04/08/2026 - Erik Poppe's Beloved will open this year's edition, which will showcase a selection of Norwegian productions alongside acclaimed titles from Cannes and Berlin

The 54th edition of the Norwegian International Film Festival is set to take place from 22-28 August in the coastal city of Haugesund. This year's programme once again combines a strong national focus with an extensive international selection, featuring major festival titles, world premieres, the New Nordic Films market, the Amanda Awards ceremony and Cinemagi, the festival's strand dedicated to children and young audiences.

The festival will open with the Norwegian premiere of Beloved, directed by Erik Poppe from an original screenplay by Nobel Prize laureate Jon Fosse. Set on Norway's western coast, the intimate drama follows the turbulent relationship between Asle, a sailor irresistibly drawn to the sea, and Gerd, who remains ashore raising their young son as the emotional distance between them steadily grows. Produced by Paradox and distributed by SF Studios, the film marks Fosse's first screenplay written directly for the screen.

Closing the festival will be The Murder of Benjamin, directed by Ingvild Søderlind. Based on the racially motivated murder of 15-year-old Benjamin Hermansen in Oslo in 2001, the drama follows both the victim's family and the young perpetrator, examining racism, radicalisation and the devastating consequences of hate through multiple perspectives. Written by Helena Johanne Nielsen and produced by Thomas Robsahm, the film will receive its gala screening at the festival before its nationwide release.

The two movies headline a main programme that also includes A Prayer for the Dying by Dara Van Dusen (Norway/Greece/UK/Sweden), The Beloved by Rodrigo Sorogoyen (Spain/France), Bitter Christmas by Pedro Almodóvar (Spain), Butterfly by Itonje Søimer Guttormsen (Norway/Sweden/UK/Germany), Calle Málaga by Maryam Touzani (Morocco/France/Spain/Germany/Belgium), Everybody Digs Bill Evans by Grant Gee (Ireland/UK), Fatherland by Paweł Pawlikowski (Poland/Italy/Germany/France), Fjörd by Cristian Mungiu (Romania/France/Norway/Denmark/Sweden), Her Private Hell by Nicolas Winding Refn (Denmark), Low Expectations by Eivind Landsvik (Norway/Denmark), Mouse by Kelly O'Sullivan and Alex Thompson (USA), Paper Tiger by James Gray (USA/Italy/Brazil), Pressure by Anthony Maras (UK/France), The Quiet Beekeeper by Marcus Carlsson (Sweden), The Rivals of Amziah King by Andrew Patterson (USA), Rose by Markus Schleinzer (Austria/Germany), Savage Mountain by Even Sigstad (Norway), Siri Hustvedt – Dance Around the Self by Sabine Lidl (Germany/Switzerland), The Voice That Vanished by Jørgen Nordby (Norway) and Yellow Letters by Ilker Çatak (Germany/France/Turkey).

As every year, the festival will also host the 42nd Amanda Awards, celebrating the best achievements in Norwegian cinema across 21 categories. Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value leads the nominees with 12 nods, followed by A Mouse Hunt for Christmas by Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken, with ten. Sentimental Value is nominated for Best Norwegian Film alongside A Mouse Hunt for Christmas and the documentary Trango by Christopher Carvasal, while veteran actor Bjørn Sundquist earns his 12th Amanda nomination, having now been recognised in every decade since the awards were established. Renate Reinsve, Pia Tjelta, Marie Blokhus and Kathrine Thorborg Johansen are among the contenders for Best Performance in a Leading Role.

Meanwhile, the Cinemagi programme will open with the Norwegian premiere of Back to Tottori by Silje Salomonsen and Arild Østin Ommundsen, while New Nordic Films will once again gather leading Nordic industry professionals for its annual market and project showcase alongside the festival's rich selection of contemporary Scandinavian cinema.