Local box office hits predominate the nominations for the 2001 Norwegian Amanda Awards, Norway's equivalent of the Academy Awards.

Pal Jackman's thirtysomething romantic comedy Detector produced by Norway's Christiania Film, which got three nods, and Norsk Film's documentary Cool and Crazy by Knut Erik Jensen about a male choir in a remote arctic town, which received two, were among the most popular Norwegian films of the last two years.

Many observers were surprised that Maipo Film's smash hit Elling, a comedy about two dysfunctional friends trying to live outside an institution, was only nominated once. Perhaps, more surprisingly, both You Really Got Me by Junk Mail-director Pal Sletaune and Norway's official candidate for the 2001 Academy Awards nominations: Stein Leikanger's Odd Little Man were completely overlooked by the Amanda jury.

The awards ceremony will be broadcast live by Norwegian state broadcaster NRK on August 31st. The awards are held as part of the Haugesund International Film Festival, which runs from August 25 to September 1.

Full list of nominations:

BEST PICTURE:
Aberdeen (dir: Hans Petter Moland)
Detector (dir: Pal Jackman)
Cool And Crazy (dir: Knut Erik Jensen)

BEST ACTOR:
Per Christian Ellefsen - Elling
Kristoffer Joner - Detector, Mongoland
Svein Scharffenberg - Cabin Fever

BEST ACTRESS:
Laila Goody - Rosmersholm
Hildegun Riise - Detector
Kari Simonsen - Cabon Fever

TV SERIES, DRAMA:
Four Seasons (dir: Leidulv Risan)
Laila And Laila jr. (dir: Ingebjorg Torgersen)
Rosmersholm (dir: Terje Maerli)

DOCUMENTARY:
Alias: Slayer (dir: Jan Aksel Angeltvedt)
Cool And Crazy (dir: Knut Erik Jensen)
Kursk (dir: Oystein Bogen, Odd Isungset)

SHORT FILM:
Gluttony (dir: Margreth Olin)
First Act (dir: Alexander Eik)
Natural Glasses (dir: Jens Lien)