Norway's 'Sentimental Value' wins best international film Oscar

Norway’s Joachim Trier makes history as Sentimental Value wins the Oscar for Best International Feature Film, marking the country’s first win in the category. The film explores a daughter’s complex relationship with her estranged father, blending emotion and artistry.

REUTERS

16 March 2026 at 02:29:49

Norway's 'Sentimental Value' wins best international film Oscar

Director Joachim Trier wins the Oscar for Best International Feature Film for "Sentimental Value" from Norway during the Oscars show at the 98th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 15, 2026.

Mike Blake / Reuters

LOS ANGELES – Sentimental Value, directed by Joachim Trier, made history on Sunday as the first Norwegian film to win the Oscar for Best International Feature Film, after six previous Norwegian nominations.

The film stars Renate Reinsve as stage actress Nora, who navigates a complicated relationship with her estranged father, Gustav Borg, played by Stellan Skarsgard. Borg, a once-renowned filmmaker, is now facing the decline of his career. The story explores the emotional journey of reconciliation through art, a theme praised by Variety in its review.

Sentimental Value also received four acting nominations, along with nods for Best Picture and Best Director.

Norway’s previous Oscar nominees include Trier’s own The Worst Person in the World, as well as Kon-Tiki, Elling, The Other Side of Sunday, Pathfinder, and Nine Lives from 1957.

This year’s other nominees in the category were Brazil’s The Secret Agent, Iran’s It Was Just an Accident, Spain’s Sirāt, and Tunisia’s The Voice of Hind Rajab.

-Writing by Nick Zieminski; Editing by Howard Goller/Reuters