Buddy, the runaway hit of the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, has been selected as the closing local film of this year's Norwegian International Film Festival (Aug 17-24) in Haugesund

It will screen on Aug 21 and will at the same time be the opening film of the New Nordic Films film market, which runs until Aug 24.

Buddy was the surprise hit of this year's Karlovy Vary where it picked up the audience award. Its first-time director Morten Tyldum has subsequently been invited to festivals across the world.

Buddy joins a number of other local films at Haugesund including Magnus Martens' opening film United and Hilde Heier's Little Miss Norway which kicks off the Children's Film event.

'It is unprecedented that such young local talents both open and close the festival's main programme,' says head of programming Hakon Skogrand. 'But then again we are seeing a significant change in Norwegian film. This is not a passing thing, but a whole new generation of filmmakers eager to communicate with the audience.'

The Norwegian International Film Festival is non-competitive but hands out the coveted Amanda Award to last year's best Norwegian feature films and The Nordic Film Award to last year's best Nordic film.