Yashar Alishenas awarded at Seriesly Berlin
The second edition of Seriesly Berlin has wrapped with the announcement of the winners of the Seriesly Pitch Awards, confirming the event’s growing reputation as a key meeting point for international series creators and industry professionals.
Screenwriter Yashar Alishenas and producer Elena Lyubarskaya have been awarded the SteinbrennerMüller Kommunikation Award, as well as a Special Mention by the jury for their work on the adult animated series The Last Family on Earth.
Set in the near future, the series follows Maria and Anvar Lieb, a couple on the brink of divorce who are suddenly forced to stay together, and survive with their dysfunctional family, when the apocalypse strikes.
The Last Family on Earth is created and produced by Lyubarskaya and written with Alishenas.
‘The Clan’ published in Sweden
September 1st, 1997. Two children are born at Danderyd’s hospital. A boy and a girl who will grow up on each side of Sollentuna. Josef, with an immigrated single mother. Antonia, in a nuclear family in the upper middle class.
Over nearly three decades Pascal Engman portrays their lives in Sollentuna in his new trilogy The Clan. Two parts of the same municipality which equals two completely different worlds. Josef grows up in the immediate vicinity of the clan, the powerful Mansour family, who run Malmvägen and dictate the living conditions for the residents. But Antonia’s sheltered world also cracks, and their paths cross once more.
The Clan is an epic story about the growing gang criminality in Sweden during the 21st century. The drug trade, escalating violence, and constant fatal shootings are depicted from a number of individuals’ perspectives. The novel also explores honor-related violence, family relations, personal circumstances, and the love that tears down all walls.
Jørn Lier Horst and Anne Holt on the Norwegian bestseller lists
This week, Jørn Lier Horst’s newly released novel The Last Case, the latest installment in the William Wisting series, debuts at No. 1 on both the hardcover and e-book bestseller lists. Close behind is Anne Holt’s Diamonds and Rust, the final book in the Hanne Wilhelmsen series, taking the No. 2 spot on both charts. On the children’s list, Horst & Sandnes’ Operation Zombie climbs to No. 2.
‘Sunset at Zero Point’ published in Sweden
In December 2025, Linus discovers a key to the Svartlöten Protected Zone, and a cryptic note marked with a date just three days ahead. On the journey to the Zone, he is forced to face his past, especially the memories of Valter, who once meant everything to him.
Stålenhag’s most personal work yet, Sunset at Zero Point, explores masculinity, friendship, and sexuality in a queer science fiction tale about two young men stuck in the past – and in each other’s orbit. Their story spans decades, as fleeting moments become defining memories, and they set out to explore a mysterious forbidden zone together.
Set in Stålenhag’s native Sweden and based in an alternate version of Mälaröarna outside of Stockholm, the place where he grew up, and still lives to this day, Sunset at Zero Point juxtaposes giant futuristic machines and vehicles against the inner turmoil of the characters facing a social dystopia.
‘Wolves at Play’ published in Sweden
May, 1436: The rebel leader Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson lies dead by the shores of Lake Hjälmaren, slain with an axe by Måns Bengtsson. The kingdom is collapsing. The throne is unoccupied, and those who can are gathering their strength to claim it: the bastard Erik Puke, once Engelbrekt’s closest ally, who has sworn an oath to serve the people’s best interests; Karl Bonde, a nobleman of cunning and wealth; Nils Stensson, called Nils Without Land, uncle to the murderer himself and the most driven among the great group of brothers who all bear shields of blue and gold.
Wolves at Play is the second part in Niklas Natt och Dag’s historical novel series about the dynasty that would become known as Natt och Dag, and the bloody power struggles that shaped medieval Sweden. Niklas Natt och Dag is the fifteenth-generation grandson of Måns Bengtsson.
‘When the Cranes Fly South’ a Publishers Weekly bestseller
Lisa Ridzén’s runaway bestselling debut When the Cranes Fly South features at No. 10 on Publishers Weekly’s official bestseller list for trade paperbacks in the US this week. This is the novel’s second consecutive week featured on the list, having previously come in at No. 12.
Pascal Engman shortlisted for the 2025 Petrona Award
The jury for the 2025 Petrona Award has just revealed the shortlist for the ‘Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year’, and among the seven nominees is Pascal Engman with The Widows.
The Judges had the following to say about the title:
“Pascal Engman once again produces a high-octane thriller which impressed the judges with its complex plotting, nerve wracking tension and strong characterisation throughout.”
The winning title will be announced on 16 October 2025.
Teaser released for TV4’s new series ‘We Come in Peace’
When a strange jellyfish-like object suddenly appears in the sky over Stockholm, chaos breaks out. Is it a sign of life from another world? What do they want from us — and how should we respond?
In the lead roles are Evin Ahmad and Fares Fares. The supporting cast includes Agnes Kittelsen, Agnes Rase, Suzanne Reuter, Martin Nick Alexandersson, and Nina Mårshagen. The series is created by Lars Lundström and directed by Jens Jonsson, together with Mani Maserrat.
We Come in Peace will premiere November 6 on TV4 Play Plus.
‘The Easy Way or the Saw Way’ published in Finland
A Finnish summer night. A man, a woman – and a sawmill.
Heikki Nevalainen, a sawmill owner drowning in debts, finds himself in deep trouble when the local gangster, Ismo Sippo, hands him a grotesque task: dispose of Sippo’s dead wife, and in return, keep the sawmill running. Horrified but desperate, Heikki drives off with the the wife, Annaleena in his backseat.
However, the real shock waits at the sawmill: the corpse isn’t quite as dead as he thought.
As a Belgian buyer arrives to inspect the mill’s timber, Heikki scrambles to keep up appearances. But the situation is splintering fast, and even his own workers seem to be hatching plans of their own.
In The Easy Way or the Saw Way, Antti Tuomainen blends dark humor with sharp plotting, turning heavy logs with a light touch.
Photo: Johan Paulin
Upcoming feature ‘Kärlek och andra diagnoser’ from Daniel Sawka
Kärlek och andra diagnoser, a romantic dramedy written and directed by Daniel Sawka, has begun filming and is set to premiere in October 2026.
The story follows two young people on the autism spectrum as they navigate life and love, striving to stay true to themselves rather than conform to external expectations.
Tuva Beckman and Carl Kristoffersen make their acting debuts as the film’s central couple, supported by a cast of well-known Swedish actors including Jonas Karlsson, Filip Berg, Shima Niavarani, Grynet Molvig and Nina Mårshagen. The film is produced by Anagram Sverige, in collaboration with Film i Skåne and SVT, with support from the Swedish Film Institute.