Pia Lundberg’s recent appointment as artistic director of the Göteborg Film Festival has been greeted with almost unanimous acclaim, both at its Swedish home base and internationally. Fresh from a tenure as a cultural counsellor in London, before that heading up the international department at the Swedish Film Institute and still before that writing for trade publications, she could only be referred to as a seasoned player and just right for the job. We talked to her at this year's edition of the festival.

Cineuropa: How is your new position agreeing with you, so far?
Pia Lundberg: Quite seamlessly integrating with my previous tasks, I’m pleased to say. I started out as a journalist, did a few years with the international trades, where I reported on Swedish and Nordic film news. From there, I went on to the Swedish Film Institute, where I also promoted Swedish film internationally, and drew from the same connections and attended the same festivals. When I started working as a cultural counsellor, I had good use of my film connections as so many cultural expressions interact with cinema; musicians writing film music, authors whose works are adapted into film scripts, or authors who write screenplays, stage actors and directors who work in film – all this formed an excellent network. Göteborg, of course, is very familiar to me. I’ve attended at least ten editions over the years, and I know so many in this industry.

You have just completed your first edition. What’s your assessment?
It’s gone miraculously well – we’re very happy and content. We just looked over the last days’ attendance numbers, and there’s so many sold out screenings you wouldn’t believe it! The statistics imply a really good year for us, to say the least. To me, as a newcomer, the enthusiasm of the audience has been overwhelming to experience, the joy, the commitment. All this talk of cinema crises - none of that can be noticed during these ten days. People even take leave from work in order to watch movies, not least Swedish and Nordic films, where the statistics are said to be especially low. Not here. People may have gotten better home screens and sound equipment and we’ve seen attendance numbers going down after the pandemic, but when the filmmakers are present on stage for Q&A sessions, it’s a special event. And it doesn’t have to be only at festivals, you can really do things like this all year around, place the screening within a larger context.

Can you share any special highlights from this year’s edition?
Any time, really, when I’ve been on stage to present a film to a full house, feeling the anticipation from the audience and the premiere nerves of the film crew, when the room actually vibrates.

The festival presented 25 world premieres this year, primarily Nordic features and among them a Swedish majority. What would you say about the growth in new talent?
To take two Swedish examples, Fanny Ovesen’s Live a Little [+lire aussi :
critique
interview : Fanny Ovesen
fiche film] and Maria Eriksson-Hecht’s Kevlar Soul [+lire aussi :
critique
interview : Maria Eriksson-Hecht
fiche film], both first features, give me great hope. The same can be said for the films presented in the shorts competition. Some of these filmmakers, who often show their work to an audience for the first time, let alone a large audience, show tremendous promise. They’re full of curiosity and experimentation, and I hope and feel that some of them will create features one day. Not least in these days, when Swedish film financing and support is undergoing a crisis, and even the minister of culture quite sharply addressed this in her festival opening speech.

There’s a lot going on in Swedish cinema right now, not least the government inquiry being conducted on the national film policy, where you yourself is part of an expert committee. What can you say about these procedures, if anything, right now?
I’m not at liberty to divulge anything per se; the result will be presented on 4 March. But the process has been very interesting to be a part of, and very ambitious from everyone involved. I hope that both the industry and an interested audience will respond to what’s presented, and that the industry will engage and put together comments regarding what’s being presented. We’re up against some big issues and we certainly need new initiatives when it comes to financing and support procedures. 

Finally, what are your plans for Göteborg's 2026 edition?
Personally, after this year’s edition, where I’ve done everything for the first time and learned so much in the process, things will be even easier the next time. I will put great energy into the selection, of course, and with my background as a journalist, I love to conduct the on-stage conversations with our guests. These encounters are the heart of the festival, as is the focus on Nordic cinema, something that has greatly resonated internationally, and continues to do so.