Let the River Flow bags best film and director at Norway’s Amanda Awards

The awards ceremony Saturday August 19 at Haugesund’s Festivitetet Concert Hall was a triumphal night for production company Mer Film, behind the two top winning films.

Giæver’s fourth feature Ellos eatnu - Let the River Flow which features the Sámi people’s Alta uprising against the Norwegian authorities and fight for their rights, has already garnered several festival kudos including the audience award in Göteborg.

Also inspired by historical events, last year’s biggest local B.O. hit War Sailor gave Pål Sverre Hagen his third Amanda for best actor after The Middle Man (2022) and Kon-Tiki (2013).

Ine Marie Wilmann who plays Hagen’s wife in War Sailor won best supporting actress, just one day after her name was sealed on a granite block at Haugesund’s Walk of Fame. The WW2 drama also picked best cinematography (to last year’s Amanda winner Sturla Brandth Grøvlen with The Innocents) and best costume.

Two strong new auteur-directors that made their marks at 2022 festivals, collected two Amandas each: Kristoffer Borgli with his satire Sick of Myself for which he earned best screenplay and make-up, and Franciska Eliassen with Sister, What Grows Where Land Is Sick?, best actress and original score winner.

Elsewhere, the audience award went to this year’s biggest local film- Eirik Skjoldbjærg’s WW2 drama Narvik (530,000 admissions), while Aurora Gossé’s debut feature Dancing Queen produced by The Worst Person in the World’s Thomas Robashm, won best children’s film.

Another name to watch : Håkon Anton Olavsen, Nordic Talents’ 2022 special mention winner - see our story - 2022 Nordic Talents to watch, won best short film with his graduation film Superdupermegagigasingle.

The honorary industry award - the Golden Clapper, went to the leading indie production house Motlys.

Nordisk Film & TV Fond was associated to nine Amandas for the films Ellos eatnu – Let the River Flow, War Sailor and Sick of Myself.

The Amanda awards are the preamble to the Norwegian International Film Festival unspooling August 19-25.

Full list of Amanda awards 2023.

• Best Film: Ellos eatnu – Let the River Flow, producer Maria Ekerhovd
• Best Director: Ole Giæver, Ellos eatnu – Let the River Flow
• Best Actress: Ruby Dagnall, Sister, What Grows Where Land Is Sick?
• Best actor: Pål Sverre Hagen,War Sailor
• Best Supporting Actress:Ine Marie Wilmann, War Sailor
• Best Supporting Actor: Gard Emil, Ellos eatnu – Let the River Flow
• Best Documentary: Johansen Brothers, director and producer Trude Berge Ottersen
• Best Children’s Film: Dancing Queen, producer Thomas Robsahm)
• Best Short Film: Superdupermegagigasingle, producer: Louise Beyer
• Best Foreign Language Film: Close by Lukas Dhont, distributor Arthaus
• Best Screenplay: Kristoffer Borgli, Sick of Myself
• Best Cinematography: Sturla Brandth Grøvlen, War Sailor
• Best Editing: Thomas Grotmol, Thomas vs Thomas
• Best Sound Design: Espen Rønning and Bent Holm, Narvik
• Best Original Score: Elina Waage Mikalsen, Evelina Petrova, Viktor Bomstad, Franciska Seifert Eliassen and Matias Frøystad, Sister, What Grows Where Land Is Sick?
• Best Costume: Stefanie Bieker, War Sailor 
• Best Make-up: Izzi Galindo and Dimitra Drakopoulou, Sick of Myself
• Best Production Design: Lise Hillkirk Olimb, Posession 
• Best Visual Effects:Arne Kaupang, Alexander Kadim at Varg Studios, Anette Gjertsen at Stardust Effects, Lars Erik Hansen at Gimpville, Kai Kiønig Bortne at Storyline Studios and Morten Jacobsen at Storm Studios, Narvik
• The People’s Amanda: Narvik, producers Aage Aaberge and Live Bonnevie
• Honorary Amanda: actress Bente Børsum
• The Golden Clapper: Motlys