Sentimental Value. Photo: Kasper Tuxen
The Norwegian Oscar Committee has selected Sentimental Value by Joachim Trier to be Norway's entry in the International Feature Film category for the Academy Awards.
Sentimental Value was chosen from a shortlist of three Norwegian films, including Dreams and Facing War.
The Norwegian Oscar Committee consists of representatives from the Norwegian film industry and is chaired by the Director of the Norwegian Film Institute. The Committee describe Sentimental Value as follows:
We have chosen a film that not only impressed us, but also profoundly moved us.
What we are seeing is a director with the playful confidence to borrow from the great artists of film history, while always maintaining and developing his own voice, – and using it to explore the many nuances of human relationships, here in particular a complex father–daughter relationship.
This is a film exquisitely well crafted in every aspect – but which above all makes an impression because it touches us deeply.
It has been a privilege to witness this evolving and maturing body of work over the last two decades, with a clear artistic signature throughout – and today Joachim Trier stands out as a filmmaker who is confident, assured, and fully at the height of his storytelling talent.
Sentimental Value is Joachim Triers sixth feature and was awarded the Grand Prix at this year's Cannes Festival. Joachim Triers previous feature, «The Worst Person in the World», was nominated for the Best International Feature Film Oscar in 2022.
Sisters Nora and Agnes reunite with their estranged father, the charismatic Gustav, a once-renowned director who offers stage actress Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. When Nora turns it down, she soon discovers he has given her part to an eager young Hollywood star. Suddenly, the two sisters must navigate their complicated relationship with their father - and deal with an American star dropped right into the middle of their complex family dynamics.
Six Norwegian films have previously been nominated in the category formerly known as Best Foreign Language Film:
The King's Choice (Kongens nei) was on the Academy shortlist in 2016 and Hope (Håp) was on the shortlist in 2021
In 2025, the feature film Armand, the documentary Ibelin, the animated short Perhaps it Was Elephants, and the Palestinian-Norwegian documentary No Other Land were all shortlisted by the Academy for potential Oscar nominations. No Other Land went on to win the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.
The 98th Academy Awards will take place in Los Angeles on March 15, 2026.
