MOIN Film Fund, the German Federal Film Board (FFA) and the Five Nordics are once again bringing together experienced producers and writers from Germany and the Nordic countries through Nordic NEST. The goal: to collaboratively develop new ideas for feature films and high-end series across borders. The strongest projects will receive up to €80,000 in development funding. The kick-off event for producers will take place during the Filmfest Hamburg Industry Days 2026 – applications are now open.
Who is behind the programme?
Nordic NEST is a joint initiative of MOIN Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein and the Five Nordics – the alliance of the Danish Film Institute, Finnish Film Foundation, Icelandic Film Centre, Norwegian Film Institute, and Swedish Film Institute. The FFA is once again joining as a partner. The kick-off meeting in Hamburg will be organized in cooperation with the German Producers Alliance.
What is it all about?
The heart of Nordic NEST is the five-day NEST Space on Schleswig-Holstein’s Baltic Sea coast: in January 2027, ten established screenwriters – half from Germany and half from the Nordic countries – will once again develop new projects together. The NEST Space is curated by Le Groupe Ouest, one of Europe’s most innovative script development initiatives.
The NEST program, developed by MOIN Film Fund, has already proven successful in Germany. Nordic NEST breaks new ground in the field of international co-development and can provide a strong foundation for future co-productions between Germany and the Nordics. In the previous edition of Nordic NEST, three projects particularly impressed the jury: “Cargo Crime” by Danish writer Valeria Richter, “Deeper” by Finland’s Eva-Maria Koskinen and “White Noise” by German writer Stefanie Ren. Each project received up to €80,000 in funding and is currently entering the screenplay development phase.
The Nordic NEST at a glance
Autumn 2026: Kick-Off at the Filmfest Hamburg Industry Days
40 producers (20 from Germany and 20 from the Nordic countries) will meet for the first time at a one-day networking event in Hamburg. The open call is aimed at producers who have released at least two feature films or series, including at least one international co-production. More information and the application form can be found here.
January 2027: Nordic NEST Space + Göteborg Film Festival
Five German and five Nordic writers – each with at least two commercially released feature films or series episodes in their portfolio – will head to the Nordic NEST Space on Schleswig-Holstein’s Baltic Sea coast in early January 2027. Afterwards, they will meet 20 selected producers at the Göteborg Film Festival 2027.
For every project that brings together a German and a Nordic production company at the end of the matchmaking event, MOIN Film Fund will automatically provide treatment funding of up to €20,000. Applications for the Nordic NEST Space (writers) and the Göteborg Film Festival (producers) will open in October 2026.
Following this: Screenplay Funding for Three Projects
After the treatment-writing phase, three projects will be selected to receive an additional script development funding of up to €60,000 each.
Autumn 2027: Work in Progress at Filmfest Hamburg
The circle closes at Filmfest Hamburg 2027, where the developed projects will be presented to the international market.
