Ladies and gentlemen.

Distinguished guests.

Film professionals and lovers of Norwegian cinema.

Dear artists and visionaries behind the films nominated for Academy Awards.

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It goes without saying that I rarely feel like I am in a movie.

Tonight, I do.

Touching down in LA, being here tonight, in the magnificent Stanley House, it feels like being part of a story.

The bright lights behind us –and the bright lights of Tinseltown, of La La Land – are far removed from Oslo.

The house we get to know intimately in “Sentimental Value” is far removed from this house as well.

It stands there, unassuming, yet comes to life through powerful and thought-provoking narrative, frames and editing.

It holds the story and tells the stories.

Of Nora and Agnes.

Of Gustav.

Of family and kin.

And of a time.

The rhythm, the layers and the patience of “Sentimental Value” moved me deeply.

As did the sublime acting. No wonder that the academy bestowed nominations on virtually all the actors.

And, I might add, had there been an Oscar for best house, you would have had that nomination in the bag as well!

To Joachim, Eskil, Maria, Andrea and the whole team:

Congratulations on the unprecedented nine nominations!

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The rhythm, layers and patience are wholly different when it comes to “The Ugly Stepsister”! 

The movie takes hold of you. Does not let go. Leaves you – sometimes – gasping for air.   

A fairytale wrapped in body horror wrapped in modern stylistic language. “Brutal, and yet strangely beautiful”, as one critic put it.

I agree. It is spectacular.

And the fact that this is Emilie Blichfeldts first feature film, just makes it more impressive.

Emilie could not be with us tonight, but the two nominated artists in the category of best make-up and hair are.

Congratulations to you, Anne Cathrine and Thomas!    

And then we have “Sinners”. No film in Academy history has ever received more nominations.

And we can count one of these nominations as our “own”: Espen Nordahl of Storm Studios is nominated to best VFX.

It is safe to say that Nordahl today ranks as one of the world’s leading VFX-artists. Congratulations Espen!

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These days, the word historic is so worn out that the term has almost lost its meaning.

So much so that when truly historic moments come along, we are at a loss of strong enough words.

Well.

This – certainly – is a historic moment for Norwegian film and cinema, in every sense of the word.

Eleven nominations for Norwegian films and Norwegian film workers in total.

That is the highest number of Oscar nominations ever achieved by a Nordic country, and it follows a season with record‑breaking nominations and awards at the Golden Globes, the European Film Awards, and the BAFTAs, to mention just a few.

Quite the feat by supposedly small films, in a small language, from a small country.

“You don’t really want this film to be in English either. Do you,” Rachel asks Gustav in one of the scenes in “Sentimental Value”.

And there, perhaps, you have it: It is both personal and poignant.

It speaks to this moment as well:

Because the films we celebrate tonight are both universal and distinctly local, as is the case with all great art.

The stories may be about a broken family in contemporary Oslo, or in a past we immediately recognize as traditional European folklore.

Still they speak to audiences all around the globe. Still they resonate across borders.

This, of course, is what great cinema does.

It transcends borders.

It tells something about who we are.

And that, in turn, brings us together.

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Jean Luc Godard once famously said that “a story should have a beginning, a middle and an end, but not necessarily in that order”.

It is my belief that Norwegian film and cinema, at this historic moment, is in the middle of a golden age.

That does not mean it can’t also be at a beginning, where we can push further.

I would like to take this opportunity to praise the work done by the Norwegian Film Institute, the hosts this evening.

It is the Norwegian Film Institute that coordinates and channels public funding of Norwegian cinema.

“Sentimental Value” has received close to three and a half million dollars in public funding. “The Ugly Stepsister” close to two point seven million dollars.

The creative talent should rightly take most of the credit.

But everything that happens before a film goes into production, as well as the framework surrounding it, is also vitally important.

The success of a film is a collective effort.

In this regard, the Norwegian Film Institute is doing important work, behind the scenes, both at home and abroad.

And while this is not a night for politics, I would personally like to assure all of you that I will work hard to make the most of the momentum your films have generated for Norwegian cinema.

It is my hope and ambition that we can work together in such an effort.

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Tonight we celebrate the creative vision of all those nominated.

And we salute the hard work, professionalism and dedication of the teams behind the productions.

Please join me in a toast to the talented artists and professionals behind “Sentimental Value”, “The Ugly Stepsister” and to Espen Nordahl.

Skål!