Leading Nordic sales outfit TrustNordisk has swooped on international rights to Norwegian political satire “No Comment” ahead of its debut at the American Film Market (AFM) and its international launch in the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival’s main competition.
“No Comment” is the eleventh feature by popular writer-director Petter Næss whose international breakthrough came with the Oscar-nominated pic “Elling” in 2002. The director’s previous dramedy, “Nothing to Laugh About,” was sold by TrustNordisk to multiple territories.
Penned by Ståle Stein Berg (“Two Lives,” “Occupied”), the feature is loosely based on a true political scandal that hit Norway in 2023 when the former prime minister Erna Solberg faced calls to resign over her husband’s stock market trading while she was in office.
In the pic, Prime Minister Alma Solvik (played by “State of Happiness’” Laila Goody) becomes the perfect scapegoat in a high-stakes political circus when it is revealed that her husband Sondre (Anders Baasmo from “La Palma,” “The King’s Choice”) has been caught red-handed in an insider trading scandal. Advised by her sharp spin doctor Karianne Moen (Pia Tjelta of “Don’t Call Me Mama,” “Blind Spot’ acclaim), Alma sets up a bold strategy to save her reputation.
“I’m looking forward to screening this thought-provoking film to our Estonian audience as we’ve had a comparable political scandal at home,” Tiina Lokk, the Black Nights Film Festival CEO told Variety, referring to the controversy surrounding esteemed former Estonian PM Kaja Kallas over her husband’s alleged business ties with Russia back in 2023.
Næss, who flags “No Comment” as a cross between “House of Cards” and ”The Hangover,” said in a statement: “When politicians twist the truth just to stay in power, we are here to call them out. Their failure to see their own position and responsibility is exactly what we plan to mess with and have fun doing it.”
“This film takes you behind the scenes of what the will to power really means: no limits, no scruples, no hesitation to swallow endless compromises or throw anyone under the bus.”
But in essence for the helmer, “No Comment” is “a family and marital drama, only played out on a national stage. And at its core it is brutally simple: “My job matters more than yours, and you are not going to screw this up for me!”
“No Comment” was produced by Anne Bergseng, Cornelia Boysen and Synnøve Hørsdal for Maipo Film (“State of Happiness”), in co-production with Oslo FilmFond and with support from the Norwegian Film Institute.
Released in Norway Aug. 22 by Nordisk Film Distribution, following its world premiere at the Haugesund International Film Festival, the pic received strong reviews and currently ranks No. 5 among top Norwegian films in 2025.
A Grand Prize candidate at Tallinn’s Black Nights, “No Comment” is premiering at the A-list festival Nov. 18.
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