The 2026 Hurtigruten Nordic Film Festival, presented by Palace, offers a cosy refuge from the depths of winter this July to August at Palace, Palace Nova and Luna Palace Cinemas.
Featuring the best new cinema from the Nordic region – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden – this year’s sensational line up features a host of award-winners, box office hits and new gems from beloved actors and filmmakers, and brilliant newcomers.
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 runs from 9 July, with dates varying in each city. The full programme will be announced and tickets will be on sale later in June.
See full city dates and venues below.
Website: https://nordicfilmfestival.com.au/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/nordicfilmfest/
Hero image: still from Doctor Glas
2026 Festival Dates and Venues by City:
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
