Stockholm International Film Festival

SINCE: 1990

WHERE: Stockholm, Sweden

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

Stockholm International Film Festival started in 1990 and is one of the leading film festivals in Europe. During twelve intense days in November the festival presents 150 film premieres from more than 60 countries.

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Stockholm International Film Festival

THREE BILLBOARD OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI Wins Audience Award at Stockholm International Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_23572" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri[/caption] The 28th edition of Stockholm International Film Festival wrapped on Sunday, and presented the festival’s Audience Award 2017 to Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, directed by Martin McDonagh. The film was also one of the most seen ones throughout the festival. Each year, the Stockholm International Film Festival invites the festivalgoers to select the winner of one of the most important awards of the festival – the Audience Award. The audience nominates their favourite film by voting. This year’s Award goes to Martin McDonagh for the film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Runner up is God’s Own Country by Francis Lee followed by Insyriated av Philippe Van Leeuw. The very first Audience Award was handed out in 2009 to Louie Psihoyos documentary The Cove. Other winners include Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave and Xavier Dolan’s Mommy. Below are the ten most popular films selected by the audience: Insyriated God’s Own Country Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Searing Summer The Party Shape of Water Thelma A Fantastic Woman Call Me by Your Name
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28th Stockholm International Film Festival Awards – JEUNE FEMME Wins Best Film

[caption id="attachment_25578" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Jeune Femme[/caption] French director Léonor Seraille received the Bronze Horse award for Best Film for his film Jeune Femme at the 28th Stockholm International Film Festival. For Ahkeem by Jeremy S. Levine och Landon Van Soest was awarded the prize for Best Documentary.
Winners 0f 2017 Stockholm International Film Festival Award

STOCKHOLM XXVIII COMPETITION
Best Film: Jeune Femme by Léonor Seraille. For its dynamic and astute study of a young woman perennially on the edge in modern society, featuring the most memorably vivacious character. A small-scale story that finds profundity in sharp specificity, along with comedy in tragedy (and vice versa.) Best Debut: I Am Not A Witch by Rungano Nyoni. For its bracingly unique style and story, a film that exposes its viewers to heretofore unforeseen settings and characters with a stunning clarity of vision. An unforgettable debut, which tackles issues of female repression and exploitation with both off-kilter humour and devastating pathos. Best Director: God’s Own Country by Francis Lee. For its beautifully naturalistic and understated approach grappling with themes of maturity, sexuality and acceptance, as well its pragmatic and sympathetic portrayal of farmers’ daily struggles. Best Screenplay: No Date, No Signature by Vahid Jalilvand and Ali Zarnegar. For its methodical exploration of the unspeakable ethical quandaries triggered by shocking tragedy, and its complex and systematic examination of issues of privilege (and lack thereof), guilt and culpability. Best Cinematography: Paul Guilhaum for Ava. For its wonderfully playful and idiosyncratic visual style that hearkens back to a wide swath of cinema history while still forging its own distinct aesthetic. A movie-lover’s movie filled with fantastic iconography. Best Actress: Antonia Zegers for Los Perros. For her subtle and multi-faceted portrayal of a wealthy woman grappling with shifting attractions and desires while wading into increasingly murky moral territory. A performer whose emotions brilliantly shimmer just under the surface. Best Actor: Josh O’Connor for God’s Own Country. For his brave and delicate portrayal of a character seething with rage yet capable of extraordinary empathy. A lived-in performance that captures the full arc of an unsettled young man coming to terms with his lot in life while learning to care for the people around him.
STOCKHOLM XXVIII DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Best Documentary: For Ahkeem by Jeremy S. Levine och Landon Van Soest. This film is a nonjudgmental, intimate and warm portrayal of love and hardship set against the backdrop of police brutality. It depicts, in a very organic way, what it takes to survive as young people today, with the odds stacked against them. Capturing the unpredictability of real life without forcing its morals on the audience.
STOCKHOLM XXVIII SHORT FILM COMPETITION
Best Short Film: Retouch by Kaveh Mazaheri. This is a film defying genre definition – and still it’s a social realist, gender political thriller. With a delicate touch and a sense of humor, it questions traditional ideas on women’s place in society, in Iran and across the world.
STOCKHOLM LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Stockholm Lifetime Achievement Award: Vanessa Redgrave This year’s winner of the Stockholm Lifetime Achievement Award has been one of the most prominent actors in the world for over five decades and has been named ”the greatest living actress of our time” by Tennesse Williams. She is as brilliant in costume dramas and political documentaries as she is in works of some of the greatest auteurs in cinematic history. With astonishing force and great social commitment, Vanessa Redgrave has made acting her life’s work.
STOCKHOLM VISIONARY AWARD
Stockholm Visionary Award: Pablo Larraín This year’s Stockholm Visionary Award winner is a versatile director with great artistic precision. With a sharp eye directed towards the history of Chile, Pablo Larraín has – via individual life destinies with universal reach – revealed corruption and political deceit on all levels of society. He has redefined the biopic and is constantly broadening our cinematic horizons. With seven brilliant films behind him, Pablo Larraín is a truly visionary filmmaker.
STOCKHOLM IMPACT AWARD
Stockholm Impact Award: Wild Roses by Anna Jadowska For the sensitive depiction of a mother who refuses to abandon her true self, for the portrait of a revolting child that questions an utterly conservative society, for the visually exquisite style that contrasts with a world plunged in prejudice and moral coercion, the Stockholm Impact Award goes to Anna Jadowska for Wild Roses, a metaphor for human resilience.
STOCKHOLM RISING STAR
Stockholm Rising Star: Gustav Lindh The 2017 Rising Star is awarded by the Stockholm Film Festival to a young actor who has already made a powerful impression in several films. With sincerity and a great sense of presence in combination with dramatic precision – he succeeds in touching our deepest emotions. We anticipate a marvelous future within the world of cinema – Gustav Lindh
1 KM FILM
1 Km Film: Nyforelsket by Ville Sörman. This year’s 1 km film scholarship goes to a director with an original voice who accomplishes to put a face on the most complex contemporary emotions. With a visual energy and a sensible touch he cares about the characters on screen, and makes the audience care too. The winner of the 1 km film scholarship goes to Ville Sörman 1 Km Film Special Mention: Min Homosyster by Lia Hietala. A Special Mention goes to a director who has an astute ear for authentic dialogue and manages to establish absolute tonal control between characters and settings. A special mention goes to Lia Hietala.
THE FIPRESCI PRIZE
The FIPRESCI prize: Based On A True Story by Roman Polanski. The FIPRESCI award on the 28th Stockholm International Film Festival goes to the film that is marked with an exceptional quality of cinema language. The genre of ‘paranoic thriller’ is treated by the author as perfectly as it could be and allows him to research some extremely complicated issues without any loss of the enchanted energy of narration. The film considers the very process of an artistic creation as a sophisticated game between an artist and reality based on perpetual mutual manipulations and disguises. The formal brilliance is combined here with a crafty elaboration of every detail. So, the FIPRESCI jury is proudly and reverently announced that its award is going to Roman Polanski for the film D’après une histoire vraie (Based on a True Story).
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Anna Jadowska WILD ROSES Wins Stockholm Impact Award at Stockholm Film Festival

One of the world’s biggest cash prizes for film – the Stockholm Impact Award at Stockholm Film Festival went to Anna Jadowska for her film Wild Roses. Jadowska won the prize worth one million SEK and the award designed by the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. Ana Jadowska won “For the sensitive depiction of a mother who refuses to abandon her true self, for the portrait of a revolting child that questions an utterly conservative society, for the visually exquisite style that contrasts with a world plunged in prejudice and moral coercion, the Stockholm Impact Award goes to Anna Jadowska for Wild Roses, a metaphor for human resilience.” “Thank you so much for this award, I’m very honored. A special thanks to the Stockholm International Film Festival, the festival director, organizers, the city, of Stockholm and members of the jury. I had a long and difficult journey with this movie and to receive this award means a lot to me since it will give me the opportunity to do another film” says winning director Anna Jadowska. Director Anna Jadowska presents a powerful story about a woman facing the difficulties of following her own desires in a small, conservative and gossip-filled village. With striking forest imagery that beautifully captures light drizzling through branches, the film is an exceptional portrayal of a woman and her environment. While examining the plights of women in a conservative society, however, Wild Roses is also a touching depiction of the relationship between mother and daughter. The other nominated movies and directors were: Cardinals by Grayson Moore & Aidan Shipley The Last Verse by Ying-Ting Tseng My Pure Land by Sarman Masud Searing Summer by Ebrahim Irajzad The section Stockholm Impact Award is a collaboration between the Stockholm International Film Festival and the City of Stockholm with the purpose to highlight the possibility of film to create change and debate through the depiction of contemporary subjects. The prize amount of one million SEK will help the winner in the development of new film projects. Last year the director Wayne Roberts (USA) won the award for Katie Says Goodbye. 2015 the director Leena Yadav (India) won the award for Parched. Photo: Anna Jadowska – Wild Roses, (pictured center) 2017 Stockholm Impact Award Winner
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Iranian Director Mohammad Rasolou of A MAN WITH INTEGRITY Denied Exit from Iran ‘AGAIN’

The Stockholm International Film Festival issued a statement today, announcing that Iranian director Mohammad Rasolouf has been denied exit from Iran and will not be able to attend the upcoming festival to present his latest film A Man of Integrity. Earlier this year, director Mohammad Rasolouf returned to Iran after completing his latest movie A Man with Integrity. The director was invited to attend the Stockholm Film Festival along with his film, however on the 16th of September his passport was confiscated at Teheran’s airport and he has since been interrogated by the Iranian government several times. This is not the first time Rasolouf is subject to this treatment. In November 2013 the festival invited Rasolouf along with his film Manuscripts Don’t Burn, but was denied leaving Iran since his passport was confiscated under similar circumstances. Stockholm Film Festival’s visiting international and Swedish directors then chose to gather for a manifestation outside the Iranian Embassy to support Rasolouf’s cause. This and several other actions led to Rasoulof being released from Iran. When Rasoulof now again is exposed to the same violations of his human rights as in 2013, the Stockholm Film Festival wishes to draw attention to, and support a petition launched by the French producer Michèle Halberstadt with the purpose of releasing Mohammad Rasoulof. “We are grateful that Stockholm’s International Film Festival can be used as a platform to support artists and their freedom of expression, no matter where in the world they are,” says Git Scheynius, Festival Director.
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28th Stockholm International Film Festival Announces Lineup, THE SHAPE OF WATER, DOWNSIZING and More

[caption id="attachment_25167" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer in the film THE SHAPE OF WATER.[/caption] 150 films from 60 different countries have been selected to be screened at the 28th Stockholm International Film Festival that takes place from the November 8th to the 19th. A third of the films in this year’s festival program are directed by first-time filmmakers, the festival is also joined by legends such as this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award-winner Vanessa Redgrave. After a long and successful Hollywood-career 80 year old Vanessa Redgrave makes her debut as a director with the documentary Sea Sorrow. The film focuses on the global refugee crisis and is a part of this years Spotlight – Change. This years Visionary Award recipient is the director Pablo Larraín. Larraín is the director behind the Academy Award-nominated Jackie (2016); he is now attending the Stockholm Film festival with his latest film Neruda. The premiere movie of this year’s film festival is the critically acclaimed film The Shape Of Water by the director behind the Academy Award-winning Pan’s Labyrinth Guillermo del Toro. Del Toro also won the Gold Lion at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year. A selection of other films that will be screened are: Thelma by Joachim Trier, Call Me By Your Name by Luca Guadagnino, The Party by Sally Porter, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri by Martin McDonagh and last but not least Downsizing by Alexander Payne.
Stockholm International Film Festival – Program 2017

Stockholm XXVIII Competition
A Ciambra by Jonas Carpignano (Italy, France, USA, Germany, 120 min) Ava by Léa Mysius (France, 106 min) Beach Rats by Eliza Hittman Co (USA, 95 min) Beast by Michael Pearce (Great Britain, 107 min) Falling by Marina Stepanska (Ukraine, 105 min) Gabriel And The Mountain by Fellipe Gamarano Barbosa (Brazil, France, 127min) God’s Own Country by Francis Lee (Great Britain, 104 min) I Am Not A Witch by Rungano Nyoni (Great Britain, France, 92 min) Insyriated by Philippe Van Leeuw (Belgium, France, Liban, 85 min) Jeune Femme by Léonor Serraille (France, 97 min) King Of Peking by Sam Voutas (USA, Australia, China, 88 min) La familia by Gustavo Rondón Córdova (Venezuela, Chili, Norway, 82 min) Los Perros by Marcela Said (Chile, France, 94 min) No Date, No Signature by Vahid Jalilvand (Iran, 100 min) One Thousand Ropes by Tusi Tamasese (New Zealand, 98 min) The Rider by Chloé Zhao (USA, 105 min) Son of Sofia by Elina Psikou (Bulgaria, France, Greece, 105 min) Where The Shadows Fall by Valentina Pedicini (Italy, 95 min)
Stockholm XXVIII Documentary Competition
A Gray State by Erik Nelson (USA, 93 min) Copwatch by Camilla Hall (USA, 99 min) For Ahkeem by Jeremy S. Levine and Landon Van Soest (USA, 89 min) The Force by Peter Nicks (USA, 93 min) Lots of Kids, A Monkey, And A Castle by Gustavo Salmerón (Spain, 90 min) The New Radical by Adam Bhala Lough (USA, 120 min) Step by Amanda Lipitz (USA, 83 min) Tarzan’s Testicles by Alexandru Solomon (Romania, France, 107 min) This is Congo by Daniel McCabe (Democratic Republic of Congo, USA, Canada, 91 min) This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous by Barbara Kopple (USA, 91 min) True Conviction by Jamie Meltzer (USA, 84 min) The Venerable W by Barbet Schroeder (France, Switzerland, 100 min)
Stockholm Impact
Cardinals by Grayson Moore and Aidan Shipley (Canada, 84 min) The Last Verse by Ying`Ting Tseng (Taiwan, 100 min) My Pure Land by Sarmad Masud (Great Britain, 92 min) Searing Summer by Ebrahim Irajzad (Iran, 83 min) Wild Roses by Anna Jadowska (Poland, 89 min)
Open Zone
A Fantastic Woman by Sebastián Lelio (Chile, USA, Germany, Spain, 104 min) A Man Of Integrity by Mohammad Rasoulof (Iran, 117 min) Amant Double by François Ozon (France, 110 min) April’s Daughter by Michel Franco (Mexico, 102 min) Based On A True Story by Roman Polanski (France, 110 min) Call Me By Your Name by Luca Guadagnino (Italy, France, 130 min) Free And Easy by Jun Geng (Honk Kong, 97 minutes) Gisslan by Rezo Gigineishvili (Russian Federation, Georgia, Poland, 103 min) Have A Nice Day by Liu Jian (China, 75 min) Ice Mother by Bohdan Sláma (Czech Republic, Slovakia, France, 105 min) Mr. Long by Sabu (Japan, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Germany, 129 min) On The Beach At Night Alone by Hong Sang`Soo (South Korea, 101 min) Our Time Will Come by Ann Hui (Honk Kong, 130 min) Radiance by Naomi Kawase (Japan, France, 101 min) Thelma by Joachin Trier (Norway, France, 109 min) The Shape Of Water by Guillermo del Toro (USA, 119 min) The Wandering Soap Opera by Raúl Ruiz and Valeria Sarmiento (Chile, 80 min) The Workshop by Laurent Cantet (France, 113 min)
American Independents
Band Aid by Zoe Lister`Jones (USA, 94 min) The Boy Downstairs by Sophie Brooks (USA, 91 min) Brigsby Bear by Dave McCary (USA, 100 min) Crown Heights by Matt Ruskin (USA, 99 min) The Endless by Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson ( USA, 111 min) The Florida Project by Sean Baker (USA, 115 min) Gemini by Aaron Katz (USA, 93 min) Ingrid Goes West by Matt Spicer (USA, 97 min) Kings by Deniz Gamze Ergüven (France, Belgium, 86 min Life And Nothing More by Antonio Méndez Esparza (USA, 113 min) The Lovers by Azazel Jacobs (USA, 98 min) Keep The Change by Rachel Israel (USA, 94 min) Most Beautiful Island by Ana Asensio (USA, Spain, 80 min) Permanent by Colette Burson (USA, 97 min) Sollers Point by Matthew Porterfield (USA, France, 101 min) Who We Are Now by Matthew Newton (USA, 99 min)
Icons
Battle Of The Sexes by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (Great Britain, USA, 121 min) Breathe by Andy Serkis (Great Britain, 117 min) Downsizing by Alexander Payne (USA, 135 min) The Final Journey by Nick Baker`Monteys (Germany, 100 min) Final Portrait by Stanley Tucci (USA, 90 min) Hannah by Andrea Pallaoro (France, 80 min) The Hero by Brett Haley (USA, 96 min) Let The Sunshine In by Claire Denis (France, 94 min) The Party by Sally Potter (Great Britain, 71 min) Reinventing Marvin by Anne Fontaine (France, 115 min) Rodin by Jacques Doillon (France, 119 min) Suburbicon by George Clooney (USA, 105 min) Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri by Martin McDonagh (USA, UK, 115 min) You disappear by Peter Schønau Fog (Denmark, 118 min) Wonder Wheel by Woody Allen (USA, 101 min)
Discovery
Axolotl Overkill by Helene Hegemann (Germany, 94 min) Daybreak by Gentian Koçi (Albania, Greece, 85 min) Disappearance by Ali Asgari (Iran, Qatar, 88 min) Don’t Swallow My Heart, Alligator Girl! by Felipe Bragança (Brazil, Netherlands, France, Paraguay, 108 min) If You Saw His Heart by Joan Chemla (France, 86 min) Killing Jesus by Laura Mora (Colombia, Argentina, 100 min) Menashe by Joshua Z Weinstein (USA, 82 min) Oh Lucy! by Atsuko Hirayanagi (Japan, USA, 97 min) The Testament by Amichai Greenberg (Israel, 88 min) Vazante by Daniela Thomas (Brazil, Portugal, 116 min)
Documania
Chavela by Catherine Gund and Daresha Kyi (USA, 90 min) Dina by Dan Sickles and Antonio Santini (USA, 101 min) Hondros directed by Greg Campbell (USA, 93 min) The Paris Opera by Jean`Stéphane Bron (France, 110 min) Return Of A President – After The Coup In Madagascar by Lotte Mik`Meyer (Denmark, South Africa, France, Madagascar, 78 min) Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World by Catherine Bainbridge and Alfonso Maiorana (Canada, 103 min) Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda by Stephen Nomura Schible (USA, 102 min) Served Like A Girl by Lysa Heslov (USA, 93 min) Shadowman by Oren Jacoby (USA, 83 min) Take Every Wave: The Life Of Laird Hamilton by Rory Kennedy (USA, 118 min) Walk with me by Max Pugh and Marc J. Francis (Great Britain, 94 min)
Twilight Zone
A Day by Sun`Ho Cho (South Korea, 90 min) Blade Of The Immortal by Takashi Miike (Japan, 140 min) The Cured by David Freyne (Ireland, Great Britain, France, 95 min) Double Date by Benjamin Barfoot (Great Britain, 90 min) Les Affamés by Robin Aubert (Canada, 100 min) Jailbreak by Jimmy Henderson (Cambodia, 92 min) Lowlife by Ryan Prows (USA, 98 min) The Merciless by Sung`Hyun Byun (South Korea, 120 min) Ugly Nasty People by Cosimo Gomez (Italy, France, 87 min) The Villainess by Byung`Gil Jung (South Korea, 129 min)
Spotlight
An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk (USA, 99 min) Human Flow by Ai Wei Wei (Germany, 140 min) More by Onur Saylak (Turkey, 115 min) This Is Our Land by Lucas Belvaux (France, Belgium, 118 min) Wasted! The Story Of Food Waste by Anna Chai and Nari Kye (USA, 85 min) Zagros by Sahim Omar Kalifa (Belgium, 100 min)
Stockholm XXVIII Short Film Competition
A Gentle Night by Qui Yang (China, 15 min) Aria by Myrsini Aristidou (Cyprus, France, 14 min) Atelier by Elsa María Jakobsdóttir (Denmark, 30 min) Bonboné by Rakan Mayasi (Lebanon, Palestine, 15 min) Hombre by Juan Pablo Arias Muñoz (Chile, 21 min) Into the Blue by Antoneta Kusijanovic (Croatia, Slovenia, 22 min) Kudzu by Connor Simpson (USA, 15 min) Lost Property Office by Daniel Agdag (Australia, 10 min) Marlon by Jessica Palud (France, Belgium, 19 min) The Ogre by Laurène Braibant (France, 10 min) Retouch by Kaveh Mazaheri (Iran, 20 min) Signature by Kei Chikaura (Japan, 13 min) Superpower Girl by Soo`Young Kim (South Korea, 24 min) Time To Go by Grzegorz Mołda (Poland, 15 min) You Will Be Fine by Céline Devaux (France, 15 min)
Special Event
Neruda by Pablo Larraín (Chile, Argentina, France, Spain, USA, 107 min) Varg by Frida Kempff and Erik Andersson (Sverige, 11 min) Sea Sorrow by Vanessa Redgrave (Great Britain, 74 min) Surprise film
1 Km Film
Förebilder by Elin Övergaard (Sweden,13 min) In Love by Ville Gideon Sörman (Denmark, 29 min) Intercourse by Jonatan Etzler (Sweden, 10 min) Mephobia by Mika Gustafsson (Sweden, 24 min) Min Homosyster by Lia Hietala (Sweden,15 min) Push It by Julia Thelin (Sweden, 8 min) Skuggdjur by Jerry Carlsson (Sweden, 21 min) Stay Ups by Joanna Rytel (Sweden, 11 min) Stranded by Viktor Johansson (Sweden, 11 min) Turkkiosken by Bahar Pars (Sweden, 7 min) Image: Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer in the film THE SHAPE OF WATER. Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures. © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved
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Heartwarming Indie Drama THE FLORIDA PROJECT to Screen at Stockholm International Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_23729" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] THE FLORIDA PROJECT[/caption] The heartwarming drama The Florida Project, one of the most highly buzzed-about at this year Cannes Film Festival, will screen at the upcoming Stockholm International Film Festival. The movie is Florida-based, and award winning director, Sean Baker’s sixth movie. It is a devastating tale about the forgotten America, seen through the carefree eyes of 6-year-old Moonee. Moonee and her rebellious mother Halley stays at a cheap motel called “The Magic Castle”. There they meet the long-suffering motel manager Bobby, extraordinary played by Willem Dafoe, who despite his rough appearance is the closest to a father figure Moonee comes. While Moonee and her new friends explore the motel, and its odd guest, Halley finds herself in more or less dangerous situations in order to provide for her daughter. The Stockholm International Film Festival takes place November 8th to 19th, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwQ-NH1rRT4
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Francis Lee’s GOD’S OWN COUNTRY to Compete at 2017 Stockholm Film Festival | Trailer

Director Francis Lee intense new drama God’s Own Country described as the “new Brokeback Mountain” will screen at the 2017 Stockholm Film Festival and participate in the official Stockholm XXVIII Competition. The film has been awarded at the Berlin Film Festival, Edinburgh Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival among others. God’s Own Country takes it’s start in the British countryside where we meet the young farmer Johnny Saxby who numbs his daily frustrations with binge drinking and casual sex. Until the arrival of a Romanian migrant worker named Gheorghe ignites an intense relationship that sets Johnny on a new path… This is Francis Lee’s feature film debut as a writer and director after leaving his acting career to return to the British countryside where he grew up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sPE9sbXQoQ
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Léa Mysius’ AVA is First Film Selected for Stockholm Film Festival Competition | Trailer

Stockholm Film Festival is working hard to promote female directors in the film industry, and has selected Ava by Léa Mysius as the first movie in the Stockholm XXVIII Competition. Léa Mysius debut drama Ava was nominated for four awards at 2017 Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, winning the Palme d’Or for Best Movie in the SADC category as well as the Palm Dog jury prize. Ava will also have the honor of being the official campaign picture of this year’s Stockholm Film Festival. Léa Mysius’ captivating drama follows thirteen-year-old Ava who is spending the summer at the Atlantic coast with her mother. But the summer idyll is shattered when Ava is told that she will lose her eyesight in just a few months. To live life to the fullest before turning blind Ava decides to escape – with a young man on the run. “I’m very proud that we can present an equal lineup in the Stockholm XXVIII Competition. It’s a result of hard work. We review all films directed by women, and for that reason we manage to find fantastic movies that we want to highlight,” says festival director Git Sheynius. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZF2XRVr2o2c
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A FANTASTIC WOMAN, INSYRIATED, MR LONG Among First 6 Films Revealed for Stockholm International Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_20524" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] A Fantastic Woman (Una Mujer Fantástica)[/caption] The Stockholm International Film Festival today revealed the first six titles in the Fall program lineup. The 28th edition of the festival takes place November 8 to 19, 2017 A Fantastic Woman by Sebastian Lelio The film, which depicts love and battle with great visual confidence, premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, where it was awarded three times. Maren Ade, who directed the celebrated movie “Toni Erdmann”, is a co-producer of the film that challenges the audience in the best possible way. Wasted! The Story of Food Waste by Anna Chai, Nari Kye Every year, a third of all food is thrown away before it even reaches consumers. The directors Anna Chai and Nari Kye want to change this behaviour with this strong, educational and hopeful documentary. Amant Double by François Ozon After the critically acclaimed drama “Frantz”, director François Ozon is back with an erotic thriller. The film had its world premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the prestigious prize La Palme D’or. Insyriated by Philippe Van Leeuw “Insyriated” is a strong depiction of how a family caught in an apartment tries to endure another day in the Syrian war. The film blew the crowd away during Berlin film festival earlier this year and was awarded the Panorama Audience Award. Mr. Long by Sabu “Mr. Long “depicts the hard-boiled anti-hero from a new angle. With a unique blend of drama, humour and cooking, the film was nominated for the award for best film at the Berlin Film Festival. This is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous by Barbara Kopple The documentary “This is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous” is a moving film about the transwoman Gigi Gorgeous’ gender transitioning followed by thousands of fans on YouTube. The director Kopple has previously been awarded with two Oscar awards. During the Fall, the following acclaimed films will be previewed for the film festival’s members: On Body and Soul by Ildikó Enyedi (Golden Bear in Berlin) 120 BPM by Robin Campillo (Grand Prix in Cannes) The Beguiled by Sofia Coppola (Best Director in Cannes) The Nile Hilton Incident by Tarik Saleh (Grand Jury Price in Sundance)
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Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s “Mustang” Wins Audience Award at Stockholm International Film Festival

Mustang directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven has been voted winner of the Audience Award at the 2015 Stockholm International Film Festival. Mustang was also awarded with an Aluminium Horse for Best Script, written by Alice Winocour, director of Maryland, and Deniz Gamze Ergüven. Early summer in a village in Northern Turkey. Five free-spirited teenaged sisters splash about on the beach with their male classmates. Though their games are merely innocent fun, a neighbor passes by and reports what she considers to be illicit behavior to the girls’ family. The family overreacts, removing all “instruments of corruption,” like cell phones and computers, and essentially imprisoning the girls, subjecting them to endless lessons in housework in preparation for them to become brides. As the eldest sisters are married off, the younger ones bond together to avoid the same fate. The fierce love between them empowers them to rebel and chase a future where they can determine their own lives in Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s debut, a powerful portrait of female empowerment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5nyY8E6CPg Following films received the most votes: 1. Mustang 2. Wolfpack 3. Suffragette 4. Carol 5. Angry Indian Goddesses 6. Virgin Mountain 7. Mediterranea 8. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl 9. Taxi Teheran 10. Louder than bombs
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“Louder Than Bombs” “Mediterranea” Win Awards at 2015 Stockholm International Film Festival

Norwegian director Joachim Trier’s Louder Than Bombs was awarded the Bronze Horse for Best film at the 2015 Stockholm International Film Festival. In Louder Than Bombs “an upcoming exhibition celebrating photographer Isabelle Reed three years after her untimely death brings her eldest son Jonah back to the family house – forcing him to spend more time with his father Gene and withdrawn younger brother Conrad than he has in years. With the three of them under the same roof, Gene tries desperately to connect with his two sons, but they struggle to reconcile their feelings about the woman they remember so differently.” Mediterranea by Jonas Carpignano was also a big winner, taking the awards for Best First Film, Telia Film Award, and Best Actor for Koudous Seihon. The complete list of awards for 2015 Stockholm International Film Festival Best film: Louder Than Bombs by Joachim Trier The prize for best film goes to an aesthetic masterpiece, a film that innovatively uses all cinematic components to move freely between present, past, dream and imagination. With this tightly woven family drama, the director gradually patches together our broken inner places and makes us visible to ourselves – and to each other. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO1dLlaGvTs Best first film: Mediterranea by Jonas Carpignano The prize goes to a director who takes us on a journey to a place where reality triumphs with its hidden contempt. An unsentimental yet tender film about dreams, struggles and hopes for a better life that at the same time mirrors the contemporary state of the world. The director has with this knockout of a debut created a multifaceted and pressing real-life drama that leaves no one unaffected. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sk4SrMxTiS4 Best director: László Nemes, Son of Saul The award goes to a film that makes us hold our breath and instead become part of the film’s own pulse. With furious pacing, constant motion, a consistently subjective point-of-view and with long, meticulous and masterly executed sequences, the director takes a whole new perspective on a subject that has been depicted countless times, but never with this intensity – and never this good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOHDtPZmYj8 Best script: Deniz Gamze Ergüven and Alice Winocour, Mustang The writers of this film depict a serious topic with both humor and warmth. It is a touching story of sisterhood, an empowering film that challenges patriarchal oppression with its stale views on female sexuality. Conservative values are placed in opposition to modern society, the life within each of us – and every person’s right to their own bodies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU9JAN8LtIk Best cinematography: Manuel Dacosse, Evolution The prize for best cinematography goes to a cinematic masterpiece, a story that could as well take place in the subconscious as on a metaphorical plane or another planet. A hauntingly beautiful universe distilled through the lens of a master, with a singular visual expression that provokes goose bumps in the soul. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkKZ2qx5f6g Best actress: Julija Steponaityte, The Summer of Sangaile The prize for best female lead goes to an actress who illuminates the screen with her absolute presence. It is a subtle yet multifaceted acting we are witnessing, at the same time cool and vulnerable, arrogant and passionate. She makes us curious – and we want to see more! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY2990FsBAA Best actor: Koudous Seihon, Mediterranea The prize for best male lead goes to an actor who owns the story in every scene. It’s a portrait of a fighter, a street-smart survivor and a fellow human, who opens our hearts on his journey through a torn world full of dangers. He manages to convey a feeling of hope and faith in humanity in the midst of the brutal reality of the story. Best documentary: Behemoth by Liang Zhao Abandon all hope you who enter here. This filmmaker digs deep inside the bowels of its subject, showing us the monster of greed hiding in our destructive civilization. This film unveils hell right here on earth in a beautiful, emotive and poetic way. Through the power of great imagery, storytelling and empathy we are given a chance to perceive and finally end this abuse of the earth than of each other. Pure and utterly necessary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4kbx8x748Y Stockholm Impact Award: Leena Yadav, Parched Through superb acting giving a unique insight into the minds and hearts of women in rural India told with colourful, sensual cinematography. This film is a paradoxical celebration of life in tough circumstances, creating both anger and joy, giving fuel for debate as well as hope for change when addressing a burning question that affects, not half, but the whole of our society. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpqKBf36bQ0 Best short film: A Few Seconds by Nora El Hourch In a very unique and bold way of storytelling the director manage to show how much humanity in the characters in such a short time. There are so many layers of emotions in this film. We are excited to discover this new talent in her future work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0k3EJYdF6U Stockholm Rising Star: Aliette Opheim This year’s Rising Star is awarded an actor who inhabits a deep sensibility as well as an immense power. Who delves into diverse roles with great courage and integrity. With the sense of carrying a secret. Telia Film Award: Mediterranea by Jonas Carpignano With a warm, humanistic touch Jonas Carpignano has written and directed a film with acute relevance and unexpected humour. Populated by brilliantly crafted and depicted characters with complexity, throughout the story, with an outstanding Koudous Seihon in the male lead. A beautiful film that humanizes what it is to live in the world today and offers a unique glimpse into experiences shared by many of the people fleeing across the Mediterranean Sea. FIPRESCI best film: Macadam Stories by Samuel Benchetrit The FIPRESCI award goes to Samuel Benchetrit’s Macadam Stories (Asphalte), an insightful, melancholic and tender comedy, filled with quirky deadpan humour. Three separate stories are seamlessly interwoven around the theme of urban loneliness and the longing for human connection, all beautifully drawn, highly nuanced and perfectly paced, while the excellent performances allow the characters humanity to shine through the cracks. Stockholm Achievement Award: Ellen Burstyn An icon of contemporary American cinema, a bold actress with great integrity, who has given life to groundbreaking characters. Her performances have left a lasting impression with a relentless struggle for independence and freedom. Stockholm Lifetime Achievement Award: Stephen Frears This year’s receiver of the Lifetime Achievement Award is a filmmaker who is not afraid to take a stand for those who exist at the margins of society. Regardless of what form the story takes, Stephen Frears shows us that he is a director with a genuine curiosity for people’s life stories. Stockholm Visionary Award: Yorgos Lanthimos This director gives us a perspective that is both challenging and headstrong. His films offer the audience an unpredictable cinematic trip that forces us to discover an inconvenient reflection of our own behaviour, logic and desires. And yet we cannot stop looking, identifying and yes, very oddly smiling. 1 km Film-scholarship: I turn to you by Victor Lindgren Two siblings are forced to experience the implosion of their parents’ relationship. The director poses an inconvenient question to us in the audience, can a child’s will to survive overcome the self-destructive desires of the parent. The film seamlessly connects refined form with emotional impact and the director shows great courage and promise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLDziuNrc6c iFestival Award: Tisure by Adrian Geyer Voted for by the 2015 Stockholm Film Festival audience.
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Fia Sandlund’s SHE’S WILD AGAIN TONIGHT to World Premiere at Stockholm International Film Festival

SHE’S WILD AGAIN TONIGHT, Fia Sandlund’s contemporary interpretation of the play, Miss Julie, will world premiere at Stockholm International Film Festival on November 12, 2015 Two young artists meet in New York to work on a radical version of the Swedish classic Miss Julie. Instead of a professional meeting between the politically conscious artists, they become involved in a twisted game of power relations. Starring the Swedish actor Shima Niavarani as Julie and Mando Diao’s former lead singer Gustaf Norén as Jean, SHE’S WILD AGAIN TONIGHT is, in the director’s words “an operation on Strindberg.” The story blends the borders of reality, acting and fiction in a reflection on the complexity of contemporary society and gender roles. SHE’S WILD AGAIN TONIGHT is the final part of the director’s trilogy inspired by Strindberg’s play Miss Julie, preceded by She’s Blonde Like Me and She’s Staging It. The script is written by Sandlund in collaboration with Josefine Adolfsson, winner of the Guldbagge Award in 2012, and produced by Tobias Janson.
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