These three have been selected for Kosmorama’s talent program.
In the fall of 2025, Kosmorama – Trondheim International Film Festival will launch a new development program for talents in film and games, running until Kosmorama in March 2027. Three participants have been selected to take part in the Talent Development program within the film and games sector in Central Norway.
In the autumn of 2025, Kosmorama – Trondheim International Film Festival will launch a new development program for emerging talents in film and gaming, running through Kosmorama in March 2027. The program is supported by Talent Norge and SpareBank 1 SMN.
The program targets filmmakers and game developers with proven talent who wish to pursue their careers in Central Norway. The talents will be given time and space to immerse themselves in their projects, while also testing their direction through encounters with regional, national, and international expertise. Each participant has formulated a vision of what they want to achieve during the program, equipping them with a stronger foundation for a solid professional career after completion.
The talents will receive support in the form of workspace and guidance from Kosmorama, Talent Norge, mentors from the region’s production community, and other experts. Their workplaces will be hosted by established production companies in the region.
In selecting candidates and shaping the program, Kosmorama has worked closely with the Mid-Norwegian Film Center and Filminvest to ensure professional quality and relevance, and to make sure existing initiatives in the field complement each other. The selected talents come from both the film and gaming sectors in the region and represent a broad and complementary range of disciplines.
The talents will present the projects they are working on to an industry audience at Kosmorama in 2026 and 2027. The aim is for them to have pitch-ready projects to bring out into the world after that.
Three participants have been selected to join the program. They are:
Talon Darren Winsnes
Talon Darren Winsnes holds a degree in film and TV directing from Westerdals and is entering the program period as a screenwriter and director. He has collaborated with several established production companies in the region and has written and directed a number of short genre films. Winsnes combines genre filmmaking with personal themes, often expressed through strong visual and emotional storytelling. His films have been screened and nominated for awards at several international festivals (Pesta 2021, Ikke dra 2024).
He also won the signature pitch at the Short Film Convention in 2024 with his short film idea Shadows. In his work, Winsnes has developed a distinct voice and visual style as both screenwriter and director. During the program period, he aims to develop his first feature film. In addition, in autumn 2025 he has been selected to present at the New Voices idea workshop organized by the Norwegian Film Institute (NFI) and NRK.
Malena Totland Persson
Malena Totland Persson holds a degree in 3D and animation from Kristiania University College and is entering the program period with the goal of strengthening her professional and artistic development as a designer in the gaming industry. She has experience from established game companies in the region and has contributed to titles that have, among other achievements, won the national Spillprisen award for Best Visual Expression (Rhythm Sprout, 2023).
During the program period, she aims to develop her own game while also further exploring and expanding into new areas such as VFX and animation.
Sondre H. Johansen
Sondre H. Johansen holds a degree in film production from NTNU and is entering the program period to further develop as a producer, with documentary film as his area of specialization. He has experience leading several short film projects, working as a director, screenwriter, and producer. Several of these have been screened at national and international festivals (Første trinn 2023, 17:12 2024, Sofa 2024).
He is also currently collaborating with established documentary companies in the region on larger productions that have been shown at international festivals (Portrait of a Confused Father, 2025). During the program period, Johansen aims to develop his own documentary films, with the ambition of establishing himself as a film producer in Central Norway—and eventually founding his own production company.
Kosmorama congratulates:
“We look forward with great excitement to working with Talon, Malena, and Sondre over the next two years in the talent program. In their work so far, all three have demonstrated clear talent and a strong desire to pursue their craft in Central Norway. They have each presented highly exciting projects that we believe will be safely and successfully developed in close collaboration with the regional industry, relevant mentors, and the broader Talent Norge initiative.
We are deeply grateful for the support from SpareBank 1 SMN and Talent Norge, which makes it possible for us to take part in this effort. We will be following the talents closely and look forward to their participation in events during Kosmorama in 2026 and 2027, where both audiences and the industry will gain insight into their work,” says Kosmorama director Silje Engeness.
The main sponsor, SpareBank 1 SMN congratulates and wishes them the best of luck:
“It will be incredibly exciting to follow Talon, Malena, and Sondre on their journey. We also want to commend Kosmorama for the thorough work done in the selection process – this was not an easy task. Together, we have taken a big step toward the goal of helping more young artists from and in Central Norway build professional careers,” says Hilde Sem Lykke, Head of Community Engagement.
Talent Norge also congratulates the talents:
“A huge congratulations to Talon, Malena, and Sondre! SpareBank 1 SMN has played a crucial role in creating this unique opportunity for them, and they will be supported by an excellent network through Kosmorama and regional film and game actors, in addition to Talent Norge’s own contribution in talent development. From experience in Europe, strong film regions can go far – for example, Trollhättan and Film i Väst have become a major powerhouse in Swedish and European cinema. Central Norway should aim for the same, and soon the region will have several film and game talents who can contribute to growth,” says Silje Riise Næss from Talent Norge.
