DREAMS (SEX LOVE)
by Dag Johan Haugerud
Norway, 2024, 110'
DREAMS is part of the SEX-LOVE-DREAMS trilogy of director Dag Johan Haugerud.
Johanne's intimate writings about her first love stir friction within her family, prompting her mother and grandmother to reexamine their own realities and dreams.
Johanne falls in love for the first time, with her teacher. To preserve her feelings, she documents her emotions and experiences in writing. When her mother and grandmother read what she has written, they are initially shocked by its intimate content but soon see that it has literary potential. As they debate whether to publish it, Johanne navigates the gap between her romantic fantasy and reality, and all three women confront their differing views on love, sexuality, and self-discovery.
Reviews
"Elegantly styled, sensitively acted and crafted with keen intelligence"
"warm, generation-specific melancholy that made fellow Norwegian title “The Worst Person in the World” an arthouse hit"
"Tender, captivating and often very funny.”
“Haugerud’s Sex/Love/Dreams trilogy (...) is an impressive achievement that’s admirable for the intricate layering of its themes and the overall lightness of touch.”
"a sly, garrulous, mischievous piece with something of Lukas Moodysson’s early film Show Me Love”
“saunters lightly and entertainingly along”
“Haugerud captures something vital about growing up in today’s world, as well as a universal story of first love blossoming at the moment we start to seek more out of life and existence.“
“...evokes Krzysztof Kieślowski’s “Three Colors” series, but also manages to make its own mark”
News
Awards
Golden Bear - Berlin IFF 2025
International Film Critics Award (FIPRESCI Prize) - Berlin IFF 2025
Gilde Filmpreis Prize - Berlin IFF 2025
Festivals
Berlin IFF 2025 - Competition
Glasgow IFF 2025
Dublin IFF 2025
FICCI (CO) 2025
IFF Uruguay 2025
Hong Kong IFF 2025
Istanbul IFF 2025
Beijing IFF 2025
Pink Apple 2025
Golden Ger IFF 2025
Sydney IFF 2025
Karlovy Vary IFF 2025
New Zealand IFF 2025
Al Este de Lima FF 2025
Taipei IFF 2025
New Horizons IFF 2025
Melbourne IFF 2025
Busan IFF 2025
Jakarta World Cinema 2025
Bangkok IFF 2025
Athens IFF 2025
Everybody's Perfect FF 2025
Kamera Akcja Film Critics Festival 2025
Pink Screens 2025
Two Borders FF (Dwa Brzegi FF)
Letnia Akademia Filmowa w Zwierzyńcu 2025
Ayvalik FF 2025
El Gouna IFF 2025
IFFI Goa 2025
Panorama of the European Film 2025
Tbilisi IFF 2025
Havana IFF 2025
Chennai IFF 2025
Kerala IFF 2025
Bengaluru IFF 2026
Cast & Crew
Ella Øverbye, Selome Emnetu, Ane Dahl Torp, Anne Marit Jacobsen
Production company: Motlys
Producer: Yngve Sæther, Hege Hauff Hvattum
Coproducers: Oslo Filmfond
Dag Johan Haugerud
Dag Johan Haugerud has established himself as one of Norway’s most influential writers and directors, in addition to being a writer of novels. With I BELONG (2012), he won Amanda for Best Film, Director, Screenplay and Female Supporting Role. The film also won the Film Critics Award and was Norway’s candidate for the Nordic Council Film Award. With BEWARE OF CHILDREN (2019), he won bigtime; in addition to the Dragon Award for Best film and Actor at the Gothenburg Film Festival, the film won a record number of 9 Amanda’s after the international premiere at Giornate Degli Autori. In addition, the film won the Film Critics Award and Nordic Council Film Prize.
SEX, which opened his trilogy, premiered at Berlinale Panorama in 2024, and won among others: Europa Cinemas Label - Best European Film and Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, along with Nordic Council Film Prize. It was followed by LOVE (premiere in Competition of Venice IFF) and finalized by DREAMS (SEX LOVE) which premieres at Competition of Berlinale 2025.
PRESS KIT