Hans Petter Moland’s new feature film Growth of the Soil, starring Herbert Nordrum and Asta Kamma August, will have its World Premiere in the Special Presentations programme at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, taking place from September 10 to 20, 2026.
Hans Petter Moland’s new feature film Growth of the Soil, starring Herbert Nordrum and Asta Kamma August, will have its World Premiere in the Special Presentations programme at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, taking place from September 10 to 20, 2026.
Based on Knut Hamsun’s Nobel Prize-winning novel, Growth of the Soil is an epic love story set against the breathtaking yet unforgiving landscapes of rural Norway.
The Toronto International Film Festival is one of the world’s largest and most influential international film festivals and a key platform for launching films in the North American and international markets.
Growth of the Soil has been selected for Special Presentations, a programme showcasing high-profile films from the world’s leading filmmakers. Previous Norwegian titles presented in the programme include Quisling: The Final Days, Headhunters, Kon-Tiki, and Liv Ullmann’s Miss Julie.
“Being invited to the Toronto International Film Festival is a major recognition of Hans Petter Moland’s film and the artistic ambitions behind the project. Drawing on one of the most significant works in Norwegian literature, Moland has created a film that will now meet an international audience at one of the world’s most important film festivals. Toronto is a key arena for international film launch and distribution, providing Growth of the Soil with an excellent starting point for its journey ahead,” says Kjersti Mo, CEO of the Norwegian Film Institute.
This is the first time a Hans Petter Moland film has been selected for the Special Presentations programme in Toronto.
“We are incredibly proud that our film has been selected for the Toronto International Film Festival. This is the result of an enormous collective effort by everyone involved, and a recognition we are deeply grateful for. Growth of the Soil confirms Hans Petter Moland’s position as one of Norway’s most significant filmmakers. In our view, the film also represents an artistic high point in his career, and we are proud to have been part of it,” says Håkon Øverås, producer at 4 ½ Fiction.
The story unfolds in the remote Norwegian wilderness, where Isak seeks a place to settle. High above the tree line, he finds a barren but promising stretch of land. As the harsh terrain tests his limits, he encounters Inger, a solitary woman marked by resilience and guarded by a secret.
Together, they build a life from the ground up, cultivating the land, raising a family as the seasons pass. But as the years go by and the outside world draws closer, time, hardship, and desire begin to reshape both their lives and relationships.
Herbert Nordrum stars as Isak opposite Asta Kamma August as Inger. The cast also includes Gard B. Eidsvold, Anders Baasmo, Oddgeir Thune and Sjur Vatne Brean.
Hans Petter Moland is one of Norway’s most distinguished filmmakers. His previous films include Zero Kelvin, Aberdeen, A Somewhat Gentle Man, In Order of Disappearance and Out Stealing Horses. Four of his films have been selected for the main competition at the Berlin International Film Festival, where his films have received two Silver Bears. Moland received the Amanda Honorary Award in 2025.
Moland co-wrote the screenplay with Gard B. Eidsvold, based on Knut Hamsun’s Nobel Prize–winning Markens Grøde (Growth of the Soil), which was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. Hamsun’s writing has been translated into more than 40 languages.
Growth of the Soil is produced by Håkon Øverås of 4 ½ Fiction AS in co-production with Chris Sanger and Birgitte Skov of Scanbox Productions.
The film was shot entirely on location in Norway, between June and December 2025. Cinematography is byOskar Dahlsbakken and the original score is composed by Kaspar Kaae.
Beta Cinema is handling international sales. Scanbox Entertainment/Ymer Media will release the film theatrically in Scandinavia, with the Norwegian release scheduled for 30 October 2026.
The project received NOK 17.5 million in production funding from the Norwegian Film Institute.
Manager International Relations, Feature Films
