Thank you - another record breaking year for Kosmorama!

Some numbers: 87 films, 100 volunteers, and a number of engaging guests have characterized this year’s edition.

Last year’s celebration of the 20th edition was a record year for the festival. Kosmorama’s 21st edition is no less impressive, and with an attendance of 38,057, we are heading for yet another record year. Nearly 12,000 audience members were students who attended the festival through The Cultural Schoolbag in Trondheim and Trøndelag. They showed great enthusiasm and excitement for spending school hours at the cinema.

Kosmorama once again cements its position as one of Norway’s largest and leading film festivals and one of the biggest audience festivals in Central Norway.

Grand Opening

The opening film Onkel Jens came directly from the giant festival SWSX to Trondheim. The film about Norwegian-Kurdish Akam, who suddenly finds his uncle at the door, quickly became a talking point both nationally and internationally due to its charm and heartfelt approach to identity and family themes. When it opened this year’s Kosmorama, it was a grand celebration with dancing and performances from the Kurdish Cultural Association and a packed Prinsen Cinema Center. Onkel Jens also became the country’s most-watched cinema film on Monday, March 17 – to the delight of both Kosmorama and everyone involved in the production. Director Brwa Vahabpour himself has roots in Trondheim – and a history with Kosmorama.

"We couldn’t have had a better opening film. Onkel Jens is a prime example of how you can go from being a volunteer at Kosmorama to returning to the festival with an opening film. The film fits perfectly with the festival’s call to see the world from multiple perspectives. At the same time, Onkel Jens is a warm and heartfelt film that we hope will have a long life in Norwegian cinemas", says festival director Silje Engeness.

A petition started after a film screening

Kosmorama also had exciting guests from near and far. The Oscar-nominated director Joshua Oppenheimer presented his feature film debut The End in the grand Prinsen 6. Oppenheimer’s visit attracted great interest, both in the press and among the audience. The festival is pleased to see that the enthusiasm for guests is equally strong for all involved.

This year, Kosmorama had the privilege of hosting the Norwegian premiere of Vibeke Løkkeberg’s latest documentary The Long Road to the Director’s Chair. Along with producer Anders Tangen, Løkkeberg visited the festival and also answered questions after the screening. When the film was first made back in 1973, NRK declined to purchase it. They have done the same in 2025, which led the audience to spontaneously start a petition to have the film widely distributed outside the festival and on the national broadcaster. During the festival, the petition gathered 50 signatures and became a major talking point of this year’s festival.

Kosmorama embraced the entire city – and the region

2024 was the year Kosmorama truly took over the entire city, something we wanted to continue this year. From the program launch party at Digs to events with both MIST and PoMo, to two sold-out special screenings of Jakten på Nyresteinen on 35mm at Cinemateket. A packed Nidaros Cathedral witnessed a fantastic silent film concert featuring the 100-year-old The Gold Rush (1925) on the big screen, while German organist Ulrich Walther improvised on the cathedral’s majestic Steinmeyer organ. Additionally, this year we offered two sold-out special screenings of The Zone of Interest at Falstad. The screening took place in the old commandant’s residence. This year’s festival also had a pilot project with a mini-festival in Stjørdal and Steinkjer.

This year saw immense interest in our Culinary Cinema program. All screenings were sold out before the festival even began, and we are incredibly grateful to our partners at Alma’s, Rive Gauche, Gubalari at K-U-K, Bula, and Austman Bryggeri & TapRoom for giving our festival guests a film experience out of the ordinary. Additionally, the festival had close collaboration with ISFiT – the International Student Festival – and events with the Student Society in Trondheim and Trondheim Film Club. This, combined with an impressive film program, has made this year’s Kosmorama an undeniable success, with many sold-out screenings.

Kosmorama’s Industry Days – with an exciting new initiative

Industry Days were held at Kosmorama with professional content, panel discussions, and pitch competitions, including Filminvest’s feature film pitch and an investor pitch for games and films, provided by SpareBank 1 SMN and Midtnorsk Filmsenter. During Industry Days, producer Mari Nilsen Neira received NTNU’s film award. This year’s Industry Days were a collaboration between Midtnorsk Filmsenter, the Trondheim Region Business Association, Filminvest, Midgard Film Commission, Øra Studio, Trondheim Calling, Tempo, Norwegian Film Music, Cinemateket, Fritt Ord, SpareBank 1 SMN, and Kosmorama. Trondheim Municipality’s cultural fund and Trøndelag County’s economic development funds have supported a stronger industry focus at Kosmorama. On March 28, the national Spillprisen, Start NGA, and GameExpo will be held at Tapperiet at Dahls, in collaboration with Virke Producer Association, Start NGA, Midtnorsk Filmsenter, Work-Work, Nord University, NTNU, and Kosmorama.

This year, Kosmorama also unveiled a new talent development program. Talent Midt-Norge in Film and Games is receiving two years of funding from SpareBank 1 SMN and Talent Norge, with Kosmorama as the initiator and organizer. Three talents will be selected and mentored leading up to Kosmorama in 2027. This initiative will connect talents with mentors in the established film and gaming industry in Trøndelag.

Now, the festival will evaluate this year’s edition with a focus on strengthening its framework and securing collaborations that ensure continued audience growth. Kosmorama thanks the audience, volunteers, partners, guests, and supporters for this year and looks forward to working towards next year’s festival from March 2–8. Then there will be new opportunities for exciting encounters – inside and outside the cinema darkness!