MEET THE NOMINATED COMPOSERS
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. Photo by Olof Grind 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. |