BY: THE EDITORIAL STAFF • APRIL 14TH 2026
The 49th Norwegian Short Film Festival will take place in Grimstad from June 10–14. We hope to see you there!
This year, the festival received a total of 3,060 film submissions from both Norway and abroad. Of these, 143 films have been selected for this year’s competition program, across four sections: Norwegian Short Films and Documentaries (NKD), International Short Films and Documentaries (IKD), Short Documentaries (KD), and Music Videos (MV).
“This year’s films have given us a unique opportunity to explore a rich and diverse landscape of short cinema. The range of expressions, stories, and perspectives is truly impressive, and it is a privilege to gain insight into the world through short films. The selection process has therefore been anything but easy, but we are incredibly proud to present the films that make up the 2026 competition program at the Norwegian Short Film Festival.”
-Anita Svingen, Managing Director, The Norwegian Short Film Festival
The Norwegian Short Film Festival is one of the country’s most important meeting places for the film industry, and a unique platform where emerging talents and established filmmakers meet. Each year, filmmakers from around the world attend, alongside jury members and guests. The festival also welcomes representatives and programmers from leading international film festivals. The Norwegian Short Film Festival is Norway’s only Oscar®-qualifying short film festival.
Read more about the selection committees here.
The short documentaries are screened alongside Norwegian and international short films, but form a separate competition with their own Gullstol (Golden Chair) award for Best Short Documentary.
Read more about the awards presented in Grimstad further down this page.
The selection committee for Norwegian short films and documentaries (NKD) states:
“It has been a gift to experience this diversity of distinctive and powerful films of high quality. (…) This year’s films are fantastic, pitch-dark, bright and romantic, sociological and humorous – but above all, they are driven by love.”
Click here to read the full statement from the NKD committee.
The selection committee for music videos (MV) states:
“In our selection, we have prioritized videos with a curious and exploratory gaze – videos that search for raw truth in a time when it can be difficult to find. (…) This year’s videos reflect the creators’ visions and contemporary Norway in a bold, hypnotic, and raw way.”
Click here to read the full statement from the MV committee.
The selection committee for international short films and documentaries (IKD) states:
“We aimed to curate a multifaceted program filled with colour, humour, melancholy, absurd worlds, and mystery. (…) We experience these micro-narratives as personal traces from a world in chaos. At the same time, they are dramaturgically playful films of very high quality, with carefully crafted compositions and rich visual universes.”
Click here to read the full statement from the IKD committee.
At the Norwegian Short Film Festival from June 10–14, we celebrate short film in all its forms and formats, and present a wide range of awards to directors, producers, screenwriters, and film professionals.
Gullstolen (The Golden Chair) is awarded in the following categories:
The winners of the Gullstol for Norwegian Short Film, Short Documentary, and International Short Film qualify for Oscar® consideration.
Additional awards include:
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the selection committees for their efforts, and to all filmmakers who submitted their films — we know how much work and passion goes into every story, and we are truly grateful that you chose to share them with us.
COMPLETE COMPETITION PROGRAM:
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