Icelandic Film Music in Focus at Nordic Film Music Days

Icelandic film music took center stage at Nordic Film Music Days 2026, held in Berlin last weekend (February 12–15). A diverse group of Icelandic composers and musicians gathered for this prestigious event, which featured workshops, seminars, and networking opportunities, alongside the presentation of the HARPA Awards.

The HARPA Awards

Composers Viktor Orri Árnason and Álfheiður Erla Guðmundsdóttir were nominated for the HARPA Nordic Film Composers Award for their score to the film Poems: A Journey Through Icelandic Poetry.

The HARPA Awards highlight the talent of Nordic composers, with selection committees from Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden each nominating one composer annually. The awards were presented on Saturday, February 14, where Finnish composer Panu Aaltio received the honor for his work on the dark comedy Little Siberia.

On Sunday, February 15, following a screening of Poems: A Journey Through Icelandic Poetry, Viktor Orri and Álfheiður participated in a composer talk moderated by Signý Leifsdóttir, specialist at Tónlistarmiðstöð.

Icelandic Participants

Last November, Iceland Music issued a call for applications to participate in the festival. Composers Einar Sv. Tryggvason, Salka Valsdóttir, and Gísli Galdur Þorgeirsson were selected to attend and participate in the professional program. They were joined by composer Hallur Ingólfsson.

More on Nordic Film Music Days here

Photos

Photos by Thomas Kolbein Bjork Olsen

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