Oslo Kino is a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

cinema company, based in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...

History

Its creation was agreed to by the city authorities of Oslo in 1925, and the company was inaugurated on 1 January 1926 as ''Oslo Kinematografer''. It was a part of the Norwegian system of municipally-owned cinemas, superseding private ownership in the field. Only the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

and the

Liberal Left Party The Free-minded Liberal Party ( no, Frisinnede Venstre) was a political party in Norway founded in 1909 by the conservative-liberal faction of the Liberal Party. The party cooperated closely with the Conservative Party and participated in severa ...

voted against municipalization. These parties subsequently attempted to privatize cinemas in the years after 1926, but failed. An important motivation for municipal ownership was the surplus from the budget, which could be used for other cultural budget posts. Oslo Concert Hall,

Folketeatret Folketeateret is a theatre in Oslo, Norway. The building has been used as a movie theatre and as an opera house. The theatre has 1,400 seats. History The theatre itself operated from 1952 to 1959, but the institution has a much longer history. ...

Gustav Vigeland Gustav Vigeland (11 April 1869 – 12 March 1943), born as Adolf Gustav Thorsen, was a Norwegian sculptor. Gustav Vigeland occupies a special position among Norwegian sculptors, both in the power of his creative imagination and in his product ...

's atelier (later the Vigeland Museum) and the

Munch Museum Munch Museum ( no, Munch-museet), marketed as Munch (stylised as MUNCH) since 2020, is an art museum in Bjørvika, Oslo, Norway dedicated to the life and works of the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. The museum was originally located at Tøyen, w ...

received monetary support from the cinema fund. In 1997 the company was turned into a joint stock company. Between 2001 and 2003 the city council of Oslo tried to orchestrate a sale of 66% of the company shares, but this did not happen. No bidder came close to the expected prize, and the sale thus fell through.Solum and Asbjørnsen, 2008: p. 31–33 The name was changed from Oslo Kinematografer to Oslo Kino in 2007.

Key people

The early directors were Jens Christian Gundersen (1926-1933) and Kristoffer Aamot (1934-1940). During the

German occupation of Norway The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until th ...

the company had three Nazi collaborators as directors:

Gustav Berg-Jæger Carl Gustav Berg-Jæger (31 December 1884 – 1957) was a Norwegian journalist, actor, cultural director and Nazi collaborator. He is best known as director of Oslo Kinematografer, the National Theatre and briefly the Norwegian Broadcasting ...

(1940-1942), Einar Schibbye (1942-1944) and Birger Ilseng (1944-1945). Kristoffer Aamot then recovered his job, and sat until 1955. Theodor Rosenquist followed (1955-1958), then Arnljot Engh (1958-1975),

Eivind Hjelmtveit Eivind Hjelmtveit (16 August 1926 – 11 February 2017) was a Norwegian cultural administrator. He was born in Eydehavn, and attended school in Arendal and Sandefjord. He started his career at Riksteatret in 1950 as a secretary, and was the direc ...

(1975-1993), Ingeborg Moræus Hanssen (1993-2005), Cecilie Trøan (acting, 2005-2006) and Geir Bergkastet (2006-present). Pre-war chairs of the board of directors were Arthur Skjeldrup (1926-1928), Kristoffer Aamot (1929-1931),

Eyvind Getz Eyvind Getz (1888–1956) was a Norwegian barrister and mayor of Oslo The Mayor of Oslo is the chief executive of the Oslo. The Mayor's office administers all city services, public property, most public agencies, and enforces all city and state ...

(1932-1934) and

Rachel Grepp Rachel Catharina Helland Grepp, née Helland (5 March 1879 – 24 May 1961) was a Norwegian journalist and politician for the Norwegian Labour Party. She was among the founders of Bergens Socialdemokratiske Ungdomslag in 1902. From 1923 to 1945 ...

(1935-1940). The chairpersons during the German occupation of Norway are not known. After the war, Rolf Hofmo sat from 1946 to 1955, then

Rolf Stranger Rolf Stranger (15 January 1891 – 18 June 1990) was a Norwegian businessman and politician for the Conservative Party who served as Mayor of Oslo. Biography Rolf Stranger was born in Kristiania. He was the son of Anund Hanssen (1847–193 ...

(1956-1967),

Albert Nordengen Albert Nordengen (2 May 1923 – 18 December 2004) was a Norwegian banker and politician with the Conservative Party. He became one of the more popular and beloved mayors in the history of Oslo. Background He was born and grew up in Våler, Øst ...

(1968-1971), Adele Lerche (1972-1975), Turid Dankertsen (1976-1979), Albert Nordengen again (1980-1983), Bjørn Bjørnseth (1984-1987), Jon Lyng (1988-1991),

Christian Hambro Johan Christian Georg Hambro (born 18 May 1946) is a Norwegian attorney and former civil servant. He was born in the UK to his father Edvard Hambro and mother Elisabeth (née Raverat). His father's parents were C. J. Hambro and Gudrun (née Gr ...

(1992),

Theo Koritzinsky Theodor Koritzinsky (born 2 November 1941) is a Norwegian academic and politician for the Socialist Left Party. He was chairman of the Socialist Youth League from 1965 to 1966. He later joined the Socialist Left Party, and was their chairman ...

(1993-1995), Jon Lyng again (1996-2003) and Heidi Larssen (2003-present). Several directors and chairs were also politicians for the Conservative Party, the party which initially opposed a municipal cinema company.

References

{{Reflist Film organisations in Norway Entertainment companies established in 1926 Companies based in Oslo 1926 establishments in Norway