The Nordic NEST jury has made its decision: the three winning projects of the first Nordic NEST round were announced at the Cannes Film Festival — ‘Cargo Crime’ by screenwriter Valeria Richter from Denmark, ‘Deeper’ by Eva-Maria Koskinen from Finland, and ‘White Noise’ by Stefanie Ren from Germany. All projects are co-produced by Nordic and German partners and will receive additional funding of up to €60,000 per project for the script development phase.
The programme, backed by MOIN Film Fund, the German Federal Film Fund (FFA), and The Five Nordics, is now entering its final phase. Over the coming months, the Nordic-German teams behind the three winning series — ‘Cargo Crime’, ‘Deeper’, and ‘White Noise’ — will work intensively on their scripts. Each project brings together a German and a Nordic production company. All three projects are led by women, both on the production and screenwriting side.
From Eight to Three
Eight teams consisting of producers and screenwriters met at the Nordic NEST Matchmaking Event, held during the Göteborg Film Festival in January 2026, and spent the following weeks developing their film and series ideas across borders. Each project received €20,000 in funding. From these, the Nordic NEST jury selected the three strongest projects, which were announced in Cannes.
About the Projects
Cargo Crime
Producers: Jennifer Mueller von der Haegen (Weydemann Bros. Film, Germany), Janne Hjeltnes (Empathitude Pictures, Norway)
Screenwriter: Valeria Richter (Denmark)
Format: Series
Genre: Drama
Synopsis:
Ebba’s truck becomes the target of criminals, and former police officer Dar gets more involved in her case than he should. When her niece unintentionally becomes “cargo” during the truck robbery, an unlikely bond forms between Ebba and Dar as they desperately try to find her.
Deeper
Producers: Frauke Kolbmüller (Oma Inge Film, Germany), Mark Lwoff (Bufo, Finland)
Screenwriter: Eva-Maria Koskinen (Finland)
Format: Series
Genre: Drama, thriller
Synopsis:
Finnish military diver Kira Johansson joins the investigation into the sabotage of Nord Stream as tensions rise across Europe. During the investigation, she discovers that one of the main suspects is a woman she is still in love with.
White Noise
Producers: Solmaz Azizi (Zentropa Germany), Charlotte Hjordt (Zentropa Denmark)
Screenwriter: Stefanie Ren (Germany)
Format: Series
Genre: Mystery
Synopsis:
After the unexplained death of her brother, Elin returns to her coastal hometown in search of answers. But as she begins to uncover signs of something inexplicable, her nephew Mads starts hearing his deceased father.
