Novelists, screenwriters and filmmakers have set their works in Svalbard, an archipelago in the Arctic, the northernmost part of Norway yet closer to Greenland. Such works often make use of its Arctic climate, polar bears, isolation and the natural beauty of its dominant glaciers, mountains and fjords.
Filmmaker Knut Erik Jensen made three short films about Svalbard: Svalbard in the World (1983), Cold World (1986) and My World (1987). This Svalbard trilogy has been called "an artistic peak" for him.[11] The Norwegian film Orion's Belt (1985) (Orions belte was the original title) is set in Svalbard, based on Jon Michelet's 1977 novel of the same name. The film, which was directed by Ola Solum, includes beautiful depictions of the region's white icebergs and desolate mountain ranges. It was one of the two 1980s Norwegian films which "...found large audiences and made their mark internationally".[12] The 1998 Belgian-Dutch-German movie When the Light Comes is set in Svalbard, and the 2019 animated film Klaus is set on a fictionalized version of Svalbard.[13][14] The Italian film Quo Vado? is partially set and shot in Svalbard.
The Sky Atlantic thriller Fortitude (2015) is a murder mystery set in a fictional version of Svalbard. It consists of 21 episodes over 2 seasons. The series was actually filmed in Reyðarfjörður, Eastern Iceland and the UK.[15]
"Found footage" horror podcast The White Vault takes place in Svalbard at the fictional Outpost Fristed (Norwegian for "sanctuary"),[16] a mining outpost for the fictional Sidja Group, where a team is sent to repair an equipment malfunction.[17][18]
In the second saga of the Knights of the Zodiac, called the Asgard Saga, due to the description given of Asgard as an island above the arctic circle in the extreme north of Europe and of Nordic culture, Asgard would actually correspond to Svalbard. The author of this series used to put fictitious names to some real places, as he also did with the Phoenix Islands, Socotra, Jammu and Kashmir.
In Risk II, the sequel to the popular board game Risk, Svalbard is one of the new territories along with the Philippines, New Zealand, Nunavut, the Falkland Islands, and Hawaii. In the game, Svalbard is connected to Greenland and Scandinavia.
In the video game Capcom Vs. SNK 2, one of the stages takes place in Barentsburg. It is an ice-covered scene where an icebreaker is seen coming.
In the video game VALORANT, the episode 7 cinematic named ‘UNMADE’ featuring the Norwegian character Deadlock took place in Svalbard, in a fictional vault inspired by the seed vault.