Maria Ekerhovd
Norwegian film producer (born 1975)
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Maria Ekerhovd (born 1975)[1] is a Norwegian film producer. Her credits include Eskil Vogt's The Innocents (2021), Gunnar Vikene's War Sailor (2022), and Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value (2025), the latter of which won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards.
Maria Ekerhovd | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1975 (age 50–51) Bergen, Norway |
| Education | Norwegian University of Science and Technology |
| Occupation | Film producer |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Children | 2 |
Early life
Ekerhovd was born in Bergen and grew up in Fyllingsdalen and Bønes.[2][3] Her mother is a psychologist.[4] She was not accepted into any film schools, instead graduating from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology with a bachelor's degree in film and video production.[1][2]
Career
Ekerhovd's first job in film was as a clapper loader as she did not have a driver's license and, therefore, could not be a production assistant. She later became a producer, production manager, and first assistant director on short films.[4] In 2011, she founded the production company Mer Film and was named a Producer on the Move by Screen Daily.[5][6]
At the 34th European Film Awards in 2021, she won the Eurimages Co-Production Award.[7] She later served on the jury of the Berlinale Co-Production Market at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival and the Shooting Stars Award jury for European Film Promotion.[8][9] In 2025, she was named one of the 46 Most Influential Women in International Film by The Hollywood Reporter.[10]
Personal life
Ekerhovd lives in Møhlenpris with her husband and two children.[2][3]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Director | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Sniffer | Bobbie Peers | Short film; producer | [11] |
| 2009 | The Storm in My Heart | Pål Jackman | Producer | |
| Vegas | Gunnar Vikene | Producer | ||
| 2013 | I Am Yours | Iram Haq | Producer | [12] |
| 2014 | Cathedrals Of Culture | Various | Co-producer; segment: "The Oslo Opera House" | [13] |
| Out of Nature | Ole Giæver, Marte Vold | Producer | [14] | |
| Here Is Harold | Gunnar Vikene | Producer | ||
| 2015 | Hedi Schneider Is Stuck | Sonja Heiss | Co-producer | [15] |
| Every Thing Will Be Fine | Wim Wenders | Co-producer | [16] | |
| The Disappearing Illusionist | Bobbie Peers | Producer | [14] | |
| 2016 | The Untamed | Amat Escalante | Co-producer | [17] |
| 2017 | From the Balcony | Ole Giæver | Producer | [18] |
| Bright Nights | Thomas Arslan | Co-producer | [19] | |
| Hoggeren | Jorunn Myklebust Syversen | Producer | [20] | |
| What Will People Say | Iram Haq | Producer | [21] | |
| Letters | Marte Vold, Jéro Yun | Producer | [22] | |
| 2019 | Divine Love | Gabriel Mascaro | Co-producer | [23] |
| Disco | Jorunn Myklebust Syversen | Producer | [24] | |
| Exit Plan | Jonas Alexander Arnby | Co-producer | [25] | |
| 2021 | Gritt | Itonje Søimer Guttormsen | Producer | [26] |
| Flee | Jonas Poher Rasmussen | Co-producer | [27] | |
| The Innocents | Eskil Vogt | Producer | [28] | |
| 2022 | 12 Dares | Izer Aliu | Producer | [29] |
| More Than Ever | Emily Atef | Co-producer | [30] | |
| War Sailor | Gunnar Vikene | Producer | [31] | |
| Memory of Water | Saara Saarela | Co-producer | [32] | |
| 2023 | Let the River Flow | Ole Giæver | Producer | [33] |
| A Stork's Journey 2 | Benjamin Quabeck, Mette Tange | Co-producer | ||
| The Gullspång Miracle | Maria Fredriksson | Co-producer | ||
| Kalak | Isabella Eklöf | Co-producer | ||
| 2025 | The Ugly Stepsister | Emilie Blichfeldt | Producer | [34] |
| Stranger | Mads Hedegaard | Co-producer | [35] | |
| Sentimental Value | Joachim Trier | Producer | [36] | |
| 2026 | Butterfly | Itonje Søimer Guttormsen | Producer | [37] |
Television
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | 2026 | Best Picture | Sentimental Value | Nominated | [39] |
| Amanda Awards | 2009 | Best Film | The Storm in My Heart | Nominated | |
| 2010 | Vegas | Nominated | |||
| 2015 | Out of Nature | Nominated | |||
| 2018 | What Will People Say | Nominated | |||
| 2022 | The Innocents | Nominated | |||
| 2023 | Let the River Flow | Nominated | |||
| British Academy Film Awards | 2026 | Best Film | Sentimental Value | Nominated | [40] |
| Best Film Not in the English Language | Won | ||||
| British Independent Film Awards | 2025 | Best International Independent Film | Sentimental Value | Won | [41] |
| European Film Awards | 2026 | Best Film | Sentimental Value | Won | [42] |
| Producers Guild of America Awards | 2026 | Best Theatrical Motion Picture | Sentimental Value | Nominated | [43] |
