Norwegian actress and director Liv Ullmann has received the coveted Norwegian Aamot Award in Bergen, Norway.

The Award, given by Norway's theatre managers and distribution professionals, was bestowed on Ullmann for her "many sided artistic contribution to Norwegian, Nordic and international film over the past 40 years."

Ullmann has been nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards several times and won the American Film Critic's Prize four years in a row. As an actress she has been a long-time collaborator of Swedish master film-maker Ingmar Bergman, but also wrote and directed Sofie (1992), Kristin Lavransdottir (1995) and the Bergman-scripted Private Confessions (1996) for national Swedish broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT).

Ullmann's fourth feature Faithless (Trolosa), also based on a Bergman script and produced by SVT, was in official selection at Cannes this year, but despite being tipped by many to scoop the Palme d'Or, went home empty-handed.

"It means a lot to me to get this acknowledgement in my home country especially from the branch of professionals who distribute and bring my films to the audience," said Ullmann upon winning the award.

The Aamot Award was for some 30 years the only major cinema award in Norway and has rarely been given to an individual for their entire career's work in film.