Nordic Gems Gala: Fjord

Please note the film does not have fully English dialogue or subtitles!

R&A guest Cristian Mungiu returns with Fjord, a taut and incisive examination of the fault lines and polarisation within the Nordic welfare state. The film earned Mungiu his second Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value, R&A 2025 & 2026), who has rapidly become one of the most exciting actors working today, and Sebastian Stan (A Different Man, R&A 2024), who has moved into new territory beyond his Marvel career, star as a deeply religious married couple who move with their children to a small Norwegian town. The family’s religious way of life quickly comes into conflict with the secular culture of the Nordic society. However, they find friendship and understanding in a neighbouring family, for both the children and the adults.

When a teacher notices bruises on the couple’s daughter, a chain of events begins to escalate like an avalanche, drawing the family into the grip of Norway’s child welfare system. As the courtroom drama tightens around the parents, the boundaries between private and public life begin to blur. But what really happened at home – and what is the right course of action when the children’s best interests are at stake?

Fjord has strong Finnish filmmaking talent behind it: co-producer Jussi Rantamäki of Aamu Film Company, costume designer Kirsi Gum and sound designer Pietu Korhonen.

Inari Ylinen