Maria Ekerhovd (born 1975) 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.
Early life Ekerhovd was born in Bergen and grew up in Fyllingsdalen and . Her mother is a psychologist. 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.
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. In 2011, she founded the production company and was named a Producer on the Move by Screen Daily.
At the 34th European Film Awards in 2021, she won the Eurimages Co-Production Award. 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. In 2025, she was named one of the 46 Most Influential Women in International Film by The Hollywood Reporter.
Personal life Ekerhovd lives in Møhlenpris with her husband and two children.
Filmography Film Year Title Director Notes 2006 Sniffer Short film; producer 2009 Pål Jackman Producer Gunnar Vikene Producer 2013 I Am Yours Iram Haq Producer 2014 Various Co-producer; segment: "The Oslo Opera House" Out of Nature Ole Giæver, Marte Vold Producer Gunnar Vikene Producer 2015 Hedi Schneider Is Stuck Co-producer Every Thing Will Be Fine Wim Wenders Co-producer Producer 2016 The Untamed Amat Escalante Co-producer 2017 From the Balcony Ole Giæver Producer Bright Nights Thomas Arslan Co-producer Producer What Will People Say Iram Haq Producer Letters Marte Vold, Producer 2019 Divine Love Gabriel Mascaro Co-producer Producer Exit Plan Co-producer 2021 Itonje Søimer Guttormsen Producer Flee Jonas Poher Rasmussen Co-producer The Innocents Eskil Vogt Producer 2022 12 Dares Izer Aliu Producer More Than Ever Emily Atef Co-producer War Sailor Gunnar Vikene Producer Memory of Water Co-producer 2023 Let the River Flow Ole Giæver Producer , Mette Tange Co-producer The Gullspång Miracle Maria Fredriksson Co-producer Isabella Eklöf Co-producer 2025 The Ugly Stepsister Emilie Blichfeldt Producer Mads Hedegaard Co-producer Sentimental Value Joachim Trier Producer 2026 Butterfly Itonje Søimer Guttormsen Producer
Television Year Title Network Notes 2026 NRK, Yle Producer
Awards and nominations Award Year Category Nominated work Result Academy Awards 2026 Best Picture Sentimental Value Amanda Awards 2009 Best Film 2010 2015 Out of Nature 2018 What Will People Say 2022 The Innocents 2023 Let the River Flow British Academy Film Awards 2026 Best Film Sentimental Value Best Film Not in the English Language British Independent Film Awards 2025 Best International Independent Film Sentimental Value European Film Awards 2026 Best Film Sentimental Value Producers Guild of America Awards 2026 Best Theatrical Motion Picture Sentimental Value
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