Action thriller The Nation Gambit (Norwegian title: En nasjon i sjakk) has been greenlit by SF Studios and will be directed by Jens Lien based on a script by Rakel Kraft Biørnstad and Christopher Grøndahl. The feature film is an adaptation of Johan Høst’s successful crime novel of the same name.

In this story, Norway’s prime minister is kidnapped and disappears without a trace. The kidnapper makes only one demand; the politicians in power must play a game of chess over the prime minister’s life. The chess pieces represent people who work for the state or as leaders in society. If the politicians win the game, the prime minister will live, but every time the terrorist takes a piece, a person must pay with their life. The politicians and their appointed rescue team, the Delta Squad, face an impossible dilemma: Can they sacrifice others in an attempt to save the prime minister? With only 48 hours to win the game and save the prime minister, they have no choice but to play, but with every move they make, death comes closer. And with no leads to go on, could sacrificing a first chess piece give them a clue to find the terrorist?

The Nation’s Gambit will be Lien’s return to feature films after 10 years of directing TV series, such as the HBO hit series Beforeigners.

“The Nation’s Gambit has a remarkably original plot. I look forward to creating a gripping action film that showcases how fragile our democracy is when challenged by cynical and ruthless forces. The strong concept developed by Stig and Stein Studio provides me with the foundation to make a spectacular action film unlike anything seen in Norway”, says Jens Lien.

“This is a dream project for us at SF Studios! The Nation’s Gambit will without a doubt be a great movie, with high speed, action, and excitement. When we read the book two years ago, it was clear to us that the concept and the intense plot would make a fantastic feature film for the big screen. With Jens Lien in the director’s chair, the audience will be served world-class entertainment, and we cannot be happier to be a part of this journey”, says Silje Glimsdal, Senior Acquisition Manager at SF Studios.

Planned for a theatrical release during the autumn 2025, the film is produced by Norwegian production company Stig og Stein Studio, with SF Studios and Film i Väst as co-producers. SF Studios will distribute the film in the Nordics, while REinvent handles international sales.

Norwegian actor Frank Kjosås (b. 1981) is one of today’s most interesting and versatile talents in Scandinavia.

Kjosås got his cinematic break in 2008 with House of Fools and Troubled Water, and his unique acting skills has since gotten him cast in significant roles in both films and TV shows, such as the immensely popular and awarded The Heavy Water: Stopping Hitler’s Atomic Bomb, EXIT and Halvbroren, for which he won both a Golden Screen and a Golden FIPA for ‘Best Actor’.

Kjosås has been widely admired for his chameleon-like acting abilites by critics and viewers alike and praised for his fascinating way of being able to switch expressions from warmth and innocence to threatening coldness in the blink of an eye.

2024 will see Kjosås in multiple film and TV productions including the Netflix drama Billionaire Island, hailed for its potential to be the Norwegian answer to the hit drama Succession, as well as Havnaa, the highly anticipated Norwegian film inspired by the gripping real-life story of the notorius boxing brothers Erling and Magne Havnaa.

On a spring night, a young mother is found shot to death in her luxury villa in Djursholm. Detective inspector Sakka Pienni and her team at Regional Investigation Unit in Stockholm are handed the case. An intense investigation, which exposes family secrets, lies, and unreliable alibis, is soon in full force.

As the case grows and demands more victims, Sakka is haunted by childhood memories from the dark lands in the north. At the same time, she does everything in her power to shield the secret which threatens to destroy both her personal life as well as her career. It does not take long before her greatest fear is not only losing sight of the killer but something even worse: losing herself.

With The Raven, award-winning author Lina Bengtsdotter is back with the first installment in a new series featuring Detective Inspector Sakka Pienni. Bengtsdotter seamlessly waves together contrasting environments in a series of books that touches mental illness, childhood trauma, the culture of silence, and class.

The shortlist for the 2024 CWA Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger, an award given to the best translated crime novel of the year published in the UK, has been announced. Among the six remaining nominees vying for the prestigious award is Yrsa Sigurdardóttir, with the thrilling novel The Prey. 

The winners will be announced on 4 July at the CWA Awards Night.

Oliver Lovrenski has been selected to join Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s Literature Train. The event will take place on a train traveling from Elverum to Røros in Norway and will include literary talks and events along the way. The Crown Princess’s literature train celebrates ten years this year, and the aim of the event is to spread great literature and the joy of reading.

The Crown Princess has selected some of her favorite authors on the journey, and Oliver Lovrenski is one of the authors to join. The Literature Train takes off on June 11.

Annette Bjergfeldt and her acclaimed novel Mr Saito’s Traveling Cinema have been nominated for the 2024 Martha Award. The Martha Award is the largest book retailer award in Denmark and has been bestowed annually since 1989 by Bog & Idé to honor the Danish readers’ favorite author. The nominated works are selected by book retailers and readers and following a public vote in September, the ultimate winner will be announced in October.

Lisa Ridzén’s acclaimed debut When the Cranes Fly South has been shortlisted for Bonnier’s Book Club’s high profile Book of the Year Award. The motivation reads as follows:

“What a gem! 89-year old Bo moves into our reader-hearts! (…) A moving, thought-provoking and tender tale that goes straight to the heart.”

Bonnier’s Book Clubs is the home of five Swedish book clubs, among them the biggest one in Sweden. The winning book and author will be announced during the Gothenburg Book Fair in September. To see the list of the nominees and vote for your favorite, click “Read more” below.

Cassi hadn’t always been drinking instant coffee from a PET bottle for breakfast, or numbed her evenings with a bag-in-box. She had gone from being successful, popular and happy, to being frustrated, depressed and wine-soaked in less than a year.

In an impulsive attempt to escape her life, she accidentally buys a secluded cottage in the countryside. But when she moves in, rumors have already spread that Cassi is an experienced self-help guru.

Instead of explaining the misunderstanding, she decides to embrace her new role and begins guiding the locals through their various problems. She creates a new existence with improvised forms of therapy, makeshift yoga and magical stones, and, to her surprise, a few really good friends.

But when has a life built on lies ever been a good idea?

Cassi is Johanna Swanberg’s literary debut; a book about hitting rock bottom and finding your way back, written with both humor and darkness.