Erik Poppe's film "Beloved" ("Kjærast") will world-premiere on Aug. 23 as the opening film of the 54th Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund, running Aug. 22–28. Festival director Tonje Hardersen announced the selection. The film is based on the only original screenplay ever written by Jon Fosse, the Norwegian author who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2023 (Variety).

"Beloved" stars Leo Magnus de la Nuez and Kristi-Helene Giæver Engeberg as Asle and Gerd. Finn Gjerdrum produced under SF Studios' banner Paradox, and international sales are handled by Reinvent Yellow (Variety).

Poppe is no stranger to the Haugesund opener slot. His historical drama "Quisling — The Final Days" opened the 52nd edition in August 2024 before earning a Toronto International Film Festival invitation (NFI). Born in 1960, Poppe grew up between Norway and Portugal and trained at the Dramatic Institute in Stockholm (IFFR).

Closing the festival is "The Murder of Benjamin," directed by Ingvild Søderlind. The film dramatises the 2001 neo-Nazi killing of 15-year-old Benjamin Hermansen in Oslo. TrustNordisk handles international sales; Thomas Robsahm produced for Nordisk Film Production Norway (Variety).

The broader programme spans new Nordic cinema, documentary, and outdoor screenings. "FJORD" opens the New Nordic Films market section, and a 2026 Palme d'Or winner is slated for a Haugesund screening (filmfestivalen.no). Jørgen Nordby's documentary "STEMMEN SOM FORSVANT," about the singer Helene Bøksle, will have its world premiere at the festival. Renate Reinsve, the breakout star of Joachim Trier's "The Worst Person in the World," headlines "Butterfly," directed by Søimer Guttormsen, in its festival premiere. The festival also runs a "Books at Haugesund 2026" initiative connecting literary projects to film adaptation (filmfestivalen.no).

A companion Stavanger edition of the festival is scheduled for Mar. 4–7, 2027 (filmfestivalen.no).

For a festival that sits comfortably between the summer market crush and the autumn awards corridor, Haugesund's draw is straightforward: a concentrated showcase of Nordic production and co-production, programmed for industry buyers and regional audiences alike. A Fosse screenplay giving Poppe the opening slot is the kind of pairing that puts the festival on the calendar for international acquisitions executives — the people who decide which of these films travel beyond Scandinavia.