Norsk Filmdistribusjon (NFD) has changed hands several times since its creation in 1990. After its merger with Sandrew Metronome in 1999, the company lost its own brand but recovered it in 2011 when Sandrew Metronome Norway was bought by Oslo Kino. Then two years later, when the exhibition group itself was sold to Egmont, seasoned distributor Frida Ohrvik took over NFD’s ownership and management. 

Today Ohrvik is stepping back, leaving the company in the hands of new owners - Grappa, the leading Norwegian indie music record label and streaming service Nettkino. 

Ohrvik who has worked in distribution for nearly 50 years, said the new MD Svanhild Sørensen and chairman Helge Westbye are “well equipped to handle and manage the company through their knowledge of the industry and success in their own business sector".

Sørensen founded Norway’s leading PR company Kulturmeglerne two decades ago and was one of the initiators of the streaming service Nettkino launched in 2016 with the cinema association Film & Kino, with backing from the Norwegian Ministry of Culture and Creative Europe. Meanwhile Westbye established the leading indie record company Grappa in 1983. 

Speaking to www.nordicfilmandtvnews.com, Sørensen said her ambition with Westbye is “to further develop NFD as an innovative and solid partner for Nordic producers, with a special responsibility to serve up a variety of Norwegian films, just as NFD has done for many years and under different names."

She added that through the collaboration with Scanbox, NFD also has a “very good selection of international quality films”, one of the reasons why her partners decided to take over NFD.  For her, the distribution company has “a distinctive’ place in the local film industry and NFD has built “long-time relationships with selected production companies, providing predictability and continuity for both parties.”

Sørensen also praised Ohrvik’s “flair for quality films with a certain box office potential.” The latter will remain as external advisor to NFD. 

In 2019, NFD’s top grossing film was the Norwegian youth drama Psychobitch which sold 101,000 tickets, and the documentary Born2Drive (33,713). 

The company has currently two titles in the Norwegian top 20. The documentary Self Portrait about photographer-artist Lene Marie Fossen and her struggle with anorexia opened last weekend at number 7 and sold 7,334 tickets from 86 venues. The film is co-directed by Margreth Olin, Katja Høgset, Espen Wallin.

Meanwhile the US action thriller 21 Bridges was number 17 in film rankings with 16,028 tickets sold after three weeks.  NFD also handles the wide release today of the highly anticipated animated film Ella Bella Bingo.

Upcoming releases include the French comedy hit The Specials by Olivier Nakache, Éric Toledano, the UK crime drama The Gentlemen by Guy Ritchie, the Danish WW2 drama Into the Darkness by Anders Refn (March 13) and US/Swedish mainstream movie Kung Fury 2 by Youtube celebrity David Sandberg (August 28). 

High profile Norwegian films on NFD’s 2020 slate include Bent Hamer’s The Middle Man starring Pål Sverre Hagen and Tuva Novotny (September 11) and the animated film Knytsen & Ludvigen 2-det store dyret (Two Buddies & a Badger 2), sequel to the 2015 family hit.