Simen Alsvik

Director

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Film, TV & Theatre

Agent: Michelle Archer
Associate Agent: Grace Baxter

Film, TV & Theatre

Hailing from Norway, Simen is one of the most successful and experienced directors in Scandinavia, and has achieved global recognition since he set up the acclaimed TV drama, LILYHAMMER. Starring Steve Van Zandt (THE SOPRANOS), the first series achieved the highest ratings ever for a drama premiere on NRK (Norway's public broadcaster) and has been sold all over the world, premiering on BBC Four and Netflix in 2012. It went on to win two Golden Nymph Awards for Best Comedy Drama.

He was Lead Director on FALLET, which is now available on Netflix, and which won Best Comedy Drama at C21, as well as being nominated for 3 Golden Nymphs and nominated for Best Dramedy at the Seoul International Drama Awards. Simen also co-created and directs all episodes for Norwegian hit NESTE SOMMER, which has now been sold to ABC in the US. It was the biggest TV show on Discovery Channel Norway for four consecutive years.

Also an experienced director in commercials (over 100 to date), Simen has worked on campaigns for major national and international corporations such as Coca Cola and McDonalds. He's won several national and international awards for them, including prizes at the EBU Promo Awards and Cannes Lions.

His first feature film, TINA & BETTINA was released in September, 2012. He has also co-written and co-directed animation feature ANCHORS UP.

Simen is currently lead director on PROTECTION for ITV/New Pictures and prior to this directed THE NEST for BBC One/ Studio Lambert. 

He is also represented by Abram Nalibotsky at Gersh and Manager Rich Freeman at Code Entertainment.

THE NEST

 “The acting is faultless, with Mirren Mack giving an edgy performance as Kaya…And the power dynamic in surrogacy cases is a fascinating subject to explore” The Telegraph – Anita Singh- 4 Stars

“The Nest has a fine cast, headed by Sophie Rundle as Emily, who has everything in life except the thing she most wants: a child… And I couldn’t fault Mirren Mack as Kaya, the disadvantaged 18-year-old who grabs her chance to get a leg-up in life by offering to surrogate a child using our well-heeled heroes’ last embryo.” The Times – Dominic Maxwell

"This Glasgow-set drama rose above the surfeit of primetime thrillers with its shocking central premise of a middle-class couple recruiting a troubled 18-year-old surrogate. With three complex leads... this was easily the BBC’s best thriller since Doctor Foster. As the series has progressed, it has become increasingly obvious that this is not so much a thriller about surrogacy as it is a fierce commentary on aspiration, class and success – on who gets to have ambitions in life and who doesn’t." The Guardian Best Shows of 2020 so far. 

The Independent – Annie Lord – 4 stars

The Herald Scotland – Alison Rowat – 4 Stars

 

LILYHAMMER

Mixes sharp wit and American big city ways with the beauty of the Norwegian mountains and folksy nature of a small town - a perfect combination for a razor-sharp drama about cultural mores”. Richard Klein, Controller of BBC Four.

Television

ProductionCompanyNotes

PROTECTION

2023

ITV / New Pictures

Lead Director.
Writer: Kris Mrksa
Producer: Rebecca Davies
Executive Producers: Charlie Hampton and Willow Grylls.
Starring: Siobhan Finneran and Charlotte Riley.

FENRIS

2021

Nordic Film Production

Writer and Director.
Co- writers: Nicolaj Scherfig and Maren Skolem.
Producer: Sigurd Mikal Karoliussen
Starring: Ida Elise Broch, Magnus Krepper, Jonas Strand Gravli and Jan Gunnar Roise.

THE NEST

2020

BBC One/Studio Lambert

Director, 2 episodes (including series finale).
Writer: Nicole Taylor.
Producer: Clare Kerr
Executive Producers: Simon Lewis, Sue Hogg and Lucy Richer.
Starring: Martin Compston and Sophie Rundle
*Featured in The Guardian Best TV Shows of 2020 so far

RAGNAROK

2019

Netflix/SAM Productions

Writer and Producer.
Directors: Mogens Hagedorn, Jannik Johansen
Executive Producers: Meta Louise Foldager Sørensen, Adam Price

FALLET

2016 - 2017

FLX/STV (Swedish Television)

Lead Director, 4 episodes.
Creators: Erik Hultkvist, Rikard Ulvshammar.
Starring: Adam Godley, Lisa Henni.
*Winner Best Comedy Drama at C21´s International Drama Award 2017.
*Nominated Best Dramedy, Seoul International Drama Awards 2018.
*Nominated for 3 Golden Nymphs 2018.
*Hollywood Reporters Top 10 from MipCom Cannes 2017.

NEXT SUMMER 4

2018

Feelgood/TV Norge

Lead Director.
Award-winning comedy drama.
Remade in Swedish, becoming the biggest show on Channel 5 in Sweden.

NEXT SUMMER 3

2015

Feelgood/TV Norge

Lead Director and Showrunner.

NEXT SUMMER 2

2014

TV Norge

Lead Director and Showrunner.
*Winner, Best Comedy Show, Gullrutten Awards, Norway 2016.

LILYHAMMER 3

2014

Netflix/Rubicon/NRK

Lead director, 2 episodes.
Starring Steven Van Zandt.
*Winner of the Golden Nymph for Best Comedy series in the 2015 International TV festival, Monaco.

LILYHAMMER 2

2014

Netflix/Rubicon/NRK

Lead Director.
Starring Steven Van Zandt.
*Winner of the Gullruten award Best Drama (Norwegian BAFTA's).
*Winner of the Golden Nymph for Best Comedy series in the 2014 International TV festival in Monaco.

NEXT SUMMER

2014

Feelgood/TV Norge.

Director and Showrunner.
Comedy Drama.
Writter: Lars Gudmestad.

HOME

2012

NRK

Drama series.

NARWAY (NAARJE)

2012

Feelgood/TV2

Comedy. 8 episodes.
Starring Henriette Steensrup and Otto Jespersen.
* Gullruten Award for Best Comedy, 2012.

LILYHAMMER (2011-12)

Rubicon/NRK

Drama. 2 x 45'.
Starring Steven Van Zandt, Juliet Aubrey, Jay Benedict and Sven Nordin.
International sales includes: USA, UK (BBC4), Germany, France, Denmark, Canada, Sweden, Finland.
* Gullruten Awards for Best drama and Best Male Actor (Fridtjov Saaheim), 2012.

THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE (TORSTAG KVELD FRA NYDALEN)

2010

Feelgood/TV2

Comedy. 30 episodes.
* Winner of 3 Gullruten Awards (Norwegian Television Awards), 2009/10.

HIT MACHINE (LANDEPLAGE)

2009

Dinamo/NRK

Music Documentary. 2 x 30'.
* Winner Gullruten Awards (Norwegian Television Award), 2009.
* Winner Gullruten Awards, 2010.
* Nominated Gullruten Awards.

AIRY HEROES (LUFTENS HELTER)

2008

NRK

Comedy Drama. 8 x 30'.

MELONAS

2006

NRK

Comedy. 8 x 30'.

TYPICAL NORWEGIAN (TYPISK NORSK)

Dropout/NRK

Documentary Series.16 episodes.
* Winner Gullruten Awards (Norwegian Television Awards), 2005.
* Winner Gullruten Awards, 2006.
* 3 times nominated for Gullruten Awards.
* Norwegian Journalist Prize, 2006.

Film

ProductionCompanyNotes

ANCHORS UP

2018

Qvisten and Animando

Animated Feature.
Won an Amanda Award 2018 (Norway's equivalent of a BAFTA) for Best Children’s Film.

TINA & BETTINA

2012

Nordisk Film

Starring Odd Magnus Williamson and Henrik Thodesen.
Produced by Jørgen Storm Rosenberg and Kjetil Omberg.

Short Films

ProductionCompanyNotes

NEON

2001

* Hamburg Short Film Festival.
* Grimstad Film Festival.

THREE LITTLE WORDS

2005

Starring award-winning actors Aksel Hennie and Ane Dahl Torp.
* Kosmorama Film Festival.
* Grimstad Film Festival.
* Nordic Panorama.

In Development

ProductionCompanyNotes

GOOD DEEDS

SAM Productions

TV series.
Producer: Meta Louise Foldager .
Writer: Will Smith.

THE JEWISH ORTHODOX HIT SQUAD

Tolmach Productions

Feature.
Writer: Lars Gudmestad.

Commercials

ProductionCompanyNotes

JAVA4EVER

2011

Director/Co-Writer
* Winner Gullruten Award