The comprehensive schedule for the 48th installment of Scandinavia’s largest film and television event, the Göteborg Film Festival, has been revealed. This event will take place from January 24th to February 2nd in Gothenburg, Sweden’s second-largest city.
In her debut as artistic director, Pia Lundberg and her team are preparing an abundant selection of 270 movies hailing from 83 different nations for their film festival’s more than 270,000 spectators in both theaters and online platforms. This program will feature no less than 25 world premiere screenings.
Kicking off this year’s theme, “Disobedience” and civil resistance, is the opening film “Safe House,” directed by Norwegian filmmaker Eirik Svensson. The star-studded cast includes Kristine Kujath Thorp from “Sick of Myself” and Alexander Karim from “Gladiator 2.” This film is based on the true story of Lindin Hurum, the Director General of Doctors Without Borders in Norway, and takes place within a refugee camp during the 2013 civil war in the Central African Republic. The central character, Norwegian aid worker Linn, faces intense pressure as she attempts to protect a man while ensuring her colleagues’ safety doesn’t get compromised. Festival director Lundberg expressed excitement about starting the festival with such an engaging and emotionally impactful film, stating that the protagonist’s struggle against rules and immense bravery aligns powerfully with this year’s program emphasis on “Disobedience.”
The film titled “Safe House” is additionally participating in the primary Nordic competition of the festival. In this event, a total of nine films will battle for one of the world’s largest monetary awards worth SEK 400,000 ($36,000).
Among the other notable contenders are “The Girl with the Needle” (an Oscar shortlistee directed by Magnus von Horn), “When the Light Breaks” (the 2024 Cannes Un Certain Regard opening film by Rúnar Rúnarsson), “Love” (a Berlin Golden Bear entrant directed by Dan Johan Haugerud), “My Eternal Summer” (selected for San Sebastian by Sylvia Le Fanu), “Sauna” (selected for 2025 Sundance by Mathias Broe), “Orenda” (selected for 2025 Rotterdam by Pirjo Honkasalo), and two Swedish debuts slated for their world premieres.
The film ‘Live a Little,’ helmed by up-and-coming director Fanny Ovesen (‘She-Pack,’ ‘All That is Left’), who received the Anna Prize for its connection to the UN Women’s Convention, follows two young girls, Laura and Alexandra, on their summer voyage through Europe via couch-surfing. However, their adventure takes an unforeseen twist when, following a night of reckless partying, Laura finds herself in a stranger’s home with no recollection of the events. In the leading roles are Embla Ingelman-Sundberg, Aviva Wrede, and French actor Oscar Leasage (‘Marie Antoinette’).
In the first person, I’d describe it like this: “I’ve been deeply moved by ‘Kevlar Soul’ by Maria Eriksson-Hecht (‘The Thin Blue Line’), a gripping and emotionally intense drama that follows the journey of two brothers as they grapple with a world that has let them down. This powerful production is being brought to life by Lizette Jonjic of Zentropa Sweden and Ronny Fritsche of Avokado Films.
Featured titles in the Nordic Competition program encompass “Mr Nobody Against Putin” by David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin, fresh from Sundance. This film chronicles the journey of Russian teacher Talankin, an unconventional hero, as he embarks on a battle against Putin’s propaganda machine in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The production is handled by Made in Copenhagen, with DR Sales overseeing sales. Additional Nordic documentary entries include “About a Hero” by Piotr Winiewicz, which premiered at IDFA, and the world debut of “Ultras”, where Ragnhild Ekner provides an intriguing portrayal of the football ‘Ultras’ subculture. Story AB in Sweden takes charge of production.
International Film Gems
Each year, the Ingmar Bergman Competition offers a rich array of international films to our viewers, providing an alternative to top Nordic productions. This time around, we will showcase eight debut or second features, including “On Falling” by Laura Carreira from San Sebastian and Denise Fernandes’ “Hanami”, which won a New Directors’ Award in Chicago. Additionally, our International Competition will feature 18 films from 18 distinct countries. Among these are the Cannes Grand Prix winner “All We Image as Light” by Payal Kapadia, the prison drama “Inside”, starring Guy Pierce and making its international debut, and the Spanish thriller “Pheasant Island”.
Asier Urbieta’s first film is set to make its global introduction in Göteborg, narrating the story of a young couple whose tranquil lives are disrupted when a body mysteriously turns up on Pheasant Island situated in the Bidasoa river that borders France and Spain.
In other parts of the event, the non-competitive Gala section will highlight 14 acclaimed films featuring an array of stars. These include Joshua Oppenheimer’s “The End,” Brady Corbet’s triple Golden Globe winner “The Brutalist,” James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown,” and Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer.
It was previously mentioned that special retrospectives are planned, focusing on esteemed figures in the film industry: Julie Delpy, who will receive the Dragon Honorary Award, and Thomas Vinterberg, who will get the Nordic Honorary Award. Both will also conduct masterclasses. Additionally, award-winning Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof (“The Seed of the Sacred Fig”) will be present.
As a movie enthusiast, I eagerly anticipate the tribute to Sweden’s legendary filmmaker Maj Zetterling, who would have celebrated her centennial in 2025. This special retrospective will honor her fearless approach to portraying complex themes such as sexuality and societal norms, particularly in her groundbreaking directorial debut “Loving Couples,” which caused quite a stir at Cannes in 1965 for its boldness.
The closing event of the festival will be the first-ever public screening of the Danish epic revenge thriller “Stranger,” a production set in ancient Scandinavia. This is the debut feature film from Mads Hedegaard and features Angela Bundalovic, known for her role in “Copenhagen Cowboy,” as well as Danica Curcic, who starred in “The Chestnut Man.” The movie is produced by Motor and distributed by REinvent.
To date, approximately 20 international celebrities have confirmed their participation, among them actresses Trine Dyrholm, Tuva Novotny and director Thomas Alfredson. They will debut the entire season of his SVT/Arte drama series “Faithless” as a Nordic first screening.
Regarding gender representation in our film program, Lundberg expressed some dissatisfaction since women make up about 44% of all films. She pointed out that this figure has decreased in recent years, which is unfortunate given our commitment to achieving gender equality. On the global stage, the disparity was even more pronounced, with approximately 75% of films directed by men compared to women. In the Nordic region, we’re closer at around 47.5%, but there’s still room for improvement in our festival selections. Lundberg also mentioned a situation in Sweden where fewer films are being produced and funding from the Swedish Film Institute has declined. While some independent Swedish films are still getting financed, these tend to be directed by men more often.
The two simultaneous industry events related to television dramas, known as TV Drama Vision, taking place in Gothenburg, will be held from January 28th to 29th. Meanwhile, the Nordic Film Market will extend from January 29th to 31st. In simpler terms, TV Drama Vision and the Nordic Film Market will both take place in Gothenburg, with TV Drama Vision happening from January 28th to 29th, and the Nordic Film Market running from January 29th to 31st.
Nordic Film Competition
“Kevlar Soul” (Maria Eriksson-Hecht, Sweden/Norway/Finland)
“Live a Little” (Fanny Ovesen, Sweden/Norway/Denmark)
“Love” (Dag Johan Haugerud, Norway)
“My Eternal Summer” (Sylvia Le Fanu, Denmark)
“Orenda” (Pirjo Honkasalo, Finland)
“Safe House” (Eirik Svensson, Norway)
“Sauna” (Mathias Broe, Denmark)
“The Girl with the Needle” (Magnus von Horn, Denmark/Poland/Sweden)
“When the Light Breaks” (Rúnar Rúnarsson, Iceland/Netherlands/Croatia/France)
Nordic Documentary Competition
“About a Hero” (Piotr Winiewicz, Denmark/Germany/USA)
“Alexandra, If Not Seen, You” (Olivia Kastebring, Sweden)
“Kyiv Soloists” (Trond Kvig Andreassen, Norway/The Netherlands/Ukraine)
“Mr. Nobody Against Putin” (David Borenstein, Pavel Talankin, Denmark/Czech Republic)
“The Mind” (Roozbeh Janghorban, Sweden)
“The Dialogue Police” (Susanna Edwards, Sweden)
“Trans Memoria” (Victoria Verseau, Sweden/France)
“Ultras” (Ragnhild Ekner, Sweden/Denmark/Finland)
International Competition
“All We Imagine as Light” (Payal Kapadia, India/France/Netherlands/Luxemburg)
“Beloved Tropic” (Ana Endara, Panama/Colombia)
“Honeymoon” (Zhanna Ozirna, Ukraine)
“Inside” (Charles Williams, Australia/Sweden)
“Maybe It’s True What They Say About Us” (Sofía Paloma Gómez, Camilo Becerra,
“Measures for a Funeral” (Sofia Bohdanowicz, Canada))
“Memoir of a Snail” (Adam Elliot, Australia)
“Ma-Cry of Silence” (The Maw Naing (Myanmar/South Korea/Singapore/France/Norway/Qatar)
“Pheasant Island” (Asier Urbieta, Spain)
“Santosh” (Sandhya Suri, UK/India/France/Germany/Chile/Argentina/Spain)
“September Says” (Ariane Labed, Ireland/Germany/Greece/UK/France)
“Super Happy Forever” (Kohei Igarashi, France/Japan)
“The Quiet Son” (Delphine Coulin, Muriel Coulin, France)
“The Village Next to Paradise” (Mo Harawe, Austria/France/Germany/Somalia)
“Three Friends” (Emmanuel Mouret, France)
“Three Kilometres to the End of the World” (Emanuel Parvu, Romania)
Journeying to an Uncharted Destination” – This film is by Mahdi Fleifel, a multinational director hailing from the UK, Palestine, France, Greece, Netherlands, Germany, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
“Vermiglio” (Maura Delpero, Italy/France/Belgium)
Ingmar Bergman Competition
“Cactus Pears” (Rohan Parashuram Kanawade, India/UK/Canada)
“Crocodile Tears” (Tumpal Tampubolon, Indonesia/France/Singapore/Germany
“Gülızar” (Belkis Bayrak, Turkey/Kosovo)
“Hanami” (Denise Fernandes (Swizerland/Portugal/Cap Verde)
“On Falling” (Laura Carreira (UK/Portugal)
“Then, the Fog” (Martín Sappia, Argentina)
“The Land of Morning Calm” (Park Ri-woong, South Korea)
“The Last Romantics” (David Pérez Sañudo, Spain)
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2025-01-07 15:18