Iceland's *Elma* Sets October 15 Premiere on Síminn as Glassriver Heads to MIPCOM with New Nordic Procedural
Icelandic crime thriller *Elma* is set to launch domestically on October 15, 2026, on Síminn's streaming service — and production company Glassriver is heading into MIPCOM Cannes with a full slate and a brand-new title to show the international market.
*Elma* is adapted from Eva Björg Ægisdóttir's popular book series and follows a police detective — played by Unnur Birna Backman — working cases in the small port town of Akranes, Iceland. Her colleague Saevar is played by Nikulás Hansen Daðason. The series was directed by Katrín Björgvinsdóttir (*Entrapped*, *As Long As We Live*) and Þóra Hilmarsdóttir (*The Rising*, *Katla*), with Karen Björg Eyfjörð Þorsteinsdóttir serving as scriptwriter and showrunner and Andri Freyr Hlynsson as series producer.
It's a co-production with Belgium's Lunamine, and Mediawan is handling global representation. A pre-sale to Finland's MTV is already in place.
Glassriver CEO Andri Ómarsson called the domestic premiere "an important moment" for the series. "We're delighted to have found a home for the series with Síminn, and to introduce local viewers to the world we have created," he said, adding that he hopes the adaptation will feel "both familiar and fresh" to readers of the books while also reaching viewers coming to it cold.
Meanwhile, Glassriver is debuting a new title at MIPCOM Cannes: *NCU*, billed as Iceland's first scripted procedural series. The concept is a pan-Nordic one — an elite task force of investigators pulled from across the Nordic region, dispatched each episode to a different country to solve a new case while navigating local tensions, cultural nuances, and political pressures. No cast, director, or air date has been confirmed for *NCU* yet.
No international broadcaster beyond Finland's MTV has been announced for *Elma* at this stage, and no details on Glassriver's broader slate — which includes titles like *Avalanche*, *Konráð*, *Reykjavik Noir*, *Hot Stuff*, *Tango Metal*, *Masquerade*, and *Manifesto* — have been confirmed with release dates or broadcasters.
[Original Source](https://deadline.com/2026/10/iceland-drama-elma-siminn-ncu-mipcom-1237150792/)
