THE WINNER OF THE EDITH CARLMAR AWARD 2026 IS LILJA INGOLFSDOTTIR

Lilja Maria Ingolfsdottir is a Norwegian filmmaker. She is educated at the London Film School and the Film Academy in Prague. Her debut feature film, Elskling (2024), marked her first full-length work, for which she served as writer, director, and editor. For Elskling, she won the Amanda Awards for Best Norwegian Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay.

The Jury’s Statement

Recent years have marked a remarkably strong period for Norwegian cinema, with both established filmmakers and new debutants creating films that have achieved significant national — and not least international — impact. This year’s award winner is a director behind one of these films, who with her beautiful debut feature Elskling has achieved both major artistic and commercial recognition.

It is with great pleasure that the Edith Carlmar jury awards this year’s prize to director Lilja Ingolfsdottir. Over a number of years, Ingolfsdottir has distinguished herself as a singular voice in Norwegian cinema through her award-winning short films, and with her feature film debut Elskling in 2024, she has emerged as a fearless filmmaker of great integrity. A defining characteristic of Ingolfsdottir’s body of work is her interest in using cinematic language to explore and give form to the fleeting and nuanced qualities of memories, impressions, moments, and interpersonal relationships. In Elskling, these qualities come powerfully to the fore, and Ingolfsdottir — who both wrote and directed the film — demonstrates her ability to illuminate familiar themes in a new and insightful way. The jury wishes to particularly highlight the award winner’s ability to maintain a strong artistic vision throughout the many years of the project’s development.

In 2025, the film received nine Amanda Award nominations and won four, including Best Norwegian Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. In addition, the film has received close to 30 international film awards and two Norwegian critics’ awards. Through this film, the director has succeeded in communicating powerfully with both audiences and critics in Norway and internationally, achieving wide theatrical distribution in several countries, including China. The award winner also makes a valuable contribution to the Norwegian film industry through her teaching work at the Norwegian Film School.

The Edith Carlmar Award

The Edith Carlmar Award has been presented since 2010 to professional women working in film in Norway who have demonstrated integrity, a fearless capacity for innovation, and a willingness to challenge boundaries. Since 2018, the award has been presented as part of Kosmorama.

The Edith Carlmar jury for 2026 consists of film producer and former Edith Carlmar Award winner Ingvil Giske, film scholar and curator at the Cinematheque in Oslo Irene Torp Halvorsen, and film scholar and researcher Ingrid Synneva Holtar.

The Edith Carlmar award is awarded in collaboration with Sparebank SMN 1.

The Edith Carlmar Symposium

Kosmorama celebrates the award by hosting a dedicated symposium in Edith Carlmar’s name on Thursday, March 5, from 2:00–4:30 PM, at the Cinematheque in Trondheim. The symposium will focus on this year’s award winner through a conversation, as well as on women’s work in film today. A detailed programme will be announced closer to the festival.

The symposium is a collaboration between Kosmorama, Midtnorsk filmsenter and Cinemateket. It is supported by Fritt Ord.