The 42nd Jerusalem Film Festival will open on July 17th with Joachim Trier’s critically acclaimed film Sentimental Value in a festive screening at the Sultan’s Pool in Jerusalem. Winner of the Grand Prix at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, the film follows Trier’s The Worst Person in the World (2021) which was nominated for Best Original Screenplay as well as Best International Feature at the 94th Academy Awards, and is the third of his Oslo trilogy, which includes Reprise (2006) and Oslo, August 31st (2011). His repertoire also includes Louder Than Bombs (2015), Thelma (2017) and the documentary The Other Munch (2018).
Renate Reinsve, who won the Cannes Best Actress Award for her performance in The Worst Person in the World, stars as Nora, the estranged daughter of filmmaker Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgård). Abandoned by their father, who left when they were young girls, Nora and her sister Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) made very different life choices. Nora pursued a career onstage, while Agnes has a more traditional life, she is married with a child and a stable job. Following the death of their mother Sissel, Gustav approaches Nora with an invitation to star in his upcoming film, which he plans to shoot in their family home in Norway. It’s perhaps an attempt to mend relationships, but Nora refuses the role, and it is given instead to an American actress, Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning). The film follows Gustav and Rachel as they work on the film that was meant for Nora, and the two sisters Nora and Agnes as they navigate the feelings and traumas of the past and present, looking to the future.
The Jerusalem Film Festival will take place from July 17 – 26, 2025. The full program and ticket information will be available on the festival website.
