Anja Breien (1940–2026): She Lived and Breathed Cinema

On 10 May, we lost one of the great artists and leading figures of Norwegian cinema. Anja Breien was 85 years old. She leaves behind a legacy that will stand as one of the most significant and influential in Norwegian film history. For more than five decades, she worked with film in a variety of formats and styles, always with personal vision, great artistic integrity, and an unwavering belief in the possibilities of cinema. 

Anja Breien made her debut as a director with the short film Growing Up in 1967, based on the Norwegian legend ot the mysterious Jostedalsrypa. Here she displayed her strong interest in both myths, history and human stories. Four years later she directed her first feature film Rape (Voldtekt), 1971, which was selected for the Cannes Film Festival. The film attracted considerable attention for its uncompromising portrayal of the justice system and the power dynamics between the individual and institutions, establishing Breien as a director of artistic courage and social commitment. 

The comedy feature Wives (Hustruer, 1975) marked her major breakthrough, both a box-office hit and one of the most widely discussed works of Norwegian cinema. The film also achieved international distribution and was sold to over  20 countries, unusual for a Norwegian production at the time. With its free-flowing style, improvisational performances, and humorous yet precise view of women’s lives and experiences, Wives struck a nerve and still feels relevant today. Breien later returned to her three protagonists in the sequels Wives: Ten Years After (Hustruer – Ti år etter, 1985) and Wives III (Hustruer III, 1996), creating a trilogy about three women across three decades, with inventive and unpredictable storytelling. 

Next of Kin (Arven, 1979) is widely considered a major work in Anja Breiens filmography. It was selected for the main competition at Cannes, the first Norwegian film to achieve this in 19 years, a vivid and nuanced story about family, power, and money. Breien also directed feature films such as Games of Love and Loneliness (Den allvarsamma leken, 1977), Paper Bird (Papirfuglen, 1984) og Twice Upon A Time (Smykketyven, 1990): Films that in different ways explore relationships, desire, guilt, power, and morality, always with a clear eye for both personal experiences and larger social structures. 

In the later part of her career, Breien increasingly turned to the short film format. The personal and poetic short films Solvorn (1997) and To See a Boat with Sails (2001) represent a quieter, more essayistic style merging time, memories and images. Both were screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, attesting to a filmmaker who remained curious about new forms of cinematic reflection.

Anja Breien placed herself firmly within a European film tradition where artistic ambition is combined with an open and often playful approach to the film medium. The stories she told were both deeply personal and universal, and she moved effortlessly across genres, formats and styles. Throughout her career she made both fiction and documentary, short films and feature-length works, demonstrating a rare versatility with a strong personal voice. Breien drew inspiration from filmmakers such as Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini, Jean Renoir, and François Truffaut, while also being committed to making films that reached a broad audience. Wives, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, remains one of the most well-known and iconic films in Norwegian film history.

Anja Breien loved film. From her youth until the very end, she lived and breathed the art of cinema. She was a frequent guest at Cinemateket in Oslo, not only at screenings of her own films, but at screenings of both classics and new films. She often got in touch with suggestions for films she wanted to see and with reactions to films she had watched.  

At the time of Anja Breien’s passing, interest in her films is greater than it has been for many years.The cinematheques in Paris and Madrid have presented extensive retrospective series this spring, and her films are regularly screened at Norwegian cinematheques. New audiences continue to discover her work, and in this way, both Anja Breien and her films live on.

We thank Anja Breien for her invaluable contribution to Norwegian cinema, for a body of work marked by courage, curiosity, and integrity — and for her great and inspiring passion for the art of film.