Thank you for this year! Over 40,000 visitors at Kosmorama 2026
The 22nd edition of Kosmorama – Trondheim International Film Festival has come to an end for this year. The festival has offered moving film screenings, conversations, and a record number of sold-out shows. Kosmorama would like to thank everyone who contributed to and took part in the festival—audiences, guests, volunteers, and partners—for yet another fantastic festival week.
Foto: Gunnar Dresler
Some figures: 88 films, more than 100 volunteers, and a range of engaging program guests shaped this year’s edition. With 40,178 visits, the festival set a new audience record for the third year in a row.
Kosmorama has seen steady growth in attendance in recent years. With this year’s turnout, the cinemas were fuller than ever, and the festival experienced a record number of sold-out screenings. Nearly 12,000 school pupils also experienced the festival through the Cultural Schoolbag program in Trondheim and Trøndelag.
Back in the March 8 Week
After being held in week 12 last year due to the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2025, Kosmorama returned to its traditional March 8 week this year. The festival opened with the film Hex, directed by Maja Holand and produced by Herstory—a Trondheim-based production company dedicated to highlighting female perspectives in film. The opening screening took place in front of full audiences at Prinsen Kinosenter and marked the start of the festival week.
Hex follows the band Witch Club Satan and portrays women who dare to forge their own paths. Their project—to make their mark within the male-dominated black metal genre—has drawn both attention and enthusiasm, and the band is now in demand at music festivals around the world.
“Kosmorama could hardly have had a better opening film. It’s especially exciting that the film is currently screening at the renowned Thessaloniki International Film Festival and will continue on to CPH:DOX. This shows the film’s broad appeal, even if black metal might be an unfamiliar genre to many. At its core, the film is about daring to take space and pursue something you believe in. We also hope that those who didn’t get the chance to see it at Kosmorama will head to the cinema when it premieres at the end of October,” says festival director Silje Engeness.
Photo: Terje Frostad, Nora Grundt Somdalen
The strong audience interest was evident throughout the festival week. Numerous screenings sold out, and many attendees took part in talks, introductions, and Q&A sessions with filmmakers. For the festival, the interaction between film, audience, and guests is a central part of the experience.
Several director visits created particularly moving moments. Directors Mehrdad Oskouei and Soraya Akhalaghi visited the festival with A Fox Under a Pink Moon, followed by an engaging and emotional conversation with the audience.
Mehrdad Oskouei og Soraya Akhalaghi. Foto: Emilie Wulff Skårild
During the week, Kosmorama also screened the Norwegian documentary Portrett av en forvirret far, followed by discussions with the director and participant Gunnar Hall Jensen. The film touched many viewers and sparked strong engagement. As part of the festival’s school program, a panel discussion on masculinity in today’s society was also held in collaboration with Trondheim Folkebibliotek’s Upolert program and Adresseavisen’s Debattklubben, where four upper-secondary students shared their perspectives on what it means to be a boy today.
“There is something truly special about experiencing film in packed cinemas. A magical sense of community emerges that is difficult to recreate elsewhere. These are exactly the kinds of moments we want to facilitate at Kosmorama,” says festival director Silje Engeness.
Foto: Gunnar Dresler
Successful Industry Days
Midtfest at Tyven marked a wonderful conclusion to the industry day Pitch & Påfyll during the festival. During the evening, prizes were awarded to the winners of the NTNU Film Award, Mid-Norwegian Investor Pitch, and Filminvest Series Pitch.
The NTNU Film Award went to Klipp og Lim, while Screen Wars by Kvitland AS won the Mid-Norwegian Investor Pitch. The project Englemakeren by Trond Morten Venaasen won the Filminvest Series Pitch.
On Thursday, the industry program continued with the Edith Carlmar Symposium, where audiences met this year’s prize winner, filmmaker Lilja Ingolfsdottir.
Kosmorama across the cityThe festival also left its mark across Trondheim beyond the cinema halls. Audiences experienced sold-out special screenings and events around the city—from screenings in Nidaros Cathedral to After Hours events and Culinary Cinema in collaboration with local restaurants, eateries, and bars. Several of these events sold out quickly.
In recent years, Kosmorama has placed greater emphasis on using the entire city as a festival arena in collaboration with cultural institutions, restaurants, and other local partners. This offers audiences new ways to experience film—both inside and beyond the darkness of the cinema.
Stumfilmkonsert i Nidarosdomen. Foto: Emilie Wulff Skårild
Prinsen Kinosenter – The heart of the festival
During the festival week, the foyer of Prinsen Kinosenter is transformed into a festival café—a meeting place where audiences gather before, between, and after screenings to talk about the films they’ve seen. The café is run by Gola and Moskus, providing food and drinks for festival guests.
“The festival café has become an important meeting place during Kosmorama. It’s wonderful to see how many people stay to discuss the films and share experiences with other festival guests,” says festival director Silje Engeness.
New this year was a small festival stage in the foyer, where students from Filmofil interviewed program guests and key Kosmorama figures throughout the week. One highlight was an interview with Maria Sødahl, who visited the festival for the Norwegian premiere of her latest film Paradis.
For the past two years, Kosmorama has collaborated with the architecture firm BergerudUstad+ and scenographer Elias Mølnvik, who helped design the festival café and bring festival atmosphere throughout the cinema center. This year they also created a new installation in the arcade outside Prinsen Kinosenter, giving visitors a taste of the festival atmosphere before they even stepped inside.
Foto: Camilo Calderon
Planning for 2027 is already underway
Following the record attendance, Kosmorama will now evaluate this year’s edition, including how to respond to the strong audience growth and what opportunities exist to expand capacity in the coming years. Festival passes for next year are already on sale, and early sales suggest that the 2027 edition may once again be very well attended.
