Norway’s Joachim Trier won the best international feature Oscar for Sentimental Value at the 2026 Academy Awards. The film, about a director and his dysfunctional family starring Stellan Skarsgård, marks the third consecutive win for a Cannes competition entry. Trier used his acceptance speech to reference James Baldwin and urge responsibility toward children.
Joachim Trier accepted the Oscar for best international feature for his film Sentimental Value, a Grand Prix winner at Cannes. The movie centers on a film director played by Stellan Skarsgård and his dysfunctional family. In his speech, Trier thanked “the wonderful American writer James Baldwin,” adding that Baldwin “makes us remember that all adults are responsible for all children; and let’s not vote for politicians who don’t take this seriously into account.” Despite nominations in best picture, best director, best screenplay, and best editing, its core cast did not receive a best casting nod; the editor was reportedly doing home DIY when nominations were announced. This victory reverses Trier’s prior Oscar experience, where The Worst Person in the World lost to Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car. Jafar Panahi’s It Was an Accident, which beat Sentimental Value for the Palme d’Or in 2025, was nominated for original screenplay but did not win. The category saw strong competition, including Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent, nominated for best picture, best actor (Wagner Moura), and best casting; Sirāt for sound; and The Voice of Hind Rajab. Sentimental Value’s success follows Anora by Sean Baker and The Zone of Interest by Jonathan Glazer as recent Cannes films taking the award. In Norway, the achievement draws comparisons to Ingmar Bergman, who received nine nominations over his career from nearby Sweden.
