Gothenburg head Jonas Holmberg talks about the festival line-up thriving during the pandemic and Scandinavia’s changing film culture

The Gothenburg Swedish Film Festival today launched its 2023 programme, with 250 feature films screened over 10 days, highlighted by Isabella Carbonell’s thriller dog born, with the well-received historical piece by Swedish rap star Silvana Imam and Hlynur Pálmasons land of the gods. Other notable titles are those of Marie Kreutzer corsagekeep their man in international competition, and the latest from Mia Engberg hyper afternoon in the documentary film competition.

The festival opens on January 27 with the world premiere of Abbe Hassan’s emotionally charged debut Exodus, which follows the story of a professional people smuggler who tries to rescue a 12-year-old girl whose family is missing in the Syrian war. The closing film of the festival on February 5 is camino by Birgitte Staermose. The film is Viaplay’s first Danish film project and shows the complex relationship between a father and daughter traveling a famous pilgrimage route in Spain.

Guests visiting Gothenburg will include Alicia Vikander, who will host a gala screening of films produced by the 2022 class of students at the Alicia Vikander Film Lab – a three-year film education program aimed at increasing diversity in cinema. Ruben Östlund, Honorary President of the festival, will also lead an interactive screening of his Palme d’Or winner, triangle of sadnessin Gothenburg on January 28.

As for the industry, the 17th edition of TV Drama Vision Summit will be held on February 1-2, while the Nordic Film Market will be held on February 2-5.

Gothenburg artistic director Jonas Holmberg spoke to Deadline a day before the show was announced to discuss this year’s lineup. Below, Holmberg explains some of the program’s hidden gems, how the festival managed to survive and thrive during the pandemic, and the current state of Scandinavian cinema.

MEETING: Is this the second year of Gothenburg’s full in-person events since the pandemic?

JONAS HOLMBERG: Yeah, well, sort of. Last year, the day before the program was released, new restrictions were announced in Sweden due to the Omicron wave. So we held a theater festival, but the cinemas were quite empty. So this is the first full year back.

MEETING: How is the festival doing structurally and financially after three years of the pandemic?

HOLMBERG: We are doing well, especially since we run a streaming service together with a film festival, Draken Film, Sweden’s leading art house streaming service. That was our saving grace, both economically and in terms of hitting an audience. Many festivals struggled during the pandemic, but since we already had our own streaming platform, it was much easier for us. We already had a direct relationship with the public in Sweden. We had a large audience during those two pandemic years. And that’s because we already had that infrastructure.

MEETING: Can you explain how the dragon movie works? Is it similar to other subscription services where members pay a fee for access?

HOLMBERG: Yes, it’s like Arthouse Netflix or Mubi. Other festivals have streaming services, but we have managed to achieve a strong market position that has contributed to the festival’s sustainability and allowed us to experiment with how to meet audiences and create valuable experiences for films.

DEADLINE: How is the local industry developing?

HOLMBERG: Good and bad. The problem in Sweden is the theater situation. Audiences did not return to the theaters. They also don’t watch Swedish films like they used to. Denmark is doing better, but there is also the problem of global streaming services that have changed the structure of the film economy and culture, making it harder for traditional businesses.

MEETING: How would you describe this year’s Scandinavian League squad?

HOLMBERG: It’s very tough competition. The selected films differ in tone and aesthetics. However, a recurring theme in this year’s selection is that Scandinavian filmmakers are now grappling with their country’s colonial past. It’s not because we were actively looking for that type of film, it’s something that’s in the spirit of the times. In continental Europe the issue was predictable, now it is time for the Scandinavian countries to reflect on their role in European colonial history.

MEETING: Tsar Amir Ebrahimi is head of the Scandinavian League. Why was she the best choice?e leading this year’s jury?

HOLMBERG: We chose Zar because she has demonstrated great talent and artistic integrity, which is critical in leading a jury. Like Zar, we also want to draw attention to the struggle in Iran, where filmmakers are in prison and people are risking their lives on the streets. We want to achieve the same with film programming. We show several films about the situation in Iran.

MEETING: Jan Troell is the recipient of this year’s honorary award. How did you come up with his name?

HOLMBERG: Jan Troell is one of the great film artists from Scandinavia. He made many memorable films and created images that will forever remain in the heart of Scandinavian cinema. But we chose it this year because we are presenting a focus section where we explore the concept of homecoming in films. Of everything Troell did, he made the film The emigrants and the sequel the new world, these are basic Swedish stories about leaving home. So we thought, why not celebrate the man who brought these stories to the big screen?

MEETING: Which films in the show do you think could make headlines? What should the public pay attention to?

HOLMBERG: One of the titles I find interesting this year is hyper afternoon, a documentary film directed by Mia Engberg, a Swedish filmmaker. The film accompanies Engberg as he films during a year of medical treatment. It sounds a bit depressing, but it is very poetic. It’s about love, memory and space. Another film we show in the Scandinavian League that I like is Rich. The direction is in the hands of the Danish filmmaker Frederikke Aspöck. The film is about how slavery was abolished in the Danish West Indies. The film is interesting both aesthetically and in terms of how it challenges historical perceptions. And of course our opening film Exodus, directed by Abu Hassan in his film debut. The film is an emotionally powerful story about the 2015 refugee crisis.