A filmmaker who has in just two feature films (and her promising third offering) demonstrated a knack for boundary-pushing portraits that thematically explore violence, power and domination, gender, sexuality and the body, her cinema and television work favors wide compositions, long takes, deadpan observation, saturated environments, uncomfortable realism and sudden eruptions of extreme physicality. Before 2018’s brilliant debut Holiday (it preemed at Sundance and was a major breakout for Vic Carmen Sonne) and San Sebastián’s double winner Kalak in 2023, Swedish-Danish filmmaker Isabella Eklöf got her major break with Border (2018) as co-writer alongside Ali Abbasi. She has worked in television this decade with work on Servant / Apple TV+, Industry / HBO and The Death of Bunny Munro — miniseries based on Nick Cave’s novel. Here is everything we know so far for… Isabella Eklöf‘s Mr. Nawashi.
Back in 2025 it was announced that 30 years after the original DOGMA 95 movement that DOGMA 25 was established with a new collective initiative by five prominent Nordic filmmakers: Eklöf, May el-Toukhy, Milad Alami, Annika Berg and Jesper Just. Fast forward to May of this year and we learned production began with additional casting news trickling in this past September.
This follows Katarina, an ambitious and talented singer with an appetite for life but little self-discipline. When she meets the mysterious Mr. Nawashi online, her eyes are opened to a new world — a BDSM relationship in which unwavering submission and devotion are met with attention, care, strict coaching, and a tantalizing play with physical pain. Katarina blossoms stimulated both physically and mentally. But what begins as flirtation and attraction soon tips into obsession and dependence.
Esben Smed takes on the role of Mr. Nawashi, and newbie Tanya Holm Andersen were tapped as the top pairing. A bit of time after we learned that Noomi Rapace, Peter Haber and Ina-Miriam Rosenbaum have been added to the cast.
Producers Louise Vesth and Sisse Graum Jørgensen are backing the project. Eklöf works with Costume Designer Louize Nissen and Cinematgrapher Christopher Aoun for a first time.
This will likely tempt Cannes programmers and the first official look could be the Berlinale folks – this potentially looks to a strong contender for the Golden Bear competition.
