Palace is delighted to announce five of the first highlights ahead of the full programme being unveiled in mid June.

The first Special Presentation is Icelandic comedy/drama THE LOVE THAT REMAINS (Ástin sem eftir er) from director Hlynur Pálmason (A White, White Day, Godland). This brilliant and bittersweet film tenderly captures a year in the life of a family of five, as the parents navigate their separation, exploring love, family and shared memories. It also features a ‘Palm Dog’ winning performance from Pálmason’s own dog Panda, an Icelandic sheep dog.

Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value, Fjord) stars in festival Special Presentation BUTTERFLY, an intriguing drama about a pair of estranged sisters who must reunite after their mother’s sudden passing. The sisters travel to Gran Canaria, where they grew up at a resort, following their mother’s mysterious death at an esoteric retreat in the mountains, plunging them headfirst into a journey of revelations about their childhood and the hidden heart of the tourist island.

Winner of the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film at the 2026 Göteborg Film Festival, THE LAST RESORT (Paradis), is an absorbing drama that follows a Danish family on holiday at an all-inclusive resort. Anticipating a well-deserved and restful break, reality hits hard when they witness boat loads of refugees hitting the shores. Testing their moral compass, the family members are forced to question how much they should risk to help a person in need.

THE KIDNAPPING OF A PRESIDENT (Presidentin Kyyditys) is a blackly comic drama based on a bizarre true story that follows the chaos that ensues when a Finnish group of far-right officers drunkenly decide to start a revolution in 1930. Lieutenant Colonel Eero Kuussaari (Jussi Vatanen, Fallen Leaves) impulsively orders the kidnapping of retired former president Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg (Pertti Sveholm, 100 Litres of Gold), but then doesn’t recall his orders the following day, having left the escapade to a group of young, eager and inexperienced soldiers.

Sweden’s stylish psychological thriller DOCTOR GLAS (Doktor Glas) brings a bold and fresh new perspective to Hjalmar Söderberg’s acclaimed 1905 novel. Desire, guilt and obsession are portrayed through the eyes of Gabriel Glas (played by Isac Calmroth, also one of the co-writers), a reclusive young doctor whose fascination with fashion icon Helga Gregorius spirals into madness.

The 2026 Hurtigruten Nordic Film Festival will take place from July to August (dates vary by location).

The full programme will be announced later in June when tickets go on sale.

The 2026 Hurtigruten Nordic Film Festival
Canberra: 9 July – 2 August, Palace Electric
Melbourne: 10 July – 2 August, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Church St, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, Palace Penny Lane, The Kino, Pentridge Cinema and The Astor Theatre
Ballarat: 10 July – 2 August, Palace Regent Cinema
Brisbane: 22 July – 16 August, Palace James St, Palace Barracks
Adelaide: 22 July – 16 August, Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas
Sydney: 23 July – 16 August, Palace Norton St, Palace Moore Park and Palace Central Perth: 23 July – 16 August, Luna Leederville, Luna on SX and Palace Raine Square Byron Bay and Ballina: 23 July – 16 August, Palace Byron Bay, Ballina Fair Cinemas
www.nordicfilmfestival.com.au

Palace is delighted to announce five of the first highlights ahead of the full programme being unveiled in late June.

This year’s Special Presentation is QUISLING: THE FINAL DAYS (Quislings siste dager). Set in 1945 Norway, this bold and fascinating drama from acclaimed director Erik Poppe (The King’s Choice, ScandiFF 2017) follows the post-liberation trial of the country’s infamous and controversial head of state Vidkun Quisling, in a stirring meditation on complicity, faith and the capacity for self-deception.

The powerful and visually stunning drama THE MOUNTAIN (Fjallið) is the first officially vetted sustainable production in Iceland and has been awarded the prestigious Green Film Sustainability certification. Starring Ísadóra Bjarkardóttir Barney (daughter of singer Björk), it explores how the cosmos and a road trip to the Icelandic highlands offers comfort to a family whose life is upended by a twist of fate.

Starring Festival favourite Trine Dyrholm is SECOND VICTIMS (Det andet offer), a Danish-set medical drama. Featuring stellar performances from Dyrholm and Özlem Saglanmak (Borgen), this timely reflection on the challenges faced by healthcare professionals today follows a neurologist on a shift that will change her life forever, exploring the weight of guilt and the power of compassion.

Debut director Paula Korva’s Finnish comedy/drama SUDDEN OUTBURSTS OF EMOTIONS (Kenraaliharjoitus) is the story of an ordinary couple who decide to open their relationship to new sexual encounters to reignite their passion. Although everything seems fine to start, emotional chaos is soon unleashed in this witty and heartfelt story.

From Sweden is LIVE A LITTLE (Leva Lite), a bold and intimate story about two best friends on a couch surfing adventure across Europe, navigating uncertainty and intimacy as they strive to find themselves.

The 2025 Hurtigruten Scandinavian Film Festival will take place from July to August (dates vary by location).

The full programme will be announced later in June when tickets go on sale. Listing details:
Melbourne: 11 July – 3 August, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, Palace Penny Lane, The Kino, Pentridge Cinema and The Astor Theatre
Ballarat: 11 July – 3 August, Palace Regent Cinema
Canberra: 16 July – 10 August, Palace Electric
Sydney: 17 July – 10 August, Palace Norton St, Palace Moore Park, Palace Central and Chauvel Cinema Adelaide: 23 July – 13 August, Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas Brisbane: 23 July – 14 August, Palace James St, Palace Barracks
Perth: 24 July – 13 August, Luna Leederville, Luna on SX and Palace Raine Square
Byron Bay and Ballina: 24 July – 13 August, Palace Byron Bay, Ballina Fair Cinemas
www.scandinavianfilmfestival.com