A night to remember

The inaugural Freyas—better known as the Nordic Film and TV Awards—just went down at Helsinki’s Finlandia Hall, and honestly, the vibes were immaculate. Finnish director Hanna Bergholm’s horror flick Nightborn, which stars the iconic Rupert Grint, absolutely ate and took home the best film trophy.

But the drama didn't stop there. The Danish Woman grabbed the title for best Nordic series, and star Trine Dyrholm snatched the award for best Nordic actor in a series. French-Danish producer Marianne Slot used her acceptance speech to keep it real, warning the room that AI is lowkey threatening original storytelling. We have to protect the art, no cap.

The winners circle

It wasn't just about the series, though. Swedish actor Fares Fares won for his role in Archipelago and pointed out that this awards ceremony was long overdue. He’s highkey ready to see more cross-pollination between Swedish, Finnish, Icelandic, and Estonian cinema. Icelandic actor Ólafur Darri Ólafsson also took home an acting award for Reykjavik Fusion.

Other big wins included:

  • Valkyrie Award: Icelandic actress Ebba Katrín Finnsdóttir for Hildur.
  • Nordic Impact Award: The doc The Secret Reading Club of Kabul, directed by Shakiba Adil and Elina Hirvonen, which highlights women fighting against brutal regimes.
  • Local Nordic Hero Award: Finnish actress Laura Birn, who you might know from Foundation.
  • Icebreaker Award: Norwegian actress Thea Sofie Loch Næss.

Legends in the building

Swedish filmmaker Lasse Hallström snagged the Falcon Award, while his wife, actress Lena Olin, took home the Goddess Award. Olin kept it cute and real, mentioning her dog named Bradley Cooper and reflecting on how far the Nordic film industry has come on the global stage. Host Pekka Strang also kept everyone laughing, joking that the region’s legendary "Nordic noir" aesthetic is basically just their normal daily life.

Why it matters

The Freyas are more than just another trophy shelf; they’re a necessary coalition for Nordic filmmakers to hype each other up and keep their unique voices heard in a global market dominated by big studios and AI-generated content. Real talk: it’s about time they got their own spotlight.