10/10/2024 - With Steve McQueen and Jesse Eisenberg in attendance, the gathering will focus on Canada and will boast the launch of a brand-new series section

Celebrating its 35th edition this year, the Stockholm International Film Festival’s 2024 programme was unveiled on Wednesday, sporting a whopping 135 titles from 50 countries. Between 6 November, kicking off with Sean Baker’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner Anora, and 17 November, bowing out with Pablo Larraín’s Maria Callas biopic Maria [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], 12 full days of cinematic activity are on the cards. On the agenda are spotlights on selected themes and regions, industry gatherings, master classes, Q&A sessions, exhibitions, concerts, parties, happy hours and distinguished guests of honour. Competitions include the 1KM Film Award for the most promising emerging talents, the shorts and documentary competitions, and the brand-new Nordic Wave Award for innovative filmmaking by Nordic directors.

Taking centre stage is the official competition for the Bronze Horse prizes, overseen by a discerning jury of notable merit, consisting of director Milad Alami (Opponent [+see also:
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interview: Milad Alami
film profile]), producer Mathilde Dedye (And Then We Danced [+see also:
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interview: Levan Akin
interview: Levan Gelbakhiani
film profile]) and actor Joel Spira (Easy Money [+see also:
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film profile]).

Among the official 2024 competitors, which number 20 in all and cover most continents, one can find Frida Kempff’s The Swedish Torpedo [+see also:
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interview: Frida Kempff
film profile], Gustav Möller’s Sons [+see also:
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film profile], Laurynas Bareisa’s Drowning Dry [+see also:
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interview: Laurynas Bareiša
film profile] and Saule Bliuvaite’s Toxic [+see also:
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interview: Directors Talks @ European …
interview: Saulė Bliuvaitė
film profile] from the Nordic and Baltic regions, and Agathe Riedinger’s Wild Diamond [+see also:
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interview: Agathe Riedinger
film profile], Bernhard Wenger’s Peacock [+see also:
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interview: Bernhard Wenger
film profile] and Fabian Stumm’s Sad Jokes [+see also:
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interview: Fabian Stumm
film profile] from Continental Europe. Lin Jianjie’s Brief History of a Family [+see also:
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film profile], Hiroshi Okuyama’s My Sunshine [+see also:
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interview: Hiroshi Okuyama
film profile] and Meryam Joobeur’s Who Do I Belong To [+see also:
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interview: Meryam Joobeur
film profile] are the Asian and African contenders, while the US titles include Sarah Friedland’s Familiar Touch, RaMell Ross’s Nickel Boys and Constane Tang’s Blue Sun Palace.

The special 2024 Spotlight theme is labelled “Men in Crisis”, and among the represented titles are Nathan Silver’s Between the Temples, starring Jason Schwartzman, Animale [+see also:
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interview: Emma Benestan
film profile] by Emma Benestan, Michael Premo’s documentary on Trump supporters Homegrown (see the review) and The Heirloom by Ben Petrie. Petrie’s film is also part of the Country in Focus programme, showcasing Canadian highlights such as the Oscar submission Universal Language by Matthew Rankin, also in the main competition, Kazik Radwanski’s Matt & Mara and Chris Nash’s horror spectacle In a Violent Nature. Entered in the documentary competition are Lorna Tucker’s world premiere of Garbo: Where Did You Go?, from the UK, Brazilian helmer Petra Costa’s Apocalypse in the Tropics, Simon Klose’s Swedish Tribeca winner Hacking Hate [+see also:
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film profile] and another Swedish Tribeca player, Henrik Burman’s Tim Bergling portrait Avicii – I’m Tim.

Brand new at the festival is the Stockholm Series section, this year screening five Swedish shows, among them Jens Jonsson and Henrik Georgsson’s End of Summer (see the news), Jesper Ganslandt’s Cry Wolf [+see also:
series review
interview: Jesper Ganslandt
series profile], starring Eva Melander, and Daniel Espinosa’s The Helicopter Heist [+see also:
series review
trailer
interview: Daniel Espinosa
series profile]; the latter two will also enjoy their world premieres. Guests of honour include Jesse Eisenberg and Steve McQueen, both receiving special-achievement awards and providing master classes. True to tradition, the illustrious Skandia cinema in the heart of Stockholm will be the flagship venue, at times enhanced by a glorious red carpet, affirming a splendid time being guaranteed for all.

The full programme can be consulted on the festival’s official website.