Norway “emerges from the shadow” of its neighbors with its first Oscar win for the film “Sentimental Value” | Oscars 2026

Sentinel Value’s win at the Oscars on Sunday was hailed in Norway as the moment the country emerged from the film industry shadow cast by its Scandinavian neighbors Sweden and Denmark.

Joachim Trier’s film became the first Norwegian film ever to win an Oscar when it was named Best International Film at the ceremony in Los Angeles.

Set around a family home in Oslo and telling the story of a film director estranged from his adult daughters, the film was nominated in eight other categories including Best Actress for Renate Rensef, Best Supporting Actress for Inga Ebsdottir Lilias and Elle Fanning, and Best Supporting Actor for Stellan Skarsgård.

Norway received a record 11 nominations overall, including The Ugly Stepsister for Best Makeup and Design, and Espen Nordahl for Visual Effects in Sinners.

International recognition of Scandinavian filmmaking has long focused on Sweden and Denmark, but Norwegian film has been on a steady upward trajectory in recent years, and the works of Dag Johan Højerud, Håvdan Ullman Tøndel, Llija Ingolfsdottir and others have contributed to what some critics have described as a Norwegian “golden age”.

“The Oscar for emotional value is undoubtedly a real boost for the world of Norwegian cinema. For a long time we have lived in the shadow of more ‘mature’ cinema countries like Sweden and, more recently, Denmark. Last night, we stepped out of that shadow,” said Morten Stahl Nielsen, a film and television critic for Norwegian newspaper VG.

Skarsgård’s win would have made him the first Swedish actor to win an Oscar, and some commentators viewed his failure to win as a snub.

Nielsen said it was “a bit of a shame about our Swedish brother Stellan”, who he thought had a good chance of winning.

Skarsgård himself has said that the absence of any individual Oscars kept the actors together as a group. He added: “And we won the most important thing – the best international film.”

However, there was success for Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson, who won Best Original Score for Sinners, the third Oscar of his career so far.

Nielsen said Sentimental’s win would automatically boost the confidence of other Norwegian filmmakers, but warned that the industry was not in the best of health after a wave of layoffs across the business in recent months. He added: “Some of it can be traced back to the pandemic, and some of it can be traced back to political policy.”

Trier and his team were invited to the home of Norwegian Prime Minister, Jonas Jahr Sture, upon their return from the United States to celebrate their achievement. “The film has influenced audiences all over the world and left a lasting mark on the history of Norwegian cinema. I saw the film in the cinema and it left a strong impression on me. You make all of Norway proud,” Sture told NRK radio.

Trier’s latest film, The Worst Person in the World, which also starred Reinsve, is nominated for two Academy Awards in 2022.

Trier described himself as a “movie nerd from Norway”, and cited James Baldwin in his acceptance speech, who said “it makes us remember that all adults are responsible for all children, and let’s not vote for politicians who don’t take this seriously and into consideration.”

Sentimental Victory’s win represents a “historic moment for Norwegian cinema,” said Kirsti Moe, CEO of the Norwegian Film Institute, who was at the Oscars in Los Angeles with Norwegian Culture and Equality Minister Lubna Jaffri.

“This is a tremendous tribute to the filmmakers behind the film and the exceptional artistic collaboration,” Mo added.

It was also an important example of the importance of Nordic-European cooperation, maintaining a model where “cultural policy and artistic freedom go hand in hand,” she said.

She added: “When a small film nation like Norway gains this kind of international recognition, it shows what can happen when filmmakers are given the time, trust and artistic freedom to develop their stories. This success is also the result of many years of long-term film policy in Norway, where we have built strong creative communities and made room for artistic ambition.”