sex Love) and Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958–1989.