Sant & Usant AS

What Sant & Usant AS does

Sant & Usant AS is a Norwegian documentary film production company founded in 2006 and headquartered in Lillestrøm, Norway, with a secondary office in Drøbak. The company produces, co-produces, and distributes documentary films covering social, environmental, and human-interest subjects for cinema, television, streaming, and institutional markets. Its core product is documentary filmmaking, with a catalog of 30+ titles that have premiered at major festivals including Berlinale, Sundance, CPH:DOX, Tribeca, and OsloPix, and earned recognition such as an Oscar shortlist for Gunda (2021), two Amanda awards, and a Sundance audience award for Writing with Fire.

The company generates revenue through three primary streams: producer fees and project financing from Norwegian and EU film institutes (NFI, Kulturrådet, Fritt Ord Foundation, Creative Europe, Nordic Film & TV Fund); licensing royalties from distribution partners including Netflix (Sisters on Track as a global Original), NRK (Norwegian broadcast), Arthaus (Norwegian theatrical), and international sales agents Cinephil and Autlook (covering approximately 40 countries); and subscription/recurring revenue from its proprietary Educational Storytelling platform, launched in 2020, which packages the company's films into digital knowledge journeys sold to Norwegian public sector organizations including NAV (targeting 6,000 employees), schools, kindergartens, and universities. Pricing for cinema group screenings runs approximately 100 NOK per ticket with a 50-ticket minimum, while institutional platform pricing varies by organization size on an annual cadence.

The company operates with a lean team of approximately 5 employees led by co-founder Tone Grøttjord-Glenne and CEO/co-owner Anita Rehoff Larsen (since 2012), and maintains an event-driven go-to-market leveraging international film festival premieres to attract distribution partners, complemented by direct institutional sales for the Educational Storytelling platform and Netflix's own marketing channels for streaming distribution. The company is privately held with no external institutional investors identified.

Name

Sant & Usant AS

Legal name

Sant & Usant AS

Website

https://santogusant.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sant & Usant AS is a Norwegian documentary film production company founded in 2006 that produces and distributes socially-focused documentaries globally via Netflix, NRK, and theatrical partners, while running an Educational Storytelling platform for institutional training buyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Documentary Film Production

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (512110), Motion Picture and Video Distribution (512120), Motion Picture and Video Production (51211)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829)

akta.pro primary industry

Co-Production & Treaty Structuring (MPADAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate Learning & Training Content Development (EDAGAKAC)

Keywords

• Documentary film production
• Film distribution rights
• Educational storytelling
• Impact producing
• International co-productions

Headquarters

HQ city

Lillestrøm

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Film Production & Co-production: Developing and producing documentary films with international co-production partners, funded through Norwegian film institutes (NFI, Kulturrådet), regional film centers, and international funds (Creative Europe).
2. Streaming & Distribution Rights: Licensing films to streaming platforms (Netflix), theatrical distributors (Arthaus), and international sales agents. Sisters on Track distributed by Netflix globally; Gunda distributed in ~40 countries.
3. Educational Storytelling Platform: Digital knowledge journeys sold to public sector organizations, schools, and universities. Platform developed from Alt det jeg er project, now expanded to multiple films for training and education purposes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sant & Usant AS is a Norwegian documentary film production company that develops, produces, and co-produces documentary films with international partners for cinema, TV, streaming, and educational distribution. The company also operates the Educational Storytelling Platform, a digital learning service that pairs documentary films with knowledge content and reflection materials for institutional buyers such as NAV, schools, and municipalities. Revenue is generated through film licensing to streamers/broadcasters, co-production funding, theatrical distribution, and institutional subscriptions to the Educational Storytelling Platform.

Product overview

Sant & Usant is a Norwegian documentary film production company established in 2006 that produces, directs, co-produces, and distributes documentary films globally. The company operates primarily as a documentary production house with an Educational Storytelling platform (digital learning combining film and knowledge), impact strategy services, and film consultation/training. The core product is documentary filmmaking across cinema, TV, VOD, educational, and streaming platforms. Films are distributed internationally through partners like Netflix, NRK, and various VOD platforms, with sales agents handling international distribution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Gunda reached Oscar shortlist among 238 international documentaries (2021)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, major and minor.

• NetflixflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 June 2021Netflix Original distribution agreement for Sisters on Track. Film launched globally on Netflix in 2021, reaching 350+ countries. This is Sant & Usant's most prominent distribution partnership for international reach.
• NRKcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNorwegian public broadcaster distributing multiple Sant & Usant films including Gunda, Brødrene i skogen, Store små mennesker, and Writing with Fire. Long-term partnership for Norwegian market broadcast and streaming rights.
• ArthauscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNorwegian theatrical film distributor handling cinema releases of Sant & Usant films including Gunda. Coordinates cinema distribution and group booking screenings in Norway.
• Final Cut for RealcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDanish documentary production company and co-production partner on multiple films including President and Han er min bror. Ongoing creative partnership for international documentary development and production.
• CinephilcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational film sales agent handling global distribution rights for Gunda and potentially other films. Manages international theatrical and VOD sales across ~40 countries.
• Autlook FilmsalescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational film sales agent representing Sant & Usant films including Behind the Swedish Model for international distribution.
• Tambo FilmmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDanish co-production partner on Ilden, Vannet, Jorden, Luften (Fire, Water, Earth, Air) multi-country Nordic climate documentary project.
• Momento FilmmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish co-production partner on Et Liv etter Jesus documentary film.
• Louverture FilmsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS-based co-production partner on Trillion, Victor Kossakovsky's film as part of 'empathy trilogy'. International collaboration for high-profile documentary projects.
• Black Ticket FilmmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndian production company behind Writing with Fire, co-produced by Sant & Usant. Film won audience award at Sundance.
• Ginestra FilmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish co-production partner (Antonio Russo Merenda) on Store små mennesker. Part of international collaboration on Norwegian documentary.
• Educational StorytellingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeparate company/entity developed by Sant & Usant for digital film-based learning platform. Targets NAV, schools, and public sector with knowledge journeys based on Sant & Usant films. Sant & Usant team members involved in platform development.
• Good PitchminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational documentary impact and networking program that Sant & Usant has partnered with, particularly for Alt det jeg er impact campaign.
• Stiftelsen DAMminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNorwegian foundation partnering with Alt det jeg er project for impact and distribution.
• UNICEF NorgeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerUNICEF Norway associated with Alt det jeg er project for impact campaigns.
• Statens BarnehusminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNorwegian Child House (child abuse center) partnering with Alt det jeg er project.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Cat&Docs: Paris-based international documentary sales agent with a broader catalog than Cinephil or Autlook. Comparable as a documentary distribution intermediary connecting Nordic/European producers with global festival and platform buyers.
• Kartemquin Films: Long-established US documentary producer (Hoop Dreams, The Interrupters) known for socially engaged, impact-driven work. Comparable in mission and impact-campaign approach, though larger and with deeper US roots.

Direct peers

• Ginestra Film: Swedish co-production partner on Store små mennesker. Comparable small Nordic documentary producer focused on festival-grade international co-productions.
• Cinephil: International film sales agent handling global distribution for Gunda and other Sant & Usant titles in ~40 countries. Direct comparable operating in the international documentary festival-sales-agent segment.
• Final Cut for Real: Danish documentary production company and ongoing co-production partner with Sant & Usant (President, Han er min bror). Operates in the same Nordic international documentary niche with similar festival-driven, co-financed production model targeting global festival and streamer distribution.
• Autlook Filmsales: International documentary sales agent representing Sant & Usant titles (Behind the Swedish Model). Operates in the same impact-driven documentary distribution category with comparable festival-to-streamer sales pipeline.
• Louverture Films: US-based production company focused on socially engaged documentary films with global impact. Co-production partner on Victor Kossakovsky's Trillion, comparable in its focus on issue-driven documentaries with international co-financing and impact campaign integration.
• Black Ticket Films: Indian production company behind Writing with Fire (Sundance audience award winner), co-produced with Sant & Usant. Comparable socially engaged documentary producer with international festival pedigree and co-financing partnerships.
• Momento Film: Swedish documentary production company and co-production partner (Et Liv etter Jesus). Comparable Nordic documentary boutique with similar festival positioning and Swedish/Nordic public funding access.
• Tambo Film: Danish co-production partner on the multi-country climate documentary Ilden, Vannet, Jorden, Luften. Comparable Nordic documentary producer with international co-financing and Creative Europe funding orientation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sant-og-usant-as

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sant & Usant AS