EXCLUSIVE: Margreth Olin’s The Horse has secured key presale deals and a co-production agreement, as filming on the documentary gets underway in Norway.
Israel-based Cinephil handles international sales.
The film has been presold to Norway (Norsk Filmdistribusjon and NRK), Sweden (Folkets Bio), Finland (YLE), Denmark (FilmBazar), Italy (Wanted), Spain and Portugal (Filmin), Poland (Krakow Film Festival) and Iceland (RÚV). Mindjazz has taken theatrical rights for Germany and Austria), with discussions ongoing for further European territories, Asia and North America.
Cinephil has also brokered a co-production agreement with BR/Arte from France and Germany.
The film will be told from the perspective of a horse and filmed over one year. It will explore how horses perceive their environment, navigate herd dynamics, and interact with humans.
The Horse is produced by Norway’s Speranza Film and Sweden’s Mantaray Film. It is Olin’s fourth collaboration with Cinephil, with previous titles including Norway’s 2023 Oscar entry Songs Of Earth which recorded over 100,000 admissions in its homeland.
Additional backers include the Norwegian Film Institute, Nordisk Film & TV Fund, Swedish Film Institute, The Audio and Visual Fund, Oslo Filmfond and Viken Filmsenter. Cinephil launched sales at Berlin’s European Film Market in 2025, with the film then pitched at the CPH:Forum.
“The Horse brings together a unique creative vision and a universally engaging subject, which is exactly what buyers are looking for right now,” said Suzanne Noble, Cinephil co-managing director. “The early response has been incredibly encouraging, and we’re delighted to be partnering with such a strong group of distributors as we head toward Cannes.”
“Through Eira, a young filly, we are invited into a different way of seeing: her world, her presence, her relationships,” said Olin, who also produces the film. “Having never experienced harm from humans, she moves through life with a rare sense of calm, openness, and trust. Each day we spend alongside her and her herd brings us closer to something essential—her true nature. In that quiet connection, it becomes clear: there is so much we can learn from horses.”
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