"It feels good to screen two films that very clearly demonstrate that Swedish film, quality wise, is in an excellent condition" said festival director Marit Kapla. A total of 450 short, feature length and documentary films from 67 countries will be sprinkled across the festival's 21 different sections, and stars from all over the world (including Gael Garcia Bernal, Ole Bornedal, Marie Richardsson, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, István Szabó) will provide the festival with a well balanced dose of glitz and glamour.
Göteborg's major pièces de résistance will be the Nordic Film Award competition programme, celebrating its 20th anniversary, and The Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award (TIBIDA) which in only one year has become a much appreciated platform for debut directors.
Eight films will run for the 2008 Nordic Film Award: Denmark's Go with Peace Jamil by Omar Shargawi, Fighter by Natasha Arthy and Just Another Love Story by Ole Bornedal, Sweden's The King of Ping Pong, Låt den rätte komma in by Tomas Alfredson and En enastående studie i mänsklig förnedring by Patrik Eriksson, Iceland's The Quiet Storm by Gudny Halldorsdottir, and Norway's Gone with the Woman by Petter Næss. All films (except En enastående studie i mänsklig förnedring) are supported by Nordisk Film & TV Fond.
The jury who will give away the SEK100,000 Film Dragon (Filmdraken) top award consists of film critic Monica Tunbäck-Hansson, directors Aku Louhimies (Finland), and Ragnar Bragason ( Iceland), producers Anna Anthony (Sweden), and Jørgen Storm Rosenberg (Norway), and actress Sonja Richter (Denmark).
The five films competing for this year's TIBIDA include The Class (Estonia), Solitary Fragments (Spain), Water Lilies (France), Hounds (Germany), and Continental, A Film Without Guns (Canada). The 2008 TIBIDA jury includes filmmakers Margarethe von Trotta (Germany/France), Pen-ek Ratanaruang (Thailand), István Szabó (Hungary), and Kim Rossi Stuart (Italy).
Sweden's whole 2007 production line-up and upcoming attractions for 2008 (such as SVT's mini series Kungamordet and Maj Wechselmann's documentary Bang och världshistorien) will provide the backbone for ‘Swedish Visions', and 11 of the latest creations from the four other Nordic nations will screen in Nordic Light. Business will as usual be concentrated during the four days of the Nordic Film Market from January 31 to February 3.
For the full programme of the 31st Göteborg International Film Festival please see their website: www.filmfestival.org
"I love Trollhättan. It's the best place in the world and my professional home"
Lukas Moodysson, speaking at a press conference on Wednesday in Trollhättan where he has started shooting Mammoth with Michelle Williams and Gael Garcia Bernal