Helsinki Launches Nordic Genre Lab With Eight Horror and Thriller Projects
Eight unfinished genre films will get their first public push in Helsinki this week.
The inaugural Nordic Genre Lab is showcasing eight projects in development at Finnish Film Affair, the Helsinki International Film Festival's industry event running Sept. 23-25 in Helsinki, according to details reported by Variety. The lab is built for horror, thriller, science fiction and other genre work. That means high-concept stories designed to travel beyond their home market.
Finnish Film Affair is the industry side of Helsinki International Film Festival – Love & Anarchy. The 2026 edition is presenting 38 film and series projects in total, as reported by Variety. The Genre Lab titles will pitch live to more than 500 delegates across Thursday, Sept. 24 and Friday, Sept. 25, with workshops and mentorship built around the pitches.
Three of the eight titles have been named. "Alma" is a Finnish thriller written by Ilja Rautsi. "Trespassers" is a Swedish project from Patrik Andersson, a producer on "Midsommar." "Whistler" is billed as the first-ever Faroese horror film.
The wider line-up stretches across formats and tones. It runs from folk horror rooted in the Faroese landscape to a dystopian survival thriller set in Norway, and from animated psychological horror to dark political satire from Finland.
The eight were chosen from 29 submissions. The selection was made by Claire Willats of Two Magpies Entertainment, Todd Brown and Norwegian producer Einar Loftesnes. Willats, a former Netflix commissioner, and Brown, former head of acquisitions at XYZ Films, will also serve as mentors to the teams in Helsinki.
One project already has a production timetable. Shooting on Mylla Films' "Trespassers" is set to start in late summer 2027, as reported by Variety. For the other seven, Helsinki is an earlier step. Labs like this let writers and producers test story, budget and release plans in front of buyers and festival programmers before cameras roll.
For fans, this means patience. These are projects in development, not finished films with release dates. What makes this stand out is the focus. The Nordics have a strong record in stripped-back horror and crime, and a dedicated genre lab gives those films a clearer route to partners, cash and, eventually, screens.
