The award-winning Norwegian director Sara Johnsen is one of Scandinavia’s most distinguished directors and writers. In addition to penning and directing TV-series and feature films, Johnsen is the author of two novels: White Man, and He Knows Something She Can Try.

Her first feature film, Kissed by Winter (2005), received fantastic reviews, became Norway’s submission to the Academy Awards, won the Grand Jury Prize at AFI Fest and was nominated for the prestigious Nordic Council Film Prize. Her second feature, Upperdog (2009), was received with great acclamation and became a box office success. Upperdog was presented with the Norwegian Film Critics Award and became the big winner at that year’s Amanda Awards.

All That Matters Is Past (2012) had its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival and was nominated for ‘Best Nordic Film’ at the Gothenburg Film Festival.

Johnsen is currently working on 22 July, a series about the everyday heroes who took action following the terror attack in Norway on July 22nd, 2011. The anticipated series, created by Johnsen and Pål Sletaune, will premiere early 2020.

The official bestseller lists of week 18 (April 29th – May 5th) see Fredrik Backman once more claim the No. 2 spot on the hardcover list with Anxious People. The title also features on the audio and e-book lists, where it comes in at No. 3 and No. 4 respectively.

Ulf Lundell makes his debut on the bestseller lists with the just published Weekdays 2, which is No. 3 in hardcover and No. 3 in e-book.

Roslund & Hellström likewise make an appearance with their bestseller Three Hours, which comes in at No. 4 in paperback.

Simon Stålenhag’s highly acclaimed The Electric State is shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the UK’s premier prize for science fiction literature.

Named after British author Arthur C. Clarke, the award was established in 1987. The winning title and author is chosen by a jury comprising of members nominated by the award's supporting organisations, currently the British Science Fiction Association, the Science Fiction Foundation and the Sci-Fi-London film festival.

The winner will be announced at a public award ceremony on Wednesday, July 17th, 2019.

Director and writer Jesper Ganslandt has since his dynamic debut work, the much acclaimed Falkenberg Farewell (2006), established himself as one of the most fearless voices in Scandinavian filmmaking.

Falkenberg Farewell was nominated for the prestigious Nordic Council’s Film Prize and chosen as Sweden’s submission for the Academy Awards. Ganslandt’s second feature, The Ape (2009), received great reviews, among else in The Guardian where he was declared “a new star director.” In 2018, Ganslandt opened the International Film Festival Rotterdam with Jimmie, which was lauded by the press and nominated for ‘Best Nordic Film’ at the Gothenburg Film Festival.

Ganslandt recently finished shooting the drama 438 Days, which is based on the award-winning novel of the same name by Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye. 438 Days will premiere in 2019.