UpNorth Film

What UpNorth Film does

UpNorth Film is a Norwegian documentary film production company that produces feature-length documentaries for domestic and international festival, cinema, and TV audiences. The company was formed in 2017 through the unification of three established Norwegian production companies, with two international films premiering at IDFA 2017 as its launch event. It operates from three Norwegian offices in Oslo (headquarters), Trondheim, and Orkanger, with a creative team led by Executive Producer Ingrid Galadriel Aune Falch, Director Håvard Bustnes, and Producer Mária Môťovská, alongside a roster of approximately ten associated directors and producers. UpNorth maintains a catalog of 30+ documentary films covering politically and socially resonant themes including human rights (Behind the Mask, Praying for Armageddon, Recruiting for Jihad), AI and technology (iHUMAN, My AI Election), indigenous and environmental issues (Let Our Mountains Live, Nenets vs Gas), and historical subjects (Nelly & Nadine, Wars Don't End, Pol Pot Dancing). Distribution is handled through international sales agents including Limonero Filmes (worldwide), Roco Films (US), and Cinephil, with premieres at major documentary festivals including IDFA, CPH:DOX, DOCNYC, Hot Docs, TIFF, and BIFF.

The company's business model is project-based documentary production funded primarily through Norwegian and Scandinavian public film institutions — most notably the Norwegian Film Institute (NFI), NFTVF, Fritt Ord, Swedish Arts Council (Kulturrådet), and regional bodies such as Midtnorsk — supplemented by private financiers (Bergesen, Eumedia, Extra, Filminvest) and co-production partnerships (e.g., Indiefilm). Revenue is generated through one-time licensing arrangements including festival premieres, theatrical distribution, TV broadcasting rights, international sales agent commissions, and minimal direct-to-consumer physical DVD sales (20 EUR per unit via PayPal for European shipping). Marketing is conducted through the company website (upnorthfilm.no), email newsletter, Facebook social presence, festival premieres, and earned media coverage. Pricing for licensing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

UpNorth's competitive positioning rests on its award-winning content library (including multiple Amanda Awards, a CPH:DOX DOX Award, Gullruten Award, and recurring selections at IDFA, TIFF, and Hot Docs), its established international distribution infrastructure, and its stable relationships with Norwegian public funders that anchor project financing. The company does not employ AI/ML technology in its operations, does not hold patents, and does not disclose revenue or headcount metrics.

Name

UpNorth Film

Legal name

UpNorth Film

Website

https://upnorthfilm.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

UpNorth Film is a Norwegian documentary film production company, formed in 2017 from three Norwegian producers, producing 30+ award-winning feature documentaries on human rights, geopolitics, AI, and environmental issues for international festival, cinema, and TV distribution, funded principally through Norwegian public film institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Documentary Film Production

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (512110), Motion Picture and Video Distribution (512120)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)

akta.pro primary industry

Feature-Length Documentaries (MPADADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social Issue & Advocacy Documentaries (MPADADAG), Investigative & Journalism Documentaries (MPADADAD)

Keywords

• Documentary film production
• Feature documentary films
• International film distribution
• Film festival premieres
• Documentary film licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Orkanger

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Film Production and Distribution: Production of documentary films for international festival, cinema and TV distribution. Revenue generated through film licensing, festival premieres, theatrical distribution, TV broadcasting rights, and international sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

UpNorth Film produces award-winning feature documentary films for Norwegian and international audiences, covering socially relevant topics including human rights, geopolitics, AI, environmental issues, and personal narratives. Films are distributed through international festivals (IDFA, CPH:DOX, TIFF), cinema releases, and TV broadcasting, with international sales handled by agents such as Limonero Filmes, Roco Films, and Cinephil.

Product overview

UpNorth Film is a Norwegian documentary film production company that produces documentary films for domestic and international festival, cinema, and TV audiences. The company was formed at IDFA 2017 from the unification of three established Norwegian production companies. Their portfolio consists of documentary films covering diverse subjects including political thrillers (iHUMAN, The Gardener the Buddhist & the Spy), social justice issues (The Chocolate War, Behind the Mask, Recruiting for Jihad), historical documentaries (Nelly & Nadine, Wars Don't End), environmental films (Nenets vs Gas, Let Our Mountains Live), and cultural studies (Blackhearts, Newtopia). Films are produced as either fully-owned productions or co-productions with international partners, and distributed through platforms including IMDb, Vimeo, YouTube, and various streaming services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Let Our Mountains Live A documentary about Sámi reindeer herders who win a Supreme Court victory against Europe's largest wind farm, exploring themes of indigenous rights and environmental justice.
• My AI Election A documentary examining AI's role in elections, following a Trump supporter's journey on Georgia's election board and his interactions with a ChatGPT assistant.
• The Gardener, the Buddhist & the Spy A documentary exposing Rob Moore, a former candid-camera TV producer revealed as a corporate spy, examining themes of media deception and whistleblowing.
• Portrait of a Confused Father A documentary drama about a middle-aged control freak struggling to connect with his defiant son, leading to a descent with fatal consequences.
• Phantoms of the Sierra Madre A documentary following a Danish writer's quest to locate a disappeared Apache tribe in Mexico, exploring ethics of exploration and unexpected discoveries.
• Pol Pot Dancing A documentary following a former Cambodian royal court dancer who raised Pol Pot as her foster son, depicting the mass purges of the Khmer Rouge regime.
• Nenets vs Gas A documentary examining the conflict between Russia's gas exploitation on the Yamal peninsula and the indigenous Nenets nomads whose ancestral homeland is being destroyed.
• Behind the Mask A documentary following survivor Abduweli who fled a Chinese Uyghur internment camp to Norway and travels to Germany to confront his past torturer.
• The Last Seagull A documentary about Ivan, a 58-year-old Bulgarian man who has spent forty years seducing female tourists at Sunny Beach resort, trying to settle down during the pandemic.
• The Chocolate War A documentary exposing the chocolate industry's exploitation of illegal child labor, following a man's fight against billion-dollar corporations.
• Golden Land A documentary about Finnish-Somalian Mustafe who discovers his ancestors' land contains copper and gold, deciding to return to Somaliland to extract these resources.
• Praying for Armageddon A documentary investigating how American Evangelicals and biblical prophecy influence U.S. democracy and push for apocalypse in the Middle East.
• Nelly & Nadine A documentary about two women who fell in love on Christmas Eve 1944 in Ravensbrück concentration camp, exploring their hidden relationship and archives.
• Name of the Game A documentary following director Håvard Bustnes as he makes a film about politician Trond Giske, becoming entangled in Giske's publicity campaign during the #MeToo movement.
• Oh, it Hertz! A documentary exploring how sound affects the body and mind, following vocalist Laurie Amat's investigation into mysterious sonic phenomena.
• Only the Devil Lives Without Hope A documentary thriller about Dilya, a human rights activist whose brother was imprisoned in Syria, and her fight against a brutal regime.
• Newtopia A documentary following backpacker Audun Amundsen's immersion in Mentawai tribal life in Indonesia, documenting the clash between traditional and modern ways.
• iHUMAN A political thriller documentary exploring artificial intelligence, power, and social control from inside the AI industry, examining technology's impact on society.
• Wars Don't End A documentary narrated by Liv Ullmann following five children born of German soldiers and mothers from occupied territories during WWII, exploring lifelong struggles.
• School Of Seduction A documentary following three Russian women attending a School of Seduction course while navigating between patriarchal traditions and female empowerment.
• Recruiting for Jihad A documentary following journalist Adil Khan Farooq's three-year documentation of Norwegian Muslim missionary Ubaydullah Hussain who recruits converts to Islam for ISIS.
• Blackhearts A documentary exploring the Norwegian black metal music scene through three diehard fans from extreme religious and political backgrounds across South America, Europe, and the Middle East.
• Drone A documentary exposing the covert CIA drone war through voices on both sides of the technology, examining drone warfare in Pakistan.
• The Exorcist in the 21st Century A documentary taking viewers into the world of Catholic exorcism, following Vatican-approved exorcist José Antonio Fortea and Constanza, a Colombian woman claiming demonic possession.
• Two Raging Grannies A documentary following Shirley and Hinda as they travel across the US questioning the sustainability of continued economic growth and challenging consumer culture.
• Braving the waves A documentary about Roghieh, a woman in Southern Iran who established a Bazaar employing 800 women, facing threats from a local politician who wants to replace it with a shopping mall.
• The King and the Crook A documentary exploring how notorious criminal John 'The Cheese' Andersen became friends with King Haakon VII during WWII and was later protected by the Norwegian government.
• Street of Dreams A documentary following Norwegian bass player Jan Erling Holberg's journey to record an album with his musical hero Joe Lynn Turner (formerly of Deep Purple) and embark on a club tour.
• Big John A documentary following 'Big John' who sacrifices his career to train his son Ole 'Lukkeøye' Klemetsen for professional boxing, which won the Amanda Award for Best Documentary.
• Golden Dawn Girls A disturbing documentary following three women (daughter, wife, mother) of the Greek far-right Golden Dawn party who continue to propagate its message after prominent members were jailed.
• Boys Who Like Girls A documentary following 16-year-old Ved in Mumbai who joins a boys' club aimed at encouraging adolescent boys to think about masculinity in new ways, mentored by social workers.
• Left Out A documentary following 18-year-old Emilie who suffers from ME, interviewing several ME patients and researchers at Haukeland hospital over two years.
• Privacy Of Wounds A documentary where three former Syrian political prisoners are locked in a simulated cell to revisit memories of Syria's detention facilities, exploring resilience and coping mechanisms.
• Rockabul A documentary following Afghanistan's first and only metal band District Unknown, exploring youth identity and freedom of expression in Kabul before the conservative society forces them underground.
• Patriotic Highway A documentary following Judge Marie Tuma's fight for justice in an international corruption trial against former minister Fatmir Limaj in Kosovo.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• IndiefilmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-producer on The Gardener, the Buddhist & the Spy. Indiefilm and UpNorth Film produced this documentary together.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Autlook Filmsales: Vienna-based international sales and distribution company specialized in documentary films. Comparable as a distribution partner for European documentary producers, including UpNorth's neighboring Austrian and Nordic markets.

Broad incumbents

• Participant Media: US-based global entertainment company focused on documentary and narrative content that drives social impact. Comparable in thematic focus (human rights, environment, democracy) though materially larger, better capitalized, and integrated with US distribution.
• Dogwoof: UK-based leading international documentary sales and distribution company. Comparable as a sales/distribution counterpart (similar role to Limonero/Roco in UpNorth's ecosystem) and as a documentary market bellwether.
• Passion Pictures: UK-based, Oscar and Emmy-winning documentary production company known for premium feature documentaries (e.g., The Imposter, Searching for Sugar Man). Comparable in output type and audience, though larger and more globally commercial than UpNorth.

Emerging players

• Louverture Films: Independent production company focused on social-issue documentary and fiction films with international distribution. Comparable to UpNorth in mission, output type, and reliance on grants and international co-productions, though US-based.
• Cat&Docs: Paris-based international documentary sales company representing independent documentaries worldwide. Comparable as a downstream commercialization counterpart in UpNorth's sales-agent ecosystem and similar in specializing in arthouse/social-issue docs.

Direct peers

• Final Cut for Real: Danish feature documentary production company producing award-winning, socially engaged documentaries for international festivals and broadcasters. Highly comparable to UpNorth Film in scope, scale, regional origin, and reliance on Nordic public film funding.
• Sant & Usant: Norwegian documentary and feature film production company with a strong festival slate. Comparable to UpNorth in geography, funding mix (NFI and regional bodies), and documentary focus on sociopolitical subjects.
• Mantaray Film: Swedish documentary production company producing internationally distributed feature documentaries on social and political topics. Directly comparable as a Nordic peer pursuing festival premieres, public funding (Swedish Film Institute), and international TV/platform sales.

Regional players

• Medieoperatørene: Norwegian documentary production company producing socially engaged films for Norwegian and international audiences. Directly comparable as a Nordic regional documentary peer relying on similar Norwegian Film Institute funding mechanisms.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/upnorthfilm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/upnorth-film

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UpNorth Film