Being Ola
Ola – En helt vanlig uvanlig fyr

Ragnhild Nøst Bergem’s moving, heart-warming documentary celebrates 30-year-old Ola, a learning-disabled man who lives in the small Norwegian village of Vidaråseny.

★★★★★
“Documentaries don’t get any more moving than Being Ola”
James Learoyd, FILM REVIEW

Find a screening.

Released in partnership with Oska Bright Film Festival, the world’s leading festival for films made by or featuring people with learning disabilities or autism.

30-year-old Ola lives in the small Norwegian village of Vidaråsen, where the 150 residents are a mix of people with and without disabilities. In the village the residents aim to live life at a slower pace and in harmony with nature. Their community is founded on empathy, respect, and mutual interdependence.

Ola, who has a mild learning disability, spends his days working in the workshop, pulling carrots from the ground and chatting for hours with his best friend, Lasse.  He generally enjoys his life and is a witty and sincere individual who talks openly and honestly about his condition. Conversations and cordial friendships in the village are a highlight of Ola’s daily life, but in the background, there’s always the threat of Lasse moving back to Denmark…

Beloved by Norwegian audiences, Ragnhild Nøst Bergem’s life-affirming documentary is an honest and heartwarming portrait of a thoughtful and gracious man. Through Ola and his reflections, it tells a universal story of inclusion, diversity, independence and the importance of being exactly who you are.

Presented in cinemas with descriptive captions.

Released in the UK from Friday 3rd April 2026

  • Director: Ragnhild Nøst Bergem
  • Country: Norway
  • Year: 2023
  • Duration: 72 minutes
  • Genre: Documentary
  • Language: Norwegian with English subtitles
  • Production company: Einar Film
  • Cert: PG

Official website

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March

OSKA BRIGHT FILM FRESTIVAL PREVIEWS
Brighton – Brighton Dome Corn Exchange  |  Saturday 28th March, 7pm
+ Q&A with Ragnhild Nøst Bergem + Ola Henningsen

Hastings – Electric Palace Cinema  |  Sunday 29th March, 3pm
+ Q&A with Ragnhild Nøst Bergem + Ola Henningsen

London – Barbican  |  Monday 30th March, 6.20pm
+ Q&A with Ragnhild Nøst Bergem + Ola Henningsen

Leeds – Hyde Park Picture House  |  Tuesday 31st March, 6pm
+ Q&A with Ragnhild Nøst Bergem + Ola Henningsen

 

In cinemas from Friday 3rd April

Stamford – Stamford Arts Centre  |  Wednesday 8th April

Tywyn – Magic Lantern Cinema  |  Sunday 19th April

 

 

 

 

★★★★★
“Hugely inspiring.”

Bergens Tidende

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