The 53rd edition of the Norwegian International Film Festival is set to run for seven days, from 16 to 22 August, in the seaside city of Haugesund. This year's programme features 75 feature films and a wide range of events, including the New Nordic Films market, the Next Nordic Generation competition and the Amanda Awards ceremony. The festival will once again serve as a key meeting point for Nordic and international film professionals, offering premieres, masterclasses and special tributes that highlight both emerging voices and established talent in contemporary cinema.

The festival will open with the world premiere of The Battle of Oslo (Norway) on 17 August. Daniel Fahre’s historical war thriller portrays Colonel Birger Eriksen’s decisive actions during the dramatic events of 9 April 1940, when the fate of the nation rested on his judgment as commander of the Oscarsborg Fortress. The film stars Bjørn Sundquist as Eriksen, alongside Jon Øigarden, Fridtjov Såheim, Øystein Røger, and others. Closing the festival will be Eagles of the Republic [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Tarik Saleh
fiche film] (Sweden/France/Denmark), the latest entry in Tarik Saleh’s Cairo trilogy. The political thriller, starring Fares Fares as Egypt’s most beloved actor entangled in a government propaganda project, had its world premiere in Cannes and will mark its Norwegian premiere in Haugesund.

The two titles are part of the festival’s Main Programme, which also includes A Private Life [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
fiche film] by Rebecca Zlotowski (France), Alpha [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
fiche film] by Julia Ducournau (France/Belgium), The Balconettes [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Noémie Merlant
fiche film] by Noémie Merlant (France), Christy [+lire aussi :
critique
interview : Brendan Canty
fiche film] by Brendan Canty (Ireland/UK), The Great Lillian Hall by Michael Cristofer (USA), Köln 75 [+lire aussi :
critique
interview : Ido Fluk
fiche film] by Ido Fluk (Germany/Poland/Belgium), Late Shift [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Petra Volpe
fiche film] by Petra Volpe (Switzerland/Germany), Leave One Day [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
fiche film] by Amélie Bonnin (France), The Life of Chuck by Mike Flanagan (USA), Madly [+lire aussi :
critique
fiche film] by Paolo Genovese (Italy), New Wave [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
fiche film] by Richard Linklater (France), Orwell: 2+2=5 by Raoul Peck (France/USA), Peacock [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Bernhard Wenger
fiche film] by Bernhard Wenger (Austria/Germany), Portrait of a Confused Father by Gunnar Hall Jensen (Norway), The Portuguese House [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
fiche film] by Avelina Prat (Spain/Portugal), Psycho Therapy: The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer by Tolga Karaçelik (USA/Turkey), Sorry, Baby by Eva Victor (USA), and Young Mothers [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Luc et Jean-Pierre Dardenne
fiche film] by Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne (Belgium/France).

As every year, the festival will host the Amanda Awards ceremony, now in its 41st edition. The awards will honour achievements in 21 categories. Leading the nominations is Lilja Ingolfsdottir’s Loveable [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Lilja Ingolfsdottir
fiche film] with nine nods, followed by Dreams [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Dag Johan Haugerud
fiche film] by Dag Johan Haugerud and Armand [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel
interview : Renate Reinsve
fiche film] by Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel, each with seven. These three titles are also competing for Best Film. Other notable contenders include Quisling – The Final Days [+lire aussi :
bande-annonce
fiche film] by Erik Poppe and The Ugly Stepsister [+lire aussi :
critique
fiche film] by Emilie Blichfeldt.

Oscar-nominated screenwriter and director Mona Fastvold will be present in Haugesund, where her latest film The Brutalist [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
fiche film] opens the architecture-focused Norwegian ArchFest, which this year explores the theme AR__TECTURE – No Future Architecture Without AI. Fastvold, who co-wrote the film with director Brady Corbet, will also appear at the Amanda Awards, where the film is nominated for Best Foreign Theatrical Release, before heading to Venice for the world premiere of her new feature The Testament of Ann Lee.

Meanwhile, Haugesund will honour Norwegian acting icons Lise Fjeldstad and Thorbjørn Harr with their own Amanda-stones on the city’s Walk of Fame, recognising their extensive contributions to stage and screen. This year’s festival will further pay tribute to veteran producer John M. Jacobsen, hosting a masterclass and a special screening of the mythical mockumentary Troll Hunter [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Andre Øvredal
fiche film].

The unveiling of the 2025 Nordic Council Film Prize nominees will also take place in Haugesund, with the announcement made by Nordisk Film & TV Fond. The prestigious DKK 300,000 (€40,200) award, shared equally between the director, screenwriter and producer, celebrates the collaborative nature of filmmaking and honours a Nordic-produced feature film. The nominated titles will be presented during the opening of New Nordic Films, followed by a public conversation with all the filmmakers.