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 [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
fiche film], 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 [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Milad Alami
fiche film]), producer Mathilde Dedye (And Then We Danced [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Levan Akin
interview : Levan Gelbakhiani
fiche film]) and actor Joel Spira (Easy Money [+lire aussi :
bande-annonce
fiche film]).

Among the official 2024 competitors, which number 20 in all and cover most continents, one can find Frida Kempff’s The Swedish Torpedo [+lire aussi :
critique
interview : Frida Kempff
fiche film], Gustav Möller’s Sons [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
fiche film], Laurynas Bareisa’s Drowning Dry [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Laurynas Bareiša
fiche film] and Saule Bliuvaite’s Toxic [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Directors Talks @ European…
interview : Saulė Bliuvaitė
fiche film] from the Nordic and Baltic regions, and Agathe Riedinger’s Wild Diamond [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Agathe Riedinger
fiche film], Bernhard Wenger’s Peacock [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Bernhard Wenger
fiche film] and Fabian Stumm’s Sad Jokes [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Fabian Stumm
fiche film] from Continental Europe. Lin Jianjie’s Brief History of a Family [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
fiche film], Hiroshi Okuyama’s My Sunshine [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Hiroshi Okuyama
fiche film] and Meryam Joobeur’s Who Do I Belong To [+lire aussi :
critique
interview : Meryam Joobeur
fiche film] 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 [+lire aussi :
critique
interview : Emma Benestan
fiche film] 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 [+lire aussi :
critique
fiche film] 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 [+lire aussi :
critique
interview : Jesper Ganslandt
fiche série], starring Eva Melander, and Daniel Espinosa’s The Helicopter Heist [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Daniel Espinosa
fiche série]; 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.