The Norwegian Film Institute has awarded NOK 6,5 million in production funding, based on artistic evaluation, to three documentary films. The largest grants go to new projects from two of Norway's most prominent documentary filmmakers, Benjamin Ree and Margreth Olin.
The Norwegian Film Institute (NFI) has awarded production grants to the following three documentary films:
“With The Horse and The Greatest Illusion, we are supporting exciting new projects from two of our most recognized documentary filmmakers. Both Margreth Olin and Benjamin Ree have demonstrated that documentaries can reach a broad audience in Norwegian cinemas and achieve international success,” says Kjersti Mo, CEO of the Norwegian Film Institute.
“Together with the grant earlier this year to Tonje Hessen Schei’s new film The Whale Mystery, these films stand as pillars in the framework the Norwegian documentary industry is now building: large, ambitious, and important projects with international aspirations and strong audience appeal. There is every reason to believe that Norwegian documentary will continue to make a strong impact in the years to come,” says Director Kjersti Mo.
“At the same time, we are supporting new and promising documentary filmmakers with Lifeline by NinaBellika and Lasse Dørumsgaard Stensrud. This is an example of the healthy growth within the Norwegian documentary field,” says Mo.
Margreth Olin’s previous film Songs of Earth (Fedrelandet, 2022) was selected as Norway’s Oscar candidate. Benjamin Ree’s previous film Ibelin (2023) was shortlisted for the Oscar for Best Documentary.
A poetic feature film seen through the eyes of a horse, where the world unfolds through encounters with the herd, the landscape, and humans. By approaching the essence of the horse, the film invites a deeper connection between animals and humans
Margreth Olin’s new film The Horse is a poetic documentary told through the eyes of a horse. Benjamin Ree’s new film The Greatest Illusion portrays illusionist Alexx Alexxander and his dramatic life story.
The popular magician Alexx repressed what happened when he was young, when his father killed his mother and was later convicted for it. Alexx’s three siblings were minors, and he took on great responsibility for them in the aftermath. His solution to the pain was to turn to the stage, to the freedom he finds there. With magic as a metaphor, the audience is presented a story of memory, loss and forgiveness.
Lifeline by Nina Bellika and Lasse Dørumsgaard Stensrud, follows the annual salmon fishing season on the Alta River, where the wild salmon is at risk of disappearing. This is their first feature-length documentary together.
Lifeline is a poetic, character-driven documentary set along the majestic Alta River in Northern Norway—home to one of the world’s last wild Atlantic salmon runs. As climate change and invasive species threaten this ancient ecosystem, the film explores how the river has shaped local identity for generations. What is truly at stake when a species disappears: a culture, a community, a way of life.
CEO