We are pleased to note that the Norwegian Film Festival Stavanger, held from March 12–15, 2026, in collaboration with ODEON Kino Stavanger Sandnes, was a tremendous success. Nearly 10,000 attendees participated in the festival’s screenings and other events!
“This is a fantastic start to the Norwegian Film Festival’s new establishment of the Stavanger Film Festival. It has been incredibly rewarding to meet such an engaged audience and to welcome both young and old to the cinema over the past week. We can now confidently say that this festival is here to stay, and we look forward to building on it in the years to come,” says Tonje Hardersen, Festival and Program Director. “We have combined red carpet glamour and a love of film with school screenings, masterclasses, and public events. Stavanger is a growing film city, and everything is in place for great film festivals in the years ahead,” she continues.
A grand opening
The festival kicked off on Thursday evening with its opening event, featuring the premiere of Agnes Against the World. Lead actors Marie Blokhus and Nader Khademi, together with director David Berget and the rest of the film crew, lit up the red carpet. Over the course of the weekend, 35 feature films and 7 short films were screened during the festival’s four days, combining imported festival films, previews, and premieres of locally produced films. In total, nearly 10,000 people attended screenings and festival events—from industry gatherings to animation workshops for children—across these four eventful days.
ODEON Kino Stavanger Sandnes AS is also very pleased with hosting its first film festival.
“We are very proud that the Norwegian Film Festival approached us about the possibility of organizing a festival in Stavanger and Sandnes. Through the school screenings, many people have visited the cinema for the very first time and discovered that watching films in a cinema is something entirely different—and better—than watching on small screens. Many of them will return. A highly varied film program ensured that we had many happy festivalgoers among our very quality-conscious audience. We are already looking forward to next year!” says Cinema Director Håvard Erga.
The Students’ Film Festival
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A total of 6,000 school pupils from grades 1 to 10 walked the red carpet during the festival. Nearly 5,000 students in Stavanger and just over 1,000 lower secondary school students in Sandnes took part in the festival’s dedicated school cinema program, The Students’ Film Festival, in collaboration with The Cultural Schoolbag in Stavanger and Sandnes. The students watched carefully selected films introduced by actors and film professionals.
“With close to 5,000 attendees, the Students’ Film Festival has been a great success. Feedback from both students and teachers has been overwhelmingly positive. We met several students who, with stars in their eyes, told us this was their very first visit to the cinema. It was also especially exciting to have visits from actors and film professionals who introduced the films and met the students afterward.
Teachers have also shared that some classes went straight to the library after the screenings to borrow the books the films were based on. It is particularly gratifying that the cinema experience not only engages students but also helps inspire a greater interest in reading. We hope this is a program we can continue to offer school pupils in Stavanger in the years to come!” says Sigbjørn Håland from The Cultural Schoolbag in Stavanger.
The Norwegian Film Festival
The Norwegian Film Festival (established in 1973) is the country’s oldest film festival and a key meeting place for Norwegian and Nordic film. The festival is internationally recognized and is responsible for the Amanda Awards and the industry platform New Nordic Films. The newly established Stavanger Film Festival expands the festival’s reach in the Rogaland region and will strengthen collaboration with the regional film industry, while further serving as a showcase for regional film.
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