Elise wakes up one morning with a strange feeling... there is something special about this day, but she can’t quite put her finger on it. Unsuccessfully, she tries to explain to her family and friends that this day is different from any other day. So Elise sets out on an incredible journey on her own and through new and unexpected friendships, she rediscovers the joy of Christmas. Now it’s up to her to make sure her whole village experiences a Christmas they will never forget. But the clock is ticking - will she make it before it’s too late?
»When diving into the universe of Forgotten Christmas, it was important to take the Alf Prøysen and the Norwegian fairytale heritage seriously by not trying to modernize the storyand the universe too much. The effort was to continue the successful essence from the firstfilm, Santa Swap. It became important to adopt the same warmth, humor and the joy of Christmas traditions from the first film further into the second film. /.../ In other words, what we see within the frame should come across as real and authentic, things you can touch and feel. Not glossy imagery filled with bright colors and perfection, but warm and cozy imagery with a hint of quirkiness. A traditional fairytale with a dash of magic feel. /.../ Teaching empathy to our children is important. So as a director I feel responsible to createcharacters with diverse features who portrays a variation of feelings. To communicate thecharacter’s feelings to the children watching the film, rather than telling them explicitly whatto feel, is essential in this story and to me as a director.«
- Andrea Eckerbom, the director
Forgotten Christmas Snekker Andersen og Julenissen: Den vesle bygda som glømte at det var jul
What's On
Little Trouble Girls Kaj ti je deklica
Urška Djukić
Wednesday, 18. 03. 2026 / 10:00 / Main Hall
Urška Djukić’s (Granny’s Sexual Life) debut feature explores the power of girls’ voices to overturn traditional ideas and patriarchal patterns through the eyes of a shy and sensitive 16-year-old girl, Lucija. The opening film of the Perspectives Competition and winner of the FIPRESCI Award for Best First Film at this year’s Berlinale.
Videoheaven Videoheaven
Alex Ross Perry
Wednesday, 18. 03. 2026 / 17:00 / Main Hall
Socio-cultural hub, consumer mecca, and source of existential dread; the video rental store forever changed the way we interact with movies. With narration by Maya Hawke over footage culled from hundreds of sources, Perry’s Videoheaven tells the story of an industry’s seismic impact on American movie culture.
Fiume o morte! Fiume o morte!
Igor Bezinović
Wednesday, 18. 03. 2026 / 19:15 / Small Hall
On 12 September 1919, a troop of some three hundred soldiers under the leadership of the flamboyant war-loving Italian poet Gabriele D’Annunzio swooped into the Northern-Adriatic port town of Fiume, now Rijeka, wanting to annex the city to Italy. Over the course of the next 16 months, during what is regarded as one of the most bizarre militant sieges of all time his official photography team captured over 10,000 images. A century later, Igor Bezinović orchestrates a direct-action history lesson focused on the siege and its modern-day implications.