“A multifaceted reflection of these times in our lives, the battles, the desires and the confusion. It’s engaged and combative, but also romantic, playful and challenging.” Such reads the summing up of the introduction to the 46^th edition of the Göteborg Film Festival, unspooling from 27 January-5 February and showcasing 250 titles from 80 countries, including 50 world premieres. Add to this an array of panels, parties and assorted presentations, all under the honourable banner of bringing the world to Göteborg and serving as a springboard for new Nordic film.

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“To bring Nordic cinema out into the world and to be the greatest film festival in the world for Nordic cinema is our particular dedication,” says artistic director Jonas Holmberg. “It’s our niche on this planet, as it were.” A thankful task, not least in view of last year’s successes with a record Nordic Cannes attendance and Sweden getting the Palme d’Or. “It’s been incredibly strong, not least artistically. The variety is great, and we’re doing our best to keep on nourishing it,” Holmberg beams while discussing the abundant smorgasbord at hand, lovingly prepared and providing ample opportunities to sample some of the recent world cinema titles of note.

Kicking off the festivities is Sweden’s Exodus [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Abbe Hassan
scheda film] by Abbe Hassan, who rose to international prominence as the producer behind A Hustler’s Diary [+leggi anche:
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scheda film]. Hassan’s directorial feature debut, inspired by personal childhood experiences, starts out in war-ridden Syria, and heads off to Europe and a better life. The film is also playing in the Nordic Competition, Göteborg’s flagship tournament, bestowing a cash prize of 400,000 SEK (€35,500) upon the winner of the Dragon Award. The nine 2023 entries are Exodus and Isabella Carbonell’s Dogborn [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Isabella Carbonell
scheda film] from Sweden, Copenhagen Does Not Exist by Martin Skovbjerg, Empire by Frederikke Aspöck, Unruly [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Malou Reymann and Godland [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Elliott Crosset Hove
intervista: Hlynur Pálmason
scheda film] by Hlynur Pálmason from Denmark, Munch [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Henrik M. Dahlsbakken
scheda film] by Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken and Let the River Flow [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Ole Giæver
scheda film] by Ole Giæver from Norway, and Four Little Adults by Selma Vilhunen from Finland. Several titles depict the Nordic aspect of colonialism, with Empire visiting the Danish West Indies in the 19^th century, while Let the River Flow deals with the construction of the Alta Dam in the 1970s, leading to a conflict between the Norwegian state and the Sámi population in the area.

The Ingmar Bergman Competition focuses on creative debut features and the International Competition on hand-picked worldwide gems. The Nordic Documentary Competition sports Mia Engberg’s highly anticipated Hypermoon [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Mia Engberg
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scheda film] and Lucky One [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Mia Engberg
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intervista: Sami van Ingen, Mika Taanila
scheda film], a venture that goes back to the explorations of documentary doyen Robert Flaherty through his living descendants. Yet another true doyen, 91-year-old Jan Troell, will be in town to pick up the 2023 Nordic Honorary Dragon Award. Additional local luminaries in attendance are Alicia Vikander and Ruben Östlund, and as usual, the lively Nordic Film Market will gather together industry visitors from near and far.

The full programme can be found here.