The Directors’ Fortnight, set to run from 13-23 May as part of the 79th Cannes Film Festival, has revealed its line-up (see the news), with Low Expectations, the first feature by Norwegian writer-director Eivind Landsvik, among the selected titles.

The story is centred on 29-year-old Maja, who, after years of hard work in the studio, touring and partying, collapses. The acclaimed artist is forced to put everything on hold. Depressed and broke, she has moved back home with her mother and works part-time at a local secondary school. Maja tries to distance herself from her chaotic past, observing life from the sidelines, rather than participating. When her problems catch up with her, Maja is forced to face the harsh reality of everyday life.

The cast is led by Norwegian singer-songwriter and record producer Marie Ulven, known professionally as girl in red, in the lead role, alongside Anders Danielsen Lie (The Worst Person in the World, Sentimental Value), Tone Mostraum (Lars Is LOL), Embla Berntsen, Snorre Kind Monsson and Clara Dessau.

Landsvik directs from his own screenplay, and is making a return to Cannes after his short film Tits screened in competition in 2023, was preselected for the Oscars and went on to play at more than 120 festivals worldwide. He began his career making music videos for local acts, focusing on storytelling combined with sensitive visual language. His earlier short Sofia, Last Summer earned him the Norwegian Film Critics’ Award at the Norwegian Short Film Festival.

Upon his selection, Landsvik stated: “It is a great honour to be invited to screen the film at Cannes in the Directors’ Fortnight, where so many of my heroes have shown their movies over the years. I am immensely grateful that the feature will begin its journey here, and I am looking forward to it meeting its audience.” The cinematography is by Andreas Bjørseth, while the sound design is handled by Gisle Tveito and Kristoffer Endresen.

Low Expectations is a Norwegian-Danish co-production, staged by Lotte Sandbu and Synnøve Hørsdal for Maipo Film AS, in co-production with Copenhagen-based outfit Snowglobe. It received backing from the Norwegian Film Institute, the Danish Film Institute, the Nordisk Film & TV Fond and Eurimages. Its international sales are handled by Paris- and Berlin-based sales outfit Salaud Morisset, which previously worked with Landsvik on his short Tits. The film will be distributed in Scandinavia by Nordisk Film Distribution and is scheduled for a Norwegian theatrical release on 23 October 2026.