Some stories survive for centuries without ever reaching the screen.
NIX, our three-minute Swedish folk horror short, is a small attempt to change that. Selected as a finalist at Big Screen Hack, the film will screen in IMAX in London on 16 October, during the BFI London Film Festival.
Rooted in Scandinavian folklore, NIX draws from a world where nature was never entirely separate from the supernatural. Rivers, forests and remote settlements held stories of creatures that could enchant, deceive or destroy. Stories passed down through generations, often long before they were ever written down.
These are tales many of us first encountered as children. They were never entirely comforting, and perhaps that’s why they stayed with us.
For Awarehouse Studio, NIX is the first glimpse of a larger ambition: an anthology series exploring the darker corners of Nordic folklore, with each standalone episode bringing a different legend, landscape and creature to life, told in Nordic languages.
The challenge was to create something that felt ancient, physical and unsettling, using a filmmaking process that is still rapidly evolving. Through AI-assisted production, traditional storytelling, sound design and careful visual direction, we set out to establish a world that feels lived in rather than generated.
Much of our work involves helping others bring their stories to the screen. Finding the space to develop our own reminds us why we started making films in the first place.
NIX grew through a close collaboration between Anton Ariki Sten, Cedric Acketoft Sjöberg, Christian Thornell and Patrik Thornell, shaped by a shared interest in folklore, cinematic atmosphere and the possibilities of independent film production.
Its selection at Big Screen Hack offers an opportunity to share that ambition on one of cinema’s largest screens. But the three-minute film is only a beginning.
There are countless stories scattered across the Nordic landscape, shaped by the places and people who kept them alive. We hope to return to them with the time and care they deserve, developing NIX into a larger anthology where each tale can find its own voice.
Our sincere thanks to Big Screen Hack, its organisers and partners for bringing the film to IMAX, and to everyone who contributed to the production.
Some stories have been waiting a very long time to be told again.
Perhaps it’s time we listened.
Stockholm 10/10/26