SF Studios and Paradox's Beloved Selected as Opening Film of the Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund
SF Studios' Norwegian production company Paradox announces that Beloved, written by Nobel Prize laureate Jon Fosse and directed by Erik Poppe, will premiere on 23 August 2026 as the opening film of the 54th Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund.
“We live in an age where much of what we see in films and TV series depicts cynicism and human alienation. Perhaps the most radical thing we can do right now is to tell stories of closeness and hope”, says director Erik Poppe.
“Beloved is a love story full of the unsaid, tenderness and mystery. At the same time, it is perhaps the most accessible gateway into Fosse’s world for those who have not yet discovered who he is. The story could not have been filmed anywhere other than in beautiful Western Norway, which is why Haugesund is the perfect place for this film to meet its audience for the first time”, says Poppe.
Beloved is the first, and only, feature film based on an original screenplay by Fosse, written specifically for cinema rather than adapted from his literary works. The film explores love, longing and distance through Fosse's distinctive minimalist voice.
Shot in Western Norway, the film uses nature to mirror its characters' inner lives. Leo Magnus de la Nuez and Kristi-Helene Giæver Engeberg star as Asle and Gerd, a couple who build a life together before gradually drifting apart.
"It is a great honour to open the Norwegian Film Festival with Beloved. Norwegian films have been of an exceptionally high standard in recent years, and it is a pleasure to screen the film at Norway’s oldest and largest film festival. We’re looking forward to it, and to the audience finally getting to experience Jon Fosse’s writing on the big screen”, says producer Finn Gjerdrum.
Beloved is produced by SF Studios' Norwegian production company Paradox and will be released theatrically by SF Studios in Norway on 18 September 2026, following its festival premiere in Haugesund.
Watch the official trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZAQwYd0-Og
For more information, please contact:
Sofia Stefanovic, Project Coordinator at SF Studios
sofia.stefanovic@sfstudios.se
+46 73 658 85 89
About SF Studios
SF Studios, established in 1919, is one of the world's oldest film companies. Today SF Studios is the leading film studio in the Nordic region with its headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden and offices in Oslo, Copenhagen and Helsinki. The company is producing and distributing feature films and TV series as well as providing the streaming service SF Anytime. SF Studios is part of the leading Nordic media company Bonnier.
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