Local young filmmaker wins award during tonight's opening of Film from the North

Publisert 14.01.2025 — Sandra Aminda Indahl

For the first time, the Tromsø International Film Festival (TIFF) is presenting the Arctic Film Young Directors Award in collaboration with Arctic Film Norway (formerly the Northern Norway Film Center). This award will be given to one of six candidates from the short film program Young Directors/Student Films. The prize was awarded at the opening ceremony for the Films from the North sidebar.

Six Nominated films

The nominees for the award are the six films featured in the Young Directors/Student Films short film program, which is part of TIFF’s Film from the North sidebar.

Astrid Aure, program director for Film from the North, shares that while there are many strong candidates for the short film program every year, this year’s selection process has been especially challenging.

- All six nominees have delivered strong and impressive films. Some of the candidates are very young, and it’s clear that these filmmakers have a lot to say and are eager to tell meaningful stories in creative ways, says Aure.

The short films featured in this year’s Young Directors/Student Films program are:

  • Before I Applaud by Mihailo Videnovic
  • LOW (Føling) by Regine Myhre
  • Bruise (Skinnbula) by Tom Tavér
  • Five Stages (Fem stadier) by Aksel Endresen
  • January with Maria (Januar med Maria) by Thale Stana

Focusing on Young Talent

Highlighting and supporting young filmmakers has always been a priority for the Tromsø International Film Festival. Over the past 25 years, the Film from the North program has served as a crucial platform and springboard for many of the Arctic region’s key filmmakers.

- To ensure the creation of the most exciting, challenging, important, and best films, it is essential to invest in talent within the industry, says Aure.

The introduction of the Arctic Film Young Directors Award will further enhance the Film from the North program by celebrating and inspiring emerging talent in the Arctic region.

- These filmmakers are the ones who will bring renewal to the art of cinema, foster cultural diversity, provoke thought, and create new collaborations within our region and across northern borders. We believe this award will inspire others to join this category in the years to come, says Terje André Nymark, managing director of Arctic Film Norway.

Local filmmakers comes out on top

The 2025 Arctic Film Young Directors Award winner is Regine Myhre for the film LOW.

The Jury comprised of film critic Aleksander Huser and Mona Steffensen. Photo: Mats Gangvik.

This year’s jury, comprised of film critic Aleksander Huser and Mona Steffensen, offered the following justification:

“The winner is also a film that addresses important issues. It is a film that not least many young people will be able to relate to, even though it is about a largely invisible illness. The filmmaker should be commended for placing herself in front of the camera in this personal documentary, to tackle something she has had great difficulty dealing with. She does so with a strong voice as a director as well, where also her intimate reflections and a richness in archive footage contribute to a highly solid and moving film.”

The Honorable Mention for the Arctic Film Young Directors Award 2025 goes to Aksel Endresen for the film Five Stages

Local filmmaker Aksel Endresen received an honorable mention. Photo: Mats Gangvik


The jury commented:

“Our honorable mention goes to a short film with a clear and strong idea, which at the same time manages to say a lot during its short running time. More specifically, it contains five stages of grief, in a precise, moving and cleverly executed film that addresses a difficult and important topic.”

The winner receives a diploma and a prize of 20,000 NOK.

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