Career
One of the leading figures of the Norwegian film industry, and one of the first women to rise to prominence as a writer-director in Norway, her body of work in fiction and documentary explores social and political issues, notably women"s rights within the context of Norwegian society. After completing her studies in French at the University of Oslo, Breien went on to graduate from the French film school L"Institut des hautes études cinématographiques (IDHEC) in 1964. She began work in film as a script supervisor on the Nils R. Müller film Det Store Varpet in 1961.
She also worked as an assistant director on Hunger (Sult) (1966), directed by Henning Carlsen and based on the novel by Knut Hamsun.
Her first film as a director and screenwriter was the 1967 short film Growing Up, followed by the feature-length Rape (Voldtekt), released in 1971. Rape was praised by critics, but also sparked debate due to its criticism of the Norwegian criminal justice system.
Wives was inspired as a feminist response to John Cassavetes" Husbands (1972), and follows three women in their thirties who temporarily abandon their domestic responsibilities for a day of freedom. Breien has directed most of the films produced from her screenplays, one exception being 1994"s Second Sight (Trollsyn), directed by Ola Solum.