Matias Faldbakken has received the honor of creating the July 22 Memorial in central Oslo, commemorating the terrorist attack in 2011. This was made public on Tuesday, after a three-year-long competition held by KORO, Norway’s national body for public art.

Matias’ work is titled Upholding, and it will stand in the new Government Quarter in Oslo. The piece is a large mosaic made of stone, with imagery taken from the island of Utøya, placed inside a steel rig – a giant version of the rig which was built to move a Pablo Picasso piece from the demolished government quarter after the attack, the two scenes from the attack thus coming together. The bottom beam will also feature the names of the 77 people killed in the attack.

The jury states:
“Upholding tells a compelling story about how our common values are formed, in the present, past, and future alike, and also about the structures we establish to manage, sustain, and negotiate these values. /…/ The work is immediate and powerful, and it may be regarded as a reminder of the never‑ending effort required, and the responsibility we all have, to preserve democracy and maintain and uphold democratic resilience.”

One day, the author Marcus is contacted by Ernst, an old friend from writing school, who wants to publish a suspense novel under a pseudonym. Can Marcus pass the manuscript to his agent, ensuring Ernst’s identity remains secret? A simple favor. A minor misunderstanding. Complicated consequences. And a man who discovers he is capable of things he never could have imagined.

Let the Waves Do the Rest is a psychological thriller in the vein of Patricia Highsmith.

The Helicopter Heist, directed by Daniel Espinosa and produced by B-Reel, was awarded Best Scripted Program at the Ria Awards.

The praised series has received fantastic reviews both in Sweden and internationally. The Helicopter Heist is written by Ronnie Sandahl, based on Jonas Bonnier’s novel of the same name.

The Ria Awards is initiated by the Swedish Film & TV Producers’ Association to promote the best creators in Swedish television.

The year is 2037, and the world has plunged into complete disorder with natural disasters occur daily, and political unrest fuels global upheaval. In Scandinavia, one country is striving to do right by its people as Norway has chosen to sever all ties with the rest of the globe in an effort to keep its citizens safe. At first, the country seems like a utopian paradise, completely sustained by its natural resources, but when a mysterious virus breaks out, the facade begins to crumble.

Enlisting top talent from around the globe, The Fortress stars Tobias Santelmann, Russell Tovey, Selome Emnetu, and Eili Harboe. The dystopian drama is created by John Käre Raake and Linn-Jeanethe Kyed, and directed by Cecilie Mosli and Mikkel Sandemose.

Winner of Best Screenplay at Series Mania, and selected as one of The New York Times’ ‘30 Shows to Watch This Summer’, The Fortress will have its Amazon Prime premiere on April 18.

So Long, Marianne, Øystein Karlsen’s celebrated eight-part TV series which tells the story of singer and poet Leonard Cohen and his muse Marianne Ihlen, has been nominated for the Canadian Screen Awards in three categories: Best Direction in a Drama Series, Best Photography, and Best Picture Editing.

The Canadian Screen Awards are presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, and widely regarded as the most prestigious recognition for Canadian television series, considered the Canadian equivalent of the Oscars and Emmys.

The award ceremony is to be held in Toronto on June 1st.

Sofi Oksanen’s novel Purge has been selected by Télérama as one of the best novels published since the year 2000. The magazine states that the novel is “a deep, tragic portrayal where the compassion is ever-present”.

Télérama is a renowned French cultural magazine. Oksanen is joined by many other prominent authors on the list, among them Roberto Bolaño, Svetlana Alexievich, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Olga Tokarczuk.