It has, first and foremost, been a greatly rich experience to select films for this year’s international short film program for the Norwegian Short Film Festival. We get a unique insight into stories from all over the world, and they give us an understanding of culture and life that we would not otherwise have access to.
If we were to highlight some tendencies, it is natural to mention that this year is characterized by political films that depict the world situation we live in. Where in previous years we have received films that deal directly with war situations from different countries, this year we have received films that reflect on the world situation in a more complex way. What is it like, for instance, to run a fishing trade among war ruins? And does a relationship survive moving borders? We experience these micro-stories as personal traces from a world in chaos. At the same time, these are dramaturgically playful films of very high quality, with well-crafted compositions and rich visual universes.
We wanted to curate a multifaceted program filled with color, humor, sadness, absurd worlds and mystery. We are convinced that the audience will have a rich and surprising experience with this year’s selected films, which compete for the Golden Chair for Best International Short Film and the Golden Chair for Best Short Documentary 2026.
We welcome you to Grimstad this summer for a slightly different cinema experience.
SABINA JACOBSSON, ANITA SVINGEN & INGRID LIAVAAG
The Program Committee
Ingrid Liavaag er kunstner som arbeider innen film, scene og videoinstallasjoner. Hun er utdannet ved École Jacques Lecoq i Paris og Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo. Hun har regissert kortfilmer som er vist både nasjonalt og internasjonalt.
I 2022 mottok hun Norsk filmkritikerpris ved Kortfilmfestivalen i Grimstad. Hennes videoarbeid er en del av Kunstsiloens samling, og verket Fasade ble vist på Statens Høstutstilling i 2024. Liavaag er også medgrunnlegger av filmkollektivet Peggy Høy.
Foto: Julie Hrnčířová
Sabina Jacobsson is an artist and director with a degree from the Trondheim Academy of Fine Art. She is an award-winning artist in fields such as film, photography, drawing and installations, with several solo exhibitions and film screenings in Norway and internationally.
In 2012, Jacobsson received the State’s guaranteed income for artists. She also works with video design for dance and theater, and is a regular lecturer at the film department at the Oslo School of Photography. Jacobsson has also shown several of her films at the Norwegian Short Film Festival, most recently in 2025 with the short film «Breathe In, Breathe Out».
Anita Svingen is the program manager and festival director for the Short Film Festival. She has been with the festival since 2012, and is part of both the Norwegian and international program committees. Svingen has a bachelor’s degree in Film and Television from the University of Westminster in London, and has extensive experience from Norwegian television production.
She sits in juries at international festivals, has participated in several board positions and international networks, and is committed to promoting Norwegian film and filmmakers internationally.
The Pre-Selection Committee
Sophia Aronsen graduated as a filmmaker from Kristiania College in 2020, winning the audience award at Amandus Blikkfang with her graduation film «Topp tur». Since then, she has worked freelance for companies such as Monster, Aparent TV and TRY. She recently went back to her film studies and is taking her bachelor’s degree at Westerdal’s Institute for Film and Media. She has worked as festival coordinator for HUMAN International Documentary Film Festival (2022) and Oslo/Fusion International Film Festival (2023 – 2024). She has been guest coordinator for the Short Film Festival since 2022.
Lisa Enes (b. 1988) is a Norwegian filmmaker from Kristiansand. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Film Studies from NTNU, and has studied directing at Nordland College of Art and Film and the Norwegian Film School. She works primarily as a director, but also includes writing and editing in her artistic practice.
Hamza Kader is an actor, director and screenwriter. He has distinguished himself as an actor in works such as the short film “Walaac”, which won the Golden Chair Award at the Norwegian Short Film Festival in Grimstad 2022, and the TV series «22 July» (2020, NRK), where he was nominated for Gullruten for best supporting role. On stage, he has appeared in «Heimanifrå» (Kilden Teater), «Stor Cis Energy» (Brageteatret), and «Skyt Meg» (Rogaland Teater). As a screenwriter and director, he has made «Hunger» (2025) and «Why Are You Black?» (2022), which won the Gnist Award at the Norwegian Short Film Festival. Kader has a master’s degree in screenwriting from the Norwegian Film School.
Shahrukh Kavousi is an Iranian born director, educated at The Art Academy in Bergen and Nordland School of Arts and Film. His film debut, the documentary, Tvillingfrisørene fra Bagdad (2004), received honorable mention at both the Norwegian Short Film Festival in Grimstad and the Norwegian Documentary Film Festival in Volda. He has directed several short films and featurettes, as well as producing for others, such as Camilla Figenschous feature film Tauba (2020).
Kavousi runs the company Close Up Film AS, and is currently developing both a documentary and his first feature film.
Armita Keyani is a Norwegian filmmaker from Rælingen municipality with bachelor degrees in Film and Television studies from Wales, and Contemporary Art from Tromsø Art Academy, as well as a degree from Nordland School of Arts and Film. Her films are mostly dramedies set in unusual situations to explore larger themes. Her films have won several awards, including Vimeo’s 2019 Comedy of the Year award in 2019, has screened at several Academy Award qualifying festivals, such as Tribeca, Palm Springs Int. ShortFest and The Norwegian Short Film Festival.
Kalle Løchen is a film disseminator. He has been editor of the film magazine film&kino and editorial member of the film magazine Z. He has been a short and documentary film consultant at the Norwegian Film Institute and several regional film centers. He has taught film history and film studies at a number of colleges in Norway. He has moderated conversations with filmmakers at several film festivals in Norway and the Nordic region.
Espen Nomedal is a producer and the head of Stær Distribusjon AS and the film production company Stær AS, with experience as a production manager and AD on feature films such as «Árru», «Small Talk» and international co-productions such as «The Visitor», «Awaiting Birds» and «Wake of Umbra». He is the chairman of the NoPFA foundation and has extensive experience from film festivals and talent development in the High North.
Julie Pichard has a degree in film editing and has worked extensively as an editor in France and Norway. She has also studied cultural project management and was coordinator for Institut Français at the French Embassy to Norway. Julie started as guest coordinator for the Norwegian Short Film Festival in 2019 and took over as Festival Producer in 2020.
Meena Rathor is a director and screenwriter with an MFA in Directing from Columbia University in NY. She directed commercials internationally before moving on to writing and directing drama.
Her short films have been screened and won awards nationally and internationally.
With her unique views on society, Meena continues to produce films that engage and hit audiences, often by challenging set norms.
Sverre Matias Smith is a filmmaker and culture worker from Drammen, with a degree from Filmkunstskolen in Kabelvåg, Lofoten. His short films have been screened at a number of festivals around the world. He is currently studying Film Art at OsloMet, in addition to his work as a technician, editor and producer at a number of film festivals such as HUMAN IDFF, Mirage, Oslo/Fusion and The Norwegian Short Film Festival.
Samanta Sokolowski is Argentine born and based in Berlin. Her passion for good stories, people and films, led her to the world of film festivals, where she has worked for over 20 years, currently including for the Berlin International Film Festival and Norway’s Oslo/Fusion. She loves being moved and surprised by daring new ways of storytelling, and for the opportunity to showcase new talents.
Silje Poulsen Viki is producer and distributor at Indie Film. She has worked and programmed for several Norwegian festivals, such as HUMAN International Documentary Festival where she was program director from 2014 to 2021, as well as in different positions at the Norwegian Short Film Festival from 2011 to 2017.
She has worked at Films from the South, South Fund, and Le Monde diplomatique, and had board positions at cinemas and culture houses. Silje also has an MA in Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation from Trinity College in Dublin.
With the life goal of holding strong behind the camera when turning 140 years old (or the camera holding him, perhaps), Gaby Zarazir has always been interested in mixing contrasting ideas to achieve innovative perspectives and original themes. Gaby, based in Beirut, works as a writer, director, and producer. He particularly enjoys working on projects with out-of-this-world ideas, adding his creative touch to every scene.
Michel Zarazir is a Lebanese filmmaker who thrives on the edge of chaos, crafting narratives that juxtapose the absurd with the profound. He writes, directs, and produces films that spark both laughter and contemplation. His works, celebrated across the globe, have garnered accolades from prestigious festivals on every continent, except Antarctica. His original cinema embraces comedy and madness, mocking even the most serious themes.
Nastaran Tajeri-Foumani (no pronouns) is a German-Iranian non-binary curator, activist, musician and lecturer*researcher, focusing on intersectional*queer*feminism, social justice, anti-discriminatory practice and on queer topics in film and art. Nastaran has moderated for Berlinale since 2011, and held various positions at XPOSED Queer Film Festival Berlin since 2013, as well as moderated political panels and film talks all over Europe since 2010. Nastaran is right now founding an institute for anti-discriminatory consultation for film production.