The Amanda Award () is an award given annually at the

Norwegian International Film Festival The Norwegian International Film Festival ( or ''Filmfestivalen i Haugesund'') is a film festival held annually in Haugesund, Norway. The festival goes back to 1973 and is therefore the oldest one in Norway. In 1985, the Amanda award was ins ...

Haugesund Haugesund () is a municipalities of Norway, municipality and List of towns and cities in Norway, town on the North Sea in Rogaland county, Norway. As of December 2023, the municipality of Haugesund has a population of 37,855. The vast majority of ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

, to promote and improve

Norwegian film Cinema in Norway has a long history, dating back to the beginning of the 20th century, and has an important stance in European cinema, contributing at least 30 feature-length films a year. There have been over 1,050 films made in Norway ever si ...

. The award originated in 1985, and has since 2005 been exclusively a film award (not

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

). Winners are awarded a trophy by the Norwegian

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

Kristian Kvakland, and the name—and theme—of the sculpture comes from a legendary local woman from the 1920s. The award ceremony is marked every year by a major, nationally televised event.

History

The Amanda Award was instituted in 1985 as part of the

"to increase the quality of and further the interest for Norwegian films". The year 1993 marked an exception to the norm, when the so-called "Nordic Amanda" included contribution from all the Nordic countries. From 2005 onwards, TV-drama was no longer included among the categories honoured, as the TV-specific award "

Gullruten Gullruten ("Golden Screen") is an annual award for the Norway, Norwegian TV industry, founded in 1998 by ''Norske Film- og TV-produsenters forening''. The awarding committee has representatives from the major national TV companies, Norwegian Broa ...

" had taken over this function. Instead the award became exclusively for films. Around the same time another change occurred also. Since the beginning, the award ceremony had been produced in cooperation with the Norwegian state broadcasting corporation

Norsk rikskringkasting The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (), commonly known by its initialism NRK, is a Norway, Norwegian state-run, government-influenced radio and television public broadcasting company. The NRK broadcasts three national TV channels and thirt ...

(NRK). In 2006, however, NRK ended the partnership, and the show has since that time been the responsibility of the private broadcasting company TV 2. In the year 2007, a "People's Amanda" ("''Folkets Amanda''") was awarded for the first time, where the winner was arrived at by popular vote. The first winner of the award was the horror movie '' Fritt Vilt'', directed by

Roar Uthaug Roar Uthaug (born August 25, 1973) is a Norwegian film director. He graduated from the Norwegian Film School in 2002. Career Uthaug's graduation film ''The Martin Administration'' was the second Norwegian student-film in history to be nominated ...

Sculpture

The name "Amanda" is derived from a song, or

sea shanty A sea shanty, shanty, chantey, or chanty () is a genre of traditional Folk music, folk song that was once commonly sung as a work song to accompany rhythmical labor aboard large Merchant vessel, merchant Sailing ship, sailing vessels. The term ...

, titled "''Amanda fra''

rom Rom, or ROM may refer to: Biomechanics and medicine * Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient * Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac * ...

''Haugesund''". Supposedly the song in turn refers to a real woman from the 1920s – a single mother who made a living from selling liquor to sailors during the

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

period. The figurine that is awarded to prize winners originated from a competition held by the local newspaper

Haugesunds Avis is a daily newspaper published in Haugesund, Norway, but with branches in Bømlo, Kopervik, Odda, Sauda and Stord. Founded in 1895, it is today owned by the investment group Mecom Group, and is as such part of the media group A media cong ...

in 1985, to create a sculpture of the legendary Amanda. The competition was won by Kristian Kvakland from

Nesodden Nesodden is a municipality in Akershus in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the Greater Oslo Region and many residents of the peninsula Nesodden commute to work in Oslo. It is part of the traditional region of Follo. The administrative ...

Akershus Akershus () is a county in Norway, with Oslo as its administrative centre, though Oslo is not located within Akershus. Akershus has been a region in Eastern Norway with Oslo as its main city since the Middle Ages, and is named after the Akers ...

. The full-size sculpture now stands outside the newspaper's office, but a miniature version was adopted as a trophy for the Amanda Award. The figurine is 30 cm (11.81 in) tall, with a skirt measuring 14 cm (5.51 in) in diameter. While the current sculpture is hollow and weighs 2.5 kg (5.51 lbs), for the first few years it was made of solid metal. Weighing in at 4.5 kg (9.92 lbs) it was difficult to hoist for many winners. It was one of these prizes that, in the year 1986, was won by director

Anja Breien Anja Breien (born 12 July 1940) is a Norwegian film director and screenwriter. One of the leading figures of the Norwegian film industry, and one of the first women to rise to prominence as a writer-director in Norway, Breien's body of work in f ...

, who decided to sell it through a newspaper advert, as a protest against that year's budget cuts for Norwegian film. The

Swedish Film Institute The Swedish Film Institute () (SFI) is a statutory body located in Stockholm, Sweden that supports the Swedish film industry. Founded in 1963, the institute is responsible for administering the annual Guldbagge Awards, and for managing the Swed ...

, which had experienced similar cuts and sympathized, bought the sculpture. In 2005, as Breien was presented with an honorary award, she was also given back the original sculpture by former

Minister of Culture A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organiza ...

and director of the Swedish Film Institute,

Åse Kleveland Åse Maria Kleveland (born 18 March 1949) is a Norwegian singer, guitarist, politician and activist. She represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1966 with the entry " Intet er nytt under solen". A well-known folk singer and traditiona ...

Show

The award show has long been a central point of the film festival, as well as a major television event for the whole of Norway. Particularly in earlier years, international stars were sometimes brought in to enhance the prestige of the event. Examples of this are

Roger Moore Sir Roger George Moore (14 October 192723 May 2017) was an English actor. He was the actor to portray Ian Fleming's fictional secret agent James Bond (literary character), James Bond in the Eon Productions/MGM Studios film series, playing the ...

, who was a special guest at the first ceremony in 1985, and

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...

in 1987, then married to Norwegian entrepreneur Arne Næss, Jr. Other international names appearing in the show as presenters have included

Ned Beatty Ned Thomas Beatty (July 6, 1937 – June 13, 2021) was an American actor. In a career that spanned five decades, he appeared in more than 160 film and television roles. Throughout his career, Beatty gained a reputation for being "the busiest ac ...

Lauren Bacall Betty Joan Perske (September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014), professionally known as Lauren Bacall ( ), was an American actress. She was named the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the America ...

Jon Voight Jonathan Vincent Voight (; born December 29, 1938) is an American actor. Throughout his career, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and four Golden Globe Awards as well as nominations ...

, Brian Cox,

Jeremy Irons Jeremy John Irons (; born 19 September 1948) is an English actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards, ...

Ben Kingsley Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Ben Kingsley, various accolades throughout Ben Kingsley on screen and stage, his career spanning fi ...

and

Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He was the fifth actor to play the fictional secret agent Portrayal of James Bond in film, James Bond in the List of James Bond films, James Bond film series, starri ...

. The show has in recent years been hosted by prominent Norwegian comedians. Jon Almaas, known from the TV-show '' Nytt på nytt'', played host for several years in the early 2000s. Thomas Giertsen, known as a

stand-up Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage (theatre), stage and delivers humour, humorous and satire, satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical comedy, physical acts. These ...

comedian and from several TV-shows, has hosted the show in recent years. An episode that received some media attention in 2005 was when host

Marit Åslein Marit is a Scandinavian female given name equivalent to Margaret. It may refer to: *Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway (née Tjessem Høiby; (born 1973), wife of Crown Prince Haakon, heir apparent to the throne of Norway * Marit Aarum (1903&ndas ...

and

Minister of Culture and Church Affairs The Minister of Culture and Equality (; sometimes just ''kulturminister'' or ''likestillingsminister'' depending on context) is a Council of State (Norway), councilor of state and chief of the Norway's Ministry of Culture and Equality. The minis ...

from the Christian conservative party KrF,

Valgerd Svarstad Haugland Valgerd Svarstad Haugland (born 23 August 1956) is a Norwegian teacher, politician and civil servant. She was leader of the Christian Democratic Party in Norway from 1995 to 2004. She was Minister of Children and Family Affairs from 1997 to ...

, kissed on stage as part of a humorous routine.

Awards and winners

The only actor ever to have won four Amanda Awards is

Bjørn Sundquist Bjørn Richard Sundquist (born 16 June 1948) is a Norwegian actor, famous for TV, theatre, and movie roles. For many years he worked at Det Norske Teatret and Nationaltheateret in Oslo. Sundquist is especially famous for the roles as Merlin ...

. These were awarded for the movies ''

Over grensen ''Over grensen'' (Over the Border) or ''Feldmann-saken'' (The Feldman Case) is a Norwegian drama film that premiered on February 19, 1987. Bjørn Sundquist won the Amanda Award for the best male lead for his performance in the film. Plot The fil ...

'' (1987), '' Søndagsengler'' (1996) and '' Sejer - se deg ikke tilbake'' (2000), as well as an Honorary Award in 2000.

Ane Dahl Torp Ane Dahl Torp (born 1 August 1975) is a Norwegian actress. Early life Born on 1 August 1975, in Bærum Torp is the daughter of Norwegian linguistics professor Arne Torp. Career Torp had her first film appearance in ''The Woman of My Life' ...

has won three awards for specific acting roles: she won Best Actress for her roles in '' Svarte penger - hvite løgner'' (2004) and '' Gymnaslærer Pedersen'' (2006), and was the first ever to receive the newly created award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her effort in '' Lønsj'' in 2008.

Sverre Anker Ousdal Sverre Anker Ousdal (born 18 July 1944) is a Norwegian retired actor. He is the father of actor Mads Ousdal. Biography Ousdal was born in Flekkefjord, Norway on 18 July 1944. He made his debut in 1965 at Den Nationale Scene in Bergen. He wo ...

has also been named Best Actor twice, for '' Kreditorene'' in 1990 and '' Blodsbånd'' in 1998, and won the Honorary Award in 2009.

Nils Ole Oftebro Nils Ole Oftebro (born 1 December 1944) is a Norwegian actor and illustrator. He was born in Sarpsborg. He worked for Fjernsynsteatret from 1969 to 1971. From 1971 he was assigned to Nationaltheatret. He was artistical director at Torshovteatret ...

Espen Skjønberg Espen Henrik Skjønberg (7 April 1924 – 26 August 2022) was a Norwegian actor of stage, screen, and television. Career Skjønberg made his first movie appearances as a child in the 1932 film '' En glad gutt'' and in the 1937 Norwegian classic ...

and

Anneke von der Lippe Anneke von der Lippe (born 22 July 1964) is a Norwegian actress. She made history as the first Norwegian – and Nordic - actress to win an International Emmy Award. Biography Von der Lippe graduated from the Norwegian National Academy of The ...

have all been honoured twice each – Oftebro and Skjønberg once as lead actors and once as supporting actors. Among the directors,

Ola Solum Ola Solum (17 July 1943 – 28 June 1996)"Ola Solum"
''Norsk biografisk leksikon'' was a Norway, Norwegian film d ...

Nils Gaup Nils Gaup (born 12 April 1955) is a Sámi film director from Norway. Career Gaup was born in Kautokeino, Finnmark County in Northern Norway. He first intended to become an athlete but from 1974 to 1978 he went to drama school and studied at ...

Berit Nesheim Berit Nesheim (born 28 January 1945) is a Norway, Norwegian film director. Nesheim graduated from the University of Oslo in foreign languages, literature and psychology to go on to a career as a director of television films. Her first feature-film ...

and

Bent Hamer Bent Hamer (born 18 December 1956) is a film director, writer and producer, born in Sandefjord, Norway in 1956. Biography Hamer studied film theory and literature at the Stockholm University and the Stockholm Film School. In addition to his feat ...

have each received two awards.Solum's second win came after the award for best director was created in 2005. Nesheim won once for best children's film as well as once in the "Best Film" category. Erik Gustavson has the rare distinction of having won in three different categories: for best film and best documentary, in addition to winning the special "Nordic Amanda" in 1993. This is an accomplishment Kjersti Holmen can also claim, for winning the Best Actress award in 2000, Best Supporting Role in 1993, and the Honorary Award in 2009. The only film to have won the three main awards – best film, best actor and best actress – is '' Budbringeren'' in 1997. As of 2010, the categories awarded are: * Best Norwegian

Film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

in Theatrical Release * Best

Director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

(for films in theatrical release) * The People’s Amanda (audience vote) * Best

Actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

* Best Actress * Best Actor in a Supporting Role * Best Actress in a Supporting Role * Best Children’s and Youth Film * Best Original Screenplay * Best Cinematography * Best Sound Design * Best Music * Best Editing * Best Production Design / Scenography * Best Visual Effects * Best

Short Film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

* Best

Documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

* The foreign film of the year in Theatrical Release * The Amanda Committee's Golden

Clapper Clapper or Clappers may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Clappers (record label), a New York-based reggae label * "Clappers" (song), a 2013 song by Wale * ''The Clapper'' (film), a 2017 American comedy film Places * Clapper, Missouri, a communi ...

(technical award) * The Amanda Committee's Honorary Award

References

External links

Official site.

Full list of winners.

The Amanda Awards
on

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

.
Statue of the Amanda sculpture
outside of

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Amanda (Award) Norwegian film awards Norwegian International Film Festival Haugesund Awards established in 1985 1985 establishments in Norway