Photo: Emma Larsson Photo: Emma Larsson

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Johannes Nyholm

Writer, film director, producer, artist and animator Johannes Nyholm is regarded as one of the most original and intriguing Scandinavian filmmakers of his generation.

Nyholm first gained recognition for his animated film series The Tale of Little Puppetboy (2008), which has been widely shown at festivals and galleries around the world, most notably at the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes in 2009. The following year saw the premiere of Nyholm’s shadow puppetry short-film, Dreams from the Woods (2009), which was also shown at the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes. In 2011, Nyholm’s short film, Las Palmas, gained worldwide fame with its trailer and received more than 20 million views on YouTube. It won a flurry of awards and became Nyholm’s third entry for the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes. Las Palmas was also selected for Sundance in 2012.

In 2016, Nyholm made his highly anticipated feature film debut with The Giant, a fantastical and wondrous drama that had the highest review index of all Swedish films released in 2016. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival and went on to screen in San Sebastian along with a slew of other international festivals. It won three Guldbagge Awards as well as prizes at the San Sebastian, Rotterdam and Warsaw film festivals.

Koko-di Koko-da, Nyholm’s latest feature film, premiered at the 2019 Sundance Festival and has received numerous awards and nominations, including the Camera Lucida Award at Fantasia Film Festival, ‘Best Picture’ at Brussels International Film Festival, and a nomination for the prestigious Dragon Award Best Nordic Film at Gothenburg Film Festival.

Awards

Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Nominee (Best Foreign Film) US – Koko-di Koko-da 2020
Brooklyn Horror Film Festival (Best Screenplay) US – Koko-di Koko-da 2019
Brooklyn Horror Film Festival (Special Jury Award) US – Koko-di Koko-da 2019
T-Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival Nominee (Grand Prix) Poland – Koko-di Koko-da 2019
Buenos Aires International Festival Nominee (Best Film) Argentina – Koko-di Koko-da 2019
Molins Film Festival Nominee (Audience Award ) Spain – Koko-di Koko-da 2019
Molins Film Festival Nominee (Jury Prize) Spain – Koko-di Koko-da 2019
Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival Nominee (Best International Feature Film) France – Koko-di Koko-da 2019
Fantasia Film Festival (Camera Lucida Award) Canada – Koko-di Koko-da 2019
Guanajuato International Film Festival Nominee (Best International Film) Mexico – Koko-di Koko-da 2019
Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival Nominee (Best European Fantastic Feature Film) France – Koko-di Koko-da 2019
Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival Nominee (Best Motion Picture) Spain – Koko-di Koko-da 2019
Rotterdam International Film Festival Nominee (Tiger Award) Netherlands – Koko-di Koko-da 2019
Brussels International Film Festival (Best Picture) Belgium – Koko-di Koko-da 2019
Gothenburg Film Festival Nominee (Dragon Award Best Nordic Film) Sweden – Koko-di Koko-da 2019
Sundance Film Festival Nominee (Grand Jury Prize) US – Koko-di Koko-da 2019
Annonay International Festival of First Films (Special Prize of the Jury) France – Jätten The Giant 2018
Guldbagge Award (Best Film) Sweden – Jätten The Giant 2017
Guldbagge Award (Best Screenplay) Sweden – Jätten The Giant 2017
Guldbagge Awards Nominee (Best Editing) Sweden – Jätten The Giant 2017
Bergamo Film Meeting (Silver Rosa Camuna) Italy – Jätten The Giant 2017
GardenCity International Film Festival (Best Feature Film) India – Jätten The Giant 2017
Rotterdam International Film Festival Nominee (MovieZone Award) Holland – Jätten The Giant 2017
Warsaw International Film Festival (Free Spirit Award) Poland – Jätten The Giant 2016
San Sebastián International Film Festival (Special Prize of the Jury) Spain – Jätten The Giant 2016
Reykjavik International Film Festival (Special Mention) Island – Jätten The Giant 2016
San Sebastián International Film Festival Nominee (Best Film) Spain – Jätten The Giant 2016
CPH PIX Nominee (Politiken's Audience Award) Denmark – Jätten The Giant 2016
London Film Festival Nominee (Sutherland Award) UK – Jätten The Giant 2016
Stuttgarter Filmwinter (Wand 5's Honorary Award) Germany – Las Palmas 2013
Rotterdam International Film Festival (Eurimages Award) Netherlands – Jätten The Giant 2013
Nashville Film Festival (Honourable Mention) US – Las Palmas 2012
Sapporo Short Film Festival (Filmmaker Grand Prix) Japan 2012
Minimalen Short Film Festival (Best Art / Animation) Norway – Las Palmas 2012
Selected for Sundance US – Las Palmas 2012
Guldbagge Award (Best Short Film) Sweden – Las Palmas 2012
Favourites Film Festival Berlin (Audience Award) Germany – Las Palmas 2012
Sapporo Short Film Festival (Best editing) Japan – Las Palmas 2012
Flickerfest Short Film Festival (Best Use of Digital Technology) Australia – Las Palmas 2012
Ravenna Cinesogni (Audience Award) Italy – Las Palmas 2012
Sapporo Short Film Festival (Audience Award) Japan – Las Palmas 2012
Vienna Independent Shorts (Prix Très Chic) Austria – Las Palmas 2012
Sao Paulo Short Film Festival (Audience Award) Brazil – Las Palmas 2012
Tampere International Short Film Festival (Audience Award) Finland – Las Palmas 2012
Directors' Fortnight in Cannes France – Las Palmas 2011
Gothenburg Film Festival (Startsladden - Short Film Award) Sweden – Las Palmas 2011
Gothenburg Film Festival (Audience Award) Sweden – Las Palmas 2011
Hamburg Short Film Festival (Audience Award ) Germany – Las Palmas 2011
Encounters Film Festival (Audience Award) UK – Las Palmas 2011
Milano Film Festival (Special Mention) Italy – Las Palmas 2011
Winterthur Short Film Festival (Audience Award) Switzerland – Las Palmas 2011
Gothenburg Film Festival (Golden Dragon ) Sweden 2010
Animafest Zagreb (Special Award) Croatia – Sagan om den lille Dockpojken The Tale of Little Puppetboy 2010
Cartoon d'Or Nominee – Sagan om den lille Dockpojken The Tale of Little Puppetboy 2010
Durango Independent Film Festival (Jury Award for Best Animation) US – Sagan om den lille Dockpojken The Tale of Little Puppetboy 2010
Animage International Animation Festival (Best Sound Design) Brazil – Drömmar från skogen Dreams from the Woods 2010
Naoussa International Film Festival (Special Mention) Greece – Drömmar från skogen Dreams from the Woods 2010
Directors' Fortnight in Cannes France – Drömmar från skogen Dreams from the Woods 2009
Guldbagge Awards Nominee (Best Short Film) Sweden – Drömmar från skogen Dreams from the Woods 2009
Anilogue International Animation Festival (Special Prize of the Jury) Hungary – Sagan om den lille Dockpojken The Tale of Little Puppetboy 2009
FreeNetWorld International Film Festival (Most Technichally Innovative Film) Serbia – Sagan om den lille Dockpojken The Tale of Little Puppetboy 2009
Tampere International Short Film Festival (Lab10 section Main Award) Finland – Sagan om den lille Dockpojken The Tale of Little Puppetboy 2009
Swedish Television's New Filmmaker of the Year Award Sweden – Dockpojken Puppetboy 2009
Guldbagge Awards Nominee (Best Short Film) Sweden – Dockpojken Puppetboy 2009
Janela Internacional de Cinema (Sound Award) Brazil – Drömmar från skogen Dreams from the Woods 2009
Animanima International Animation Festival (Best Screenplay) Serbia – Sagan om den lille Dockpojken The Tale of Little Puppetboy 2009
Holland Animation Film Festival (Main Award) Holland – Sagan om den lille Dockpojken The Tale of Little Puppetboy 2009
Premiers Plans Film Festival (Audience Award) France – Sagan om den lille Dockpojken The Tale of Little Puppetboy 2009
Holland Animation Film Festival (Movie Squad Award) Holland – Sagan om den lille Dockpojken The Tale of Little Puppetboy 2009
Tampere International Short Film Festival (Lab10 section Audience Award) Finland – Dockpojken Puppetboy 2009
Hamburg International Short Film Festiva (International Competition Audience Award) Germany – Dockpojken Puppetboy 2008
Short Film Festival Winterthur (Main Jury Award) Switzerland – Dockpojken Puppetboy 2008
Uppsala International Short Film Festival (Audience Award) Sweden – Dockpojken Puppetboy 2008
Janela Internacional de Cinema (Young Critics Award) Brazil – Dockpojken Puppetboy 2008
Directors' Fortnight in Cannes France – Dockpojken Puppetboy 2008
Sao Paulo Short Film Festival (Audience Award) Brazil – Sagan om den lille Dockpojken The Tale of Little Puppetboy 2008
Janela Internacional de Cinema (Young Critic's Award) Brazil – Sagan om den lille Dockpojken The Tale of Little Puppetboy 2008
Bilbao Film Festival (Silver Mikeldi) Spain – Sagan om den lille Dockpojken The Tale of Little Puppetboy 2008
Nordic Panorama (Honorable Mention) Sweden – Sagan om den lille Dockpojken The Tale of Little Puppetboy 2008
Eksjö Animation Festival (Eksjö Grand Prix) Sweden – Sagan om den lille Dockpojken The Tale of Little Puppetboy 2008
Fredrikstad Animation Festival (Honorable Mention) Norway – Sagan om den lille Dockpojken The Tale of Little Puppetboy 2008
Hamburg International Short Film Festival (International Competition Jury Award) Germany – Dockpojken Puppetboy 2008
Gothenburg Film Festival (Honorable Mention) Sweden – Dockpojken Puppetboy 2008
ZTV Hit Music Award (Best Swedish Music Video ) Sweden 2003
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Filmography

Related news

Trailer release for ‘Koko-di Koko-da’

Johannes Nyholm’s horror film Koko-di Koko-da, which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, is set to be released in theatres in Sweden on August 24th.

In Koko-di Koko-da a couple goes on a vacation in order to reconnect following a family tragedy. They are then confronted by their inner demons in the form of a surreal circus company that pulls them into a maelstrom of psychological terror.

Koko-di Koko-da has been nominated for multiple awards including the ‘Grand Jury Prize’ at the Sundance Festival, the ‘Tiger Award’ at the Rotterdam International Film Festival and ‘Best Nordic Film’ at the Gothenburg Film Festival.

‘Koko-di Koko-da’ nominated for the Dragon Award Best Nordic Film

With the prize money amounting to one million SEK, the Dragon Award Best Nordic Film is one of the world’s biggest film prizes, and Johannes Nyholm’s Koko-di Koko-da is one of the ten films nominated for the award. Koko-di Koko-da, which will have its world premiere at the Sundance Festival, is about a couple who goes on a trip to reconnect, but end up encountering a sideshow artist and his shady entourage, who terrorize the couple and lure them into a maelstrom of psychological terror and humiliating slapstick.

Koko-di Koko-da is also competing at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, in their most prestigious section ‘Tiger Competition’.

Johannes Nyholm’s ‘Koko-di Koko-da’ to premiere at Sundance

Johannes Nyholm’s anticipated feature film Koko-di Koko-da will have its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and take part in its World Cinema Dramatic Competition. Nyholm attended the festival for the first time in 2012, then with his short film Las Palmas (the trailer of which has over 20 million views on YouTube).

Koko-di Koko-da follows a couple who, after a family tragedy, goes on a vacation in order to reconnect. They are confronted by their inner demons in the form of a surreal circus company that pulls them into a maelstrom of psychological terror.

Koko-di Koko-da is produced by Johannes Nyholm and co-produced by Maria Møller Christofferson, Beofilm in Denmark.

Photo: Emma Larsson

The inimitable Johannes Nyholm joins Salomonsson Agency

We are thrilled to announce that Johannes Nyholm has signed with Salomonsson Agency!

Film director, producer, artist, writer and animator Johannes Nyholm is regarded as one of the most original and intriguing filmmakers of his generation in Scandinavia. His incredibly successful short films, three of which have been selected for Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes, have been awarded with innumerable prizes at film festivals around the world. In 2016, Nyholm made his highly anticipated feature debut with the critically acclaimed The Giant. The fantastical and wondrous drama won three Guldbagge Awards as well as prizes at the San Sebastian, Rotterdam and Warsaw film festivals.

We will shortly reveal the next addition to our select list of top directors. Stay tuned!