Fanny Ovesen

 

Fanny Ovesen is a Swedish screenwriter and director based in Oslo, Norway, working across Scandinavia.

Fanny wrote and directed her first feature film, Leva lite (2025), which was filmed in seven countries: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, and France. The film is based on her own experiences in the European couch-surfing community.

Fanny was also the conceptual director for the SVT series Allt som blir kvar (2022), written by and based on the novel by Sandra Beijer, with additional screenwriting credits by Maria Clauss. The series was produced by Baluba and premiered in 2022, with a cast including Oscar Zia, Madeleine Ferraud and Erik Enge.

In 2020, Fanny directed episodes of the Norwegian TV series Nach/Efter festen, which was conceptually directed by Ernst de Geer. It premiered in March 2021 on Discovery in Scandinavia and received rave reviews in Norway.

Fanny graduated from the Norwegian Film School in 2018. She finds herself gravitating towards the drama genre, but she always strives to find humour, irony and beauty in everyday life. In every project, she wishes to find a sense of urgency, and she often explores themes such as norms, structural power and privilege. She has a deeply empathetic and subjective approach to building complex characters. Fanny is devoted to challenging stereotypes and letting all different types of faces, bodies and personalities shine on the screen.

Fanny has written and directed several short films. In 2017, she co-wrote and co-directed the short film Smil, which was screened at several international festivals in Europe. Her graduation short film from the Norwegian Film School, She-Pack, is based on the team members' youthful and feminine experiences. It premiered internationally at the Berlinale in 2019, and has since won numerous awards, including the Amanda Award (the Norwegian Academy Award) for Best Short.

 
Fanny Ovesen
 

Selected works

Leva lite / Live a Little - feature (screenwriter/director) - 2025

Allt som blir kvar / All that remains - series (conceptual director) - 2022

Nach / Efter festen - series (episodic director) - 2021

She-Pack - short (director) - 2018

Smil - short (co-screenwriter/co-director with Brwa Vahabpour) - 2017

Klangfärg - short (director) - 2014

Awards & nominations

Leva lite/Live a Little

Guldbaggen (Swedish Academy Award) – Nominated for Best Film – 2026

Guldbaggen (Swedish Academy Award) – Nominated for Best Screenplay – 2026

Guldbaggen (Swedish Academy Award) – Nominated for Best Direction – 2026

She-Pack

Selection (in total 44 prizes and nominations)

BUFF The International Children and Young People’s Film Festival - Malmoe, Sweden - Official Selection - 2020

Kyoto International Student Film & Video Festival - 2nd prize, Best Student Film - 2020

The Norwegian International Film Festival - Amanda Award for Best Short (Norwegian Academy Award) - 2019

The Norwegian Short Film Festival - Best Norwegian Short, Best Script & The Film Critic’s Award - 2019

Berlinale Generation - Official Selection - 2019

Nordisk Panorama - New Nordic Voice Award - 2019

Aspen Shortsfest - Best Student Short - 2019

Shorts México - Official Selection - 2019

Smil

Oslo Pix - Official Selection - 2018

Stockholm Feminist Film Festival - Official Selection - 2018

Leuven International Short Film Festival - Official Selection - 2017

The Norwegian Short Film Festival - Official Selection - 2017

Klangfärg

Guldsvanen Short Film Competition - Audience Award and Best Technique Award - 2014

November Film Festival in Trollhättan - Official Selection - 2014