Jens Lien, a Norwegian director of remarkable talent, pursued his education at the prestigious London International Film School. Prior to venturing into feature films, Lien honed his skills by creating documentaries, commercials, and short films. His early works, Døren som ikke smakk (2000) and Naturlige briller (2001),garnered critical acclaim and earned nominations for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Throughout his career, Lien's short films have garnered numerous international awards.
In 2003, Lien's directorial debut, Jonny Vang, premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, receiving widespread recognition. His second feature, The Bothersome Man, premiered in 2006 to glowing reviews, was selected for the Toronto International Film Festival, and won the ACID Award at the Cannes Film Festival and the Hampton Golden Starfish. The film's success continued to grow, earning over 30 international awards.
Lien's subsequent feature, Sons of Norway, had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2011 and served as the opening film for The Norwegian Film Festival that year. He also directed the TV series Viva Hate for SVT, which won the Prix Europa for Best European TV Series in 2015. Lien's latest project, the sci-fi satire Beforeigners, was HBO Nordic's first Norwegian original. The show premiered in 2019 and received widespread acclaim, both domestically and internationally.
In addition to his work in film and television, Lien has established himself as a renowned director of commercials for TV and cinema. His commercials have earned numerous international awards, including the Cannes Lion and the Gullfisken Award for Best Commercial of the Year, which he has received twice - in 2014 for the SAS commercial Daddy's Girl and in 2020 for The Boy With the Lunchbox. The latter became an instant viral sensation, with over 700 million streams.
