TIFF Young Curators met Joachim Trier in San Sebastián

One of the highlights of the trip was the screening of Joachim Trier’s new film AFFEKSJONSVERDI, attended by Trier himself. After the screening, the group met Trier and actor Renate Reinsve, and later listened to Trier give a masterclass about the film.

- It was incredible to watch the film with Trier in the room – and then hear him talk about it afterwards. We’re still a bit in shock, said Breanna Enage (17).

Throughout the week, the Young Curators watched a wide range of films, discussed which ones could fit into TIFF’s January program, and took part in an Erasmus+ exchange with students from the Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola film school. They also met Stellan Skarsgård and experienced the vibrant festival city of San Sebastián, which at the time was marked by large demonstrations in support of Palestine.

- I loved the New Directors program. It was amazing to discover new filmmakers from across Europe, said Adrian (19), who impressively managed to attend 22 screenings during the festival.

When asked if watching that many films was exhausting, he laughs:

- The trick is to sleep through one screening — then you’re ready to go again.

At Tabakalera, the Young Curators — including Henna and Johanne — shared their experiences with Spanish film students at Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola.

Festival Director Lisa Hoen emphasized the importance of the project:

- We’ve worked with these young people for four years and know they have a lot of insight into film. As Tromsø becomes the European Youth Capital in 2026, we want to give young voices a real influence on the festival program — and learn from how others do it across Europe.

The stay in San Sebastián gave the group memories for life, but it will also help ensure that young voices leave a clear mark on TIFF when Tromsø takes on the role of European Youth Capital in 2026, says Hoen.