THE NEW MUSEUM

Director: Birgitte Sigmundstad
Duration: 113 mins
Year: 2025
Subtitles
Documentary

For over six years, filmmaker Birgitte Sigmundstad and cinematographer Line K. Lyngstadaas followed the creation of Norway’s New National Museum in Oslo, a monumental project that merged four institutions under one vast, temple-like roof designed by Kleihues + Schuwerk.

This rich, observational documentary offers an unfiltered glimpse behind the scenes of one of Scandinavia’s most ambitious cultural transformations. The film offers an unvarnished look at the tensions that define an undertaking like this: curatorial debates, the logistical challenges of moving and storing vast collections, aesthetic and technical decisions, time and budget pressures, political backlash and evolving public expectations.

From the material of façade cladding to admission price discussion, every detail reflects broader questions of representation and cultural value. As we move through meeting rooms, conservation laboratories and construction sites, The New Museum captures how, along with the building, national identity is also painstakingly constructed.