08/01/2019 - The veteran Nordic film gathering will present vital titles from all corners of the world and honour great Dane Mads Mikkelsen

The 42^nd edition of the trustworthy Göteborg Film Festival will open on 25 January with the world premiere of Aurora [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Miia Tervo
film profile], the debut feature by Finland’s Miia Tervo, and will close on 4 February with the Swedish title Swoon [+see also:
film review
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interview: Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein
film profile] by seasoned duo Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein (Underworld Awakening, Shed No Tears). In total, 376 films from 83 countries will be screened, as artistic director Jonas Holmberg announced at the programme-unveiling press conference earlier today. 

The highly vital and now well-established Nordic Dragon Award section will feature ten Nordic contenders for the main prize of SEK 1 million (circa €100,000). In addition to Aurora, the 2019 competition includes the recent Swedish Cineuropa Prize winner (see the news) Aniara [+see also:
film review
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film profile] by Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja, Norway’s Blind Spot [+see also:
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interview: Tuva Novotny
film profile] by Tuva Nuvotny (both screened at the most recent Toronto), the Swedish-Danish film Koko-di Koko-da [+see also:
film review
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interview: Johannes Nyholm
film profile] by Johannes Nyholm, Denmark’s Queen of Hearts [+see also:
film review
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interview: Gustav Lindh
interview: May el-Toukhy
film profile] by May El-Toukhy and Norway’s Sonja: The White Swan [+see also:
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interview: Anne Sewitsky
interview: Ine Marie Wilmann
film profile] by Anne Sewitsky (all three opening at Sundance), as well as two Swedish world premieres: Lucky One [+see also:
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interview: Mia Engberg
film profile] by Mia Engberg and Ridge [+see also:
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film profile] by John Skoog.

Branching out of its traditionally Nordic stronghold, Göteborg now also presents an International Competition, with the winner due to be selected by the festival audience and awarded the sum of SEK 50,000 (€5,000). This year’s selection of 20 fiction or documentary titles brings us films from Europe, including Petra [+see also:
film review
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interview: Jaime Rosales
film profile] by Jaime Rosales (Spain), Maya [+see also:
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interview: Mia Hansen-Løve
film profile] by Mia Hansen-Løve and Sorry Angel [+see also:
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Q&A: Christophe Honoré
film profile] by Christophe Honoré (both France), In Fabric [+see also:
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interview: Peter Strickland
film profile] by Peter Strickland (UK) and Joy [+see also:
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interview: Sudabeh Mortezai
film profile] by Sudabeh Mortezai (Austria). Africa is also represented, by The Harvesters [+see also:
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interview: Etienne Kallos
film profile] by Etienne Kallos (South Africa/France/Greece) and Rafiki [+see also:
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interview: Wanuri Kahiu
film profile] by Wanuri Kahiu (Kenya/South Africa/France), while the Americas will enjoy a strong presence with Fireflies by Bani Khoshnoudi (Mexico/USA/Greece), Too Late to Die Young [+see also:
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film profile] by Dominga Sotomayor (Chile/Brazil/Argentina) and Giant Little Ones by Keith Behrman (Canada). The Asian movies include A Land Imagined [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] by Siew Hua Yeo (Singapore/France/Netherlands), while The River [+see also:
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interview: Emir Baigazin
film profile] by Emir Baigazin (Kazakhstan/Poland/Norway) hails from several different corners of the world all at once. The full programme can be consulted here.

The 12^th edition of the Ingmar Bergman Competition, awarding a feature debut with – to use Bergman’s own definition – “an existential theme with a dynamic or experimental approach to the cinematic means of expression”, has eight contenders in the running, among them the German title Aren’t You Happy? [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Susanne Heinrich and Hungary’s Guerilla [+see also:
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film profile] by György Mór Kárpáti. 

Confirmed guests include Bille August, Jill Bilcock, Mark Cousins, Trine Dyrholm, Benedikt Erlingsson, Adina Pintilie, brothers Emil and Joachim Trier, Thomas Vinterberg and many more. This year’s Nordic Honorary Dragon Award will be bestowed upon Dane Mads Mikkelsen, once one of the cockiest representatives of the “young” Danish wave of the 1990s (notably Pusher), these days a highly celebrated international thespian of the most distinguished calibre (notably Casino Royale [+see also:
trailer
film profile]).