By AIFF Industry Programs Manager Chrissy King-Lopes
I was fortunate enough to embark on a month-long tour in Europe, attending several film festivals on behalf of AIFF. I made stops in six countries, but my main focus was on Sweden and Norway, as I built a network for our AIFF Partners 2025/2026 spotlight region: The Nordics. AIFF Partners is a beloved, co-production / co-finance market that takes place annually during the opening weekend of the Atlantic International Film Festival. In its simplest terms, the market is where film and television executives from around the world gather for two days of meetings, education, pitches and networking. It is where producers make deals with other producers, and have their projects picked up by broadcasters, streamers, distributors and financiers. This year, we are presenting the 27th edition of this market. It will be year two of our New Zealand focus. We like to feature a region of the world in two year cycles, in order to follow projects and nurture relationships. Our goal is to have successful co-productions being made by Canada and our spotlight region.
After short stops in London, Rotterdam and Amsterdam (for the International Rotterdam Film Festival: CineMart), I arrived in Göteborg, Sweden for a longer stretch. There, I attended the TV Drama Vision and Nordic Film Market of the Göteborg Film Festival. Göteborg is a small harbor city with a population similar to Halifax. It was inspiring to see how they run their market and festival and I brought many ideas and inspirations back to my AIFF team. During the market I made key connections with producers, financers, broadcasters and film commissioners. I was able to learn about the challenges and successes facing these groups, as well as getting a sneak peak at the projects in development from several Nordic countries. I was even able to sneak in a few screenings, of which the highlight was Benjamin Ree’s documentary IBELIN, which tells the inspiring story of Norwegian gamer Mats Steen’s triumphant life both off and online despite being born with a degenerative disease. It is a must watch for those who have found a community online that supports them in their “real life”. It was at this market that I met Liselott Forsman, CEO of the Nordisk Film & TV Fond- who has signed on to a partnership with AIFF to help support the spotlight. We are thrilled to be working with Liselott and her team, and looking forward to bringing you part 2 of the AIFF mission abroad next month!