FOCUS ON MULTI-AWARD WINNING NORWEGIAN CINEMA IN FANTASPORTO

When Fantasporto introduced Korean and New Zealand cinema many years ago, few could
have imagined that the former would reach the Oscars and the latter would produce a talent
like Peter Jackson, creator of the "Lord of the Rings" saga. Indeed, Jackson was part of a long
line of directors who presented their first film at the festival and then went on to international
careers, as Tarantino, James Cameron, Ridley Scott, or David Fincher, a Fantasporto winner
with "Seven". IN 2026, the festival invites you to discover the Norwegian Cinema, at this
moment with 9 Oscars Nominations.
Norwegian films have for many years held a strong position both internationally and with their
domestic audience, securing a strong share of cinema tickets for domestic productions.
Established filmmakers are complemented by new and emerging talents through talent
development programs and support schemes. Aiming for continuity, but also to make room for
new voices, ideas and perspectives to carry on the momentum.
With Neo Debut Scheme, the Norwegian Film Institute provides funding for long-format
projects. The scheme targets debut directors and series creators, and includes feature films,
documentaries, series, and hybrid formats. Neo aims to help realize original and innovative
projects of high artistic quality within a low-budget framework.
Neo is about strong narrative voices, a willingness to take risks, and artistic bravery. Neo is
talents working at a professional level and places strong emphasis on the collaboration
between director, screenwriter, and producer. It emphasizes the development phase and
provides funding for concept development, project development, and production.
The films emerging from this scheme has proven highly successful at both the domestic and
international scene, and amongst the films screened at Fantasporto we find Don't Call me
Mama in the Director's Week section. In the Norwegian focus program we find three
additional feature films emerging from this scheme.
Don't Call me Mama (2025) directed and written by Nina Knag. Premiered at the Karlovy Vary
International Film Festival winning the Best Actress award to Pia Tjelta.
It has since screened at selective competitive programs in Europe and opened in North
America this February, competing at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
It is screening at Norwegian cinemas and cinema admissions are still running.
My Uncle Jens (2025), directed by Brwa Vahappour, opened in the prestigious SXSW Film & TV
Festival in 2025, has been screened at numerous festivals since and is still making the festival
circuit.
Armand (2024) directed and written by Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel. The film has garnered
significant international attention and accolades. It premiered in the Un Certain Regard section
at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024, where Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel won the prestigious
Caméra d’Or (Golden Camera) — an award given to the best first feature film across all festival
sections and a major achievement for a debut filmmaker. This was the first time a Norwegian
director received this award at Cannes.
In addition to Cannes, Armand has been celebrated at the European Film Awards, where it
won the European Discovery – Prix FIPRESCI award — an honour from the International
Federation of Film Critics recognizing outstanding debut filmmaking in Europe.
The film has also been nominated in multiple categories at the European Film Awards and
served as Norway’s official submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature
Film. Domestically, it received nominations and prizes at Norway’s Amanda Awards, and
reached 54.000 cinema admissions.
Loveable (2024), directed by Lilja Ingolfsdottir, has likewise been widely recognized on the
international festival circuit. It premiered at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where
it received five major awards, including the Special Jury Prize, Best Actress Award, FIPRESCI
Jury Award, Europa Cinemas Label Award, and the Ecumenical Jury Award — a remarkable
achievement that highlighted the film’s artistic impact. Following its success
abroad, Loveable continued to shine at home at the 2025 Amanda Awards, where it was one
of the biggest winners, collecting prizes such as Best Norwegian Film, Best Director, Best
Screenplay, and Best Actor in a Leading Role.
More that 150.000 admissions at Norwegian cinemas.
WITH US TO TALK ABOUT ..........
Eleonore Anselme
Over the past 25 years, Eleonore has worked on a broad range of feature films, TV-series, and
short films. She is one of the producers behind the TV series Headhunters (2022), and the
feature films Nothing to Laugh About (2021). As a co-producer, she contributed to So Damn
Easy Going (2022) and Girls Will Be Girls (2023) which was awarded at the Sundance Film
Festival. She was also part of the team behind the acclaimed TV series Occupied (2015).
Nina Knag
Nina Knag is a Norwegian writer-director whose debut feature Don’t Call Me Mama (Se meg)
premiered at the 2025 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where Pia Tjelta won Best
Actress. The critically acclaimed film received strong national and international reviews and
opened the Bergen International Film Festival ahead of its Norwegian theatrical
release. Knag has directed episodes of NRK’s Rumours and several award-winning shorts. She
is currently developing a new drama series and multiple feature projects.
Rodrigo Stoicheff
Rodrigo Stoicheff has broad experience across multiple fields of film production. With a
background as an editor and director, he has worked on both TV series and feature films. For
more than 20 years, he has also served as an assistant professor at Westerdals, one of
Norway’s most innovative film schools. This experience proved valuable in his role as a film
commissioner at the Norwegian Film Institute, where he spent four years working with the
Neo and short film schemes. Through projects such as Armand, Lovable, and Don’t Call Me
Mama, he has contributed to establishing this new scheme for first-time feature film directors.