Introducing the nominees for the HARPA Nordic Film Composers Award 2026
The composer organizations from the five Nordic countries have selected their national nominees for the 16th annual HARPA Nordic Film Composers Award. The award ceremony will take place on February 14th during this year’s Nordic Film Music Days in Berlin.
Every year, HARPA Nordic Film Music Days awards the HARPA Nordic Film Composers Award, highlighting outstanding Nordic film composers. Nominees are selected by national juries from the Nordic countries and the selected composers represent a wide range of films, from biographical stories to documentaries
The five nominated scores for HARPA Nordic Film Composer Awards 2026 range from inventive electronic sounds to traditional folk music, from abstract and tonal elements to unsentimental moods, and seamless tapestries of sound and image.
Every year, HARPA Nordic Film Music Days awards the HARPA Nordic Film Composers Award, highlighting outstanding Nordic film composers. Nominees are selected by national juries from the Nordic countries and the selected composers represent a wide range of films, from biographical stories to documentaries
The five nominated scores for HARPA Nordic Film Composer Awards 2026 range from inventive electronic sounds to traditional folk music, from abstract and tonal elements to unsentimental moods, and seamless tapestries of sound and image.
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DENMARK Jonas Colstrup
Quisling: The Final Days directed by Erik Poppe. Photo by Daniel Buchwald Jonas Colstrup has composed an exceptionally atmospheric and bold score for Erik Poppe’s film Quisling: The Final Days which elevates the drama and keeps the narrative in constant tension – even in silence. The orchestral expression is varied yet deliberately restrained, allowing space for reflection. The music is unsettling, expressive, and unsentimental, carried by a fateful energy that slowly draws the story towards the inevitable. The abstract and tonal elements are well balanced, enhancing the film’s complexity and underlying tragedy with remarkable artistic precision. |
SWEDEN Rebekka Karijord
Rörelser [Raptures] directed by Jon Blåhed. Rebekka Karijord’s transparent soundtrack grips listeners instantly and then gently guides us through the powerful emotions and unfolding events portrayed. With her sensitivity in handling tone, she observes suggestive and chaotic storytelling without taking sides. Her instrumentation is well chosen, tastefully reflecting the film’s time and setting through both folk and ecclesiastical themes, where Rebekka Karijord approaches the drama with a genuine and highly skilled artistic eye of the highest calibre. |
FINLAND Panu Aaltio
Little Siberia directed by Dome Karukoski. Photo by Elina Simonen Crafted with high-level professionalism, Aaltio's score weaves in and out, punctuating on-screen action just the right amount and making the score an integral part of the film’s storytelling, as only a well-crafted film score can. |
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NORWAY Anna Berg
Drømmer [Dreams] directed by Dag Johan Haugerud Photo by Sara Angelica Spilling The score in Drømmer may seem sparse - it moves at its own pace - but eventually we realize that it underlines the emotions of the viewer as much as the protagonist. The use of music is bold and expressive, and the result very confident and original. The music captures the seasons and atmosphere of Oslo and the undercurrents of a young person’s first love. |
ICELAND Viktor Orri Árnason and Álfheiður Erla Guðmundsdóttir
Poems: A Journey Through Icelandic Poetry directed by Robin Thomson The film captivates the audience in a delightful, musical journey through Iceland’s poetry and landscape, impressively impacting all senses at once, in a masterfully seamless tapestry of sound and image. Viktor Orri’s and Álfheiður Erla’s original music, and their extraordinarily intimate performances, gives a rare insight into their creative process and sources of inspiration. |
ICELAND Viktor Orri Árnason and Álfheiður Erla Guðmundsdóttir
Poems: A Journey Through Icelandic Poetry directed by Robin Thomson Photo by Hjordis Jonsdottir The film captivates the audience in a delightful, musical journey through Iceland’s poetry and landscape, impressively impacting all senses at once, in a masterfully seamless tapestry of sound and image. Viktor Orri’s and Álfheiður Erla’s original music, and their extraordinarily intimate performances, gives a rare insight into their creative process and sources of inspiration. |
Next edition of HARPA and NFMD will be...
Friday February 13th - Monday February 16th, 2026
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Since 2010 Nordic Film Music Days has been the place where composers, musicians, producers and directors within the film and music industry communicate, start future collaborations, educate, and network. With 600 individual participants, amongst them more than 50 Nordic professional composers, Nordic Film Music Days has over the years become ‘the place to be-and-meet’ for anybody visiting the Berlinale and having an interest in the process, the work, and the art of scoring for film- and tv productions. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to be a part of the community, to meet and discuss the future of film composing!
The award As a part of Nordic Film Music Days, the HARPA Nordic Film Composers Award is handed out to a Nordic composer who has shown excellent work in a composition for a feature, documentary, or TV series. The award, created by Icelandic Ragnar Kjartansson, will be handed out at an award ceremony, Saturday February 14th 2026 at Nordische Botschaften. Seminars & Workshops Earlier on, on that same day, you will also be able to meet the nominated composers, accompanied by selected Nordic colleagues, when they are taking part in speed meetings with producers and directors at European Film Market. On the same day Saturday February 14th, Nordic Film Music Days hosts seminars and workshops. Screenings Sunday February 15th Nordic Film Music Days wraps up with screenings of the nominated works of the HARPA Nordic Film Composers Award. The screenings are free of charge at the Nordic Embassies' auditorium. Monday February 16th you can also meet the Nordic composers, as a part of Nordic Film Commissions event, Nordic Monday at Nordische Botschaften. |
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The winner of HARPA 2025 is...
The winner of the HARPA Nordic Film Composers Award 2025 is Kåre Christoffer Vestrheim, Andréa Louise Horstad, Kristoffer Lo og Eivind Helgerød for the score in Makta.
The International jury released a statement about the composer team’s award winning score:
The score for Makta seamlessly complements the handheld, rough style of the series, skillfully integrating ambient noise to blend with the sound design. The music adds the tension and momentum essential for such a high-stakes political thriller, amplifying the energy needed to keep viewers captivated and intrigued. It plays on the characters' complex dilemmas, often humorously and with a satirical twist, and as such serves as a storyteller in its own right, alongside the dialogue. From the opening notes, the composers of Makta capture your attention, compelling you to watch the series through to its conclusion.
Read full press release here
The International jury released a statement about the composer team’s award winning score:
The score for Makta seamlessly complements the handheld, rough style of the series, skillfully integrating ambient noise to blend with the sound design. The music adds the tension and momentum essential for such a high-stakes political thriller, amplifying the energy needed to keep viewers captivated and intrigued. It plays on the characters' complex dilemmas, often humorously and with a satirical twist, and as such serves as a storyteller in its own right, alongside the dialogue. From the opening notes, the composers of Makta capture your attention, compelling you to watch the series through to its conclusion.
Read full press release here
Impressions from Nordic Film Music Days 2025
Photos by: Thomas Kolbein Bjork Olsen/Berlinkontoret
Partners & Collaborators
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Partners in HARPA Nordic Film Music Days 2026
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Collaborators 2026
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