Chidinma Iroegbu
The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Abuja, in partnership with the Kaduna International Film Festival, hosted a special screening of the Oscar-nominated film Sentimental Value to strengthen cultural exchange and creative industry collaboration between Nigeria and Norway.
Norway’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Svein Bæra, described director Joachim Trier as “a modern master of capturing melancholy and intellectual intimacy” and highlighted the Nordic cooperation in the production.
Director-General of the Kaduna International Film Festival, Israel Kashim Audu, said the partnership allows both nations to leverage film for economic growth and global perception management. “Nigeria and Norway can use cinema to bridge cultural gaps and drive social change,” he stated.
Audu noted that Nollywood employs about 100 million practitioners and called for collaborations to expand opportunities. “Both nations view film as a powerful tool for social change and national re-engineering,” he added.
Sentimental Value, a comedy-drama starring Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, and Elle Fanning, follows two sisters confronting their estranged director father after their mother’s death.
The film made history as the first Norwegian production nominated for Best Picture and received nine Academy Award nominations in 2026, setting a record for Norway.
Audu said the Kaduna festival coordinated with the Norwegian Film Institute and the film’s sales agency to secure screening rights and called for repeat screenings at the 9th Kaduna International Film Festival scheduled for August 25–29, 2026.
The embassy’s Cultural and Innovation Officer, Solveig Andresen, welcomed guests and emphasized the importance of cinema in fostering cultural understanding and dialogue between Nigeria and Norway.