Bent Hamer was born on December 18, 1956, in Sandefjord, Norway. He is a renowned film auteur, director, producer, and writer, recognized for his distinctive storytelling and unique film language.
Hamer studied film theory and literature at the University of Stockholm and the Stockholm Film School. Throughout his career, he has written and directed numerous short films, documentaries, and feature films. His early work includes Eggs (1995),a film about a father and son struggling with autism, which premiered at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival and won several awards.
Hamer's subsequent films, such as Water Easy Reach (1998) and Kitchen Stories (2003),solidified his position as a leader of the New Norwegian Wave, a movement characterized by its focus on quality storytelling, quirky humor, and realistic portrayals of everyday life. Kitchen Stories, in particular, received widespread acclaim and was Norway's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
In 2005, Hamer released Factotum, an adaptation of Charles Bukowski's novel, which premiered at the Kosmorama Film Festival in Trondheim, Norway. The film received praise for its unique blend of drama and comedy.
Hamer's subsequent films, including O'Horten (2007) and Home for Christmas (2010),continued to explore themes of human connection and relationships. O'Horten, a comedy-drama about a retired train engineer, was widely acclaimed and won several awards, including two Amandas and four Kanon prizes.
In 2014, Hamer released 1001 Grams, a drama-comedy about a Norwegian scientist attending a seminar in Paris, which won several awards, including best screenplay at the Amandas. His latest film, The Middle Man, premiered in September 2020 and tells the story of a middle man in a small American town struggling to communicate the bad news to its residents.
Throughout his career, Hamer has been recognized for his unique storytelling and film language. He is the founder and owner of the BulBul Film Association, established in Oslo in 1994, and has been referred to as the Norwegian film auteur due to his distinctive style and approach to storytelling.
