Grants in response to applications for more than NOK 100 000 in December 2021

December 16 2021

The Fritt Ord Foundation’s list of allocations has been updated to include grants for more than NOK 100 000 in December 2021.

This year’s final round of allocations includes an extraordinary number of exciting projects. Altogether, a total of NOK 21 275 000 has been granted for books, exhibitions, documentary films and debate series.

Among the grants, we find several interesting projects that address the latest turn of events in Afghanistan.
Ayesha Wolasmal has received support for the development of “A Good Ally”. Her book is a personal and political account that presents an honest, uncensored picture of Norway and NATO’s long-standing war in Afghanistan, based on the author’s life as a Norwegian-born Afghani who has held a number of key positions on behalf of Norway in Afghanistan.
Anders Sømme Hammer was granted support for production of the documentary film “The Taliban’s Return to Power”. The film discusses the current situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power, with special focus on the situation of women and what is currently happening to human rights as the Taliban’s strict religious legislation and regulations begin to permeate Afghanistan.

See the full list here.

News

Eirin Larsen and Hadia Tajik join the Fritt Ord Board

August 5 2025

Eirin Larsen (36) and Hadia Tajik (42) bring valuable experience from journalism, technology, politics and jurisprudence to the Fritt Ord Board.

Making the film «Farouk» – on the geologist that secured Norway its oil

July 1 2025

Geologist Farouk Al-Kasim joined the the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate in 1968, shaping Norwegian petroleum resource management for decades afterwards. Now, documentary film director Halkawt Mustafa and producer Janne Hjeltnes are making a film about Al-Kasim’s life and reflections.
“Farouk tells me something in this film that he has not talked about before, because he has always told the version he feels Norway wanted to hear,” recounts Mustafa, who has Iraqi roots himself.

Read the interview with the director and see the list of grants awarded by Fritt Ord in June 2025.

Bård Vegar Solhjell new chair of the Fritt Ord Board

July 1 2025

Bård Vegar Solhjell (53) has taken over as the new chair of the Fritt Ord Foundation Board.

Cultural newspaper TBATBA.no and new journalism grants – June 2025

June 19 2025

– Cultural journalism is under pressure. Part of the problem is media outlets failing to cover culture in formats and ways that appeal to people under 30, says Ida Madsen Hestman, editor, freelance critic, and founder of TBATBA.no. Last year, she started the kind of publication she herself would want to read.

The magazine TBA is among those awarded funding in June 2025. See the full list of grants in Norsk Journalistikk.