ABOUT
Jonas Alexander Abramowitz Arnby debuted with the critically acclaimed feature When Animals Dream, which premiered in Cannes Critics’ Week and competed for the Camera d’Or. The film — a stylish, atmospheric coming-of-age story about a teenage girl who discovers she’s a werewolf — went on to screen at the BFI London Film Festival and more than 30 festivals worldwide, and was released by Altitude Film Distribution (UK) and RADiUS-TWC to outstanding reviews.
Arnby’s second feature, Exit Plan / Suicide Tourist, an existential mystery thriller starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, premiered at the Sitges Film Festival and Zurich Film Festival.
He was the lead director of THE UNIFORM, a six-part thriller for Fremantle and Miso Film, which at the moment is a major national broadcast success and has since been sold to several international territories, including the BBC.
He is now lead directing SIDE EFFECTS, a new TV 2 drama series for Fremantle, continuing his close collaboration with premium Scandinavian broadcasters and international production partners.
Most recently, Arnby directed and executive produced all six episodes of BLOOD CRUISE for SVT / CBS — a stylized, pulpy Nordic horror series which premiered in the Nordics to great reviews.
Before that he developed, directed and executive produced the eight-part Sky/Showtime drama VERONIKA, a character-driven, psychologically tense series that became a major critical and audience success across Scandinavia. Praised for its bold aesthetic and strong performances, the show proved such a success that it was renewed for both a second and third season.
His additional television work includes The Helicopter Heist for Netflix — a fast-paced, high-end true-crime series; the concluding episodes of War of the Worlds for Urban Myth Films/Fox/Disney+ (starring Gabriel Byrne), where he steered the series toward its final, emotional endgame; and the neo-noir crime drama Darkness: Those Who Kill for BBC4/Viaplay, which he helped reboot into its most-watched season.
Before moving into long-form storytelling, Arnby honed his craft directing award-winning commercials and music videos worldwide — a visual foundation that continues to shape his narrative work.
AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS
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2026 |
Winner Creative Courage Award "The Blood Sruise" GTB Film Festival |
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2025 |
Winner Best Drama at the Kristallen Award for The Helicopter Heist, Netflix |
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2022 |
Nominated Best TV Series "Den Som Dræber" at the Danish Film Awards |
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2019 |
Nominated for the Politiken Talent Award "Suicide Tourist" at the CPH PIX |
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2019 |
Nominated Best Motion Picture "Suicide Tourist" at the Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival |
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2016 |
Nominated Best Foreign-Language Film "When Animals Dream" at the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards |
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2015 |
Nominated for the Audience Award "When Animals Dream" at the Glasgow Film Festival |
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2015 |
Nominated for the Audience Award "When Animals Dream" at the Danish Film Awards |
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2015 |
Nominated Best Children/Youth Film "When Animals Dream" at the Danish Film Awards |
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2014 . |
Winner of the Citizen Kane Award "When Animals Dream" at the Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival |
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2014 |
Nominated Best Film "When Animals Dream" Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival |
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2014 |
Won Best Director "When Animals Dream" at the Athens International Film Festival |
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2014 |
Nominated Best Picture "When Animals Dream" at the Athens International Film Festival |
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2014 |
Nominated Best Film "When Animals Dream" at the Bodil Awards |
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2014 |
Nominated for the Queer Palm "When Animals Dream" at the Cannes Film Festival |
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2014 |
Nominated for the Critics Week Grand Prize "When Animals Dream" at the Cannes Film Festival |
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2014 |
Nominated for the Golden Camera "When Animals Dream" at the Cannes Film Festival |
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2014 |
Nominated Best Film "When Animals Dream" at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival |