The event focusing on Swedish and Norwegian cinema was initiated by the Paris-based Maria Sjöberg, (photo) official Scandinavian scout for the Cannes Film Festival since 2005. Earlier in the year, she set up Saga Nordica, an association promoting cultural exchanges between France and the Nordic countries through various initiatives, the first one being Cine Nordica. The film week is organised in collaboration with the Swedish and Norwegian Film Institutes, the Swedish cultural centre and Swedish Institute in Paris, and the Bergman Foundation.
"We have mapped the market in collaboration with the Swedish Trade Council and hope to be able to present a platform where new Swedish films reach French distributors and Swedish producers will establish contacts with their French colleagues," said Patrick Andersson, project manager at the SFI's International Department. "We liked the Nordic label and the fact that Cine Nordica wants to promote new films," commented for his part Jan Erik Holst from the Norwegian Film Institute.
For Sjöberg, the idea was indeed to introduce the best of the latest Swedish and Norwegian films, as well as those produced over the last three years but rarely shown in France. Among the eight Norwegian and 15 Swedish features on the programme are films not yet licensed to France such titles as Everlasting Moments, The Kautokeino Rebellion, as well as titles screening ahead of their official French release: The Art of Negative Thinking (opening on November 26 through Little Stone), Laban the Little Ghost (December 3, Les Films du Préau), Let the Right One In (February 4, Chrysalis Film) and Patrick Age 1.5, recently sold to Swift Distribution.
Built as well around various themes, Cine Nordica will focus this year on the groundbreaking Swedish production house Plattform, and Roy Andersson's film and advertising works. Looking back at the Swedish masters, Kajsa Hedström, head of the Swedish cinematheque will introduce Viktor Sjöström's The Phantom Carriage and the French filmmaker Arnaud Desplechin his favourite Bergman movie, The Wild Strawberries.
For 2009, Sjöberg hopes to add Finland to her Nordic partners.