The festivals closing film on February 5 isCaminoby Birgitte Strmose.
Goteborgs artistic directorJonas Holmbergcaught up with Deadline a day before the program announcement to chat through this years lineup.
DEADLINE:Is this Goteborgs second year with full in-person events since the pandemic?
Jonas Holmberg, Artistic Director of the Gothenburg Film FestivalJulia Reinhart/Getty Images.
JONAS HOLMBERG:Yes, well, sort of.
So we had a theatrical festival, but the cinemas were quite empty.
So this is the first full-scale year back.
DEADLINE:How is the festival doing structurally and financially after three pandemic years?
We already had a direct relationship with the audience in Sweden.
We had a huge audience during those two pandemic years.
And this is because we already had this infrastructure in place.
DEADLINE:Can you explain how Draken film works?
Is it similar to other subscription services where members pay a fee for access?
HOLMBERG:Yeah, its like arthouse Netflix or Mubi.
DEADLINE: How is the local industry performing?
HOLMBERG:Good and bad.
The problem in Sweden is the theatrical situation.
Audiences havent returned to the theatres.
Theyre also not watching Swedish films in the same way they once did.
DEADLINE:How would you describe the selection of this years Nordic competition?
HOLMBERG:Its a very strong competition.
The selected films are different in terms of tone and aesthetic.
We aim to do this throughout film programming too.
We are screening several films that deal with the situation in Iran.
DEADLINE:Jan Troell is the recipient of this years Honorary Award.
How did you land on his name?
HOLMBERG:Jan Troell is one of the big cinema artists from the Nordic Region.
He has made many unforgettable films and created images that will remain in the heart of Nordic cinema forever.
So we thought, why not celebrate the man who brought these stories to the screen?
DEADLINE:Which movies in the lineup do you think could make waves?
What should audiences be looking out for?
The film follows Engberg as she films during one year of medical treatment.
It sounds a bit depressing, but its very poetic.
Its about love, memory, and space.
Another film we are premiering in the Nordic competition that I like isEmpire.
Its directed by Frederikke Aspock, a Danish filmmaker.
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 filmExodus, directed by Abu Hassan in his feature debut.
The film is an emotionally powerful story about the refugee crisis in 2015.
