Scandinavian House back at 11 Square Mérimée in Cannes for ‘Business as usual’

“Last year we’ve had positive feedback from industry people, after our inaugural year at 11 Square Mérimée. People felt the location was ideal and offered great photo ops from the balcony facing the Palais des Festivals,” said Petter Mattsson, the Swedish Film Institute’s Head of International Department, in charge of organising this year’s activities at Cannes’ Scandinavian House on behalf of the Nordic film institutes’ umbrella Scandinavian Films.

Last year’s problem with the acoustics in the marble-floored venue is being tackled by Scandinavian Films’ local agent. “We are working hard to solve the noise issue and are confident the acoustics will be improved,” said the SFI executive.

For the first year, the Nordic Film Commissions umbrella representing 18 film commissions across the Nordics, will be joining Scandinavian Films and set up base in the ground floor of Scandinavian House in Cannes.

"We, Nordic Film Commissions, are so happy to share the venue with Scandinavian Films," said Mikael Svensson, Head of Southern Sweden Film Commission. "For so many years, we have been scattered around Cannes and it feels very exciting to build a new home together with the institutes. I think this is a great opportunity to welcome the international film industry to one common place where they can find answers to everything the need to know about working together with the Nordic countries."

“We are very pleased to coordinate the activities of the Nordic film institutes and the film commissions and to show a united front in Cannes,” added Mattsson, who mentioned that the other major Scandinavian organisation and regional film fund Film i Väst will be next door at 15 Square Mérimée.

“It will be business as usual at the Scandinavian House”, reckons Mattsson, for whom Cannes is not only a place to promote the festival films, but also to meet sales agents, global distributors, festival programmers and other Nordic film partners.

After last year’s record Cannes entries - such as the awarded -Triangle of Sadness, Boy from Heaven, Holy Spider - that turned Scandinavian House into a buzzy pre-red-carpet meeting place, this year will be a quieter event.

So far Finnish master Aki Kaurismäki’s Fallen Leaves has been selected for the main competition, as well as the short films Fár by Iceland’s Gunnur Martinsdóttir and Tits by Norway’s Eivind Landsvik.

As always Happy Hours with drinks and snacks, offered by various organisations, will be held every daily from 17.30-18.30.

This year’s preliminary schedule is the following:

• Thursday May 18 Meet the ‘Producers on the Move’
• Friday May 19 Meet the Nordic Film Commissions
• Saturday May 20 Meet the International Sami Film Institute
• Sunday May 21 Meet the Scandinavian Films
• Monday 22 May Meet the Nordic Docs Industry
• Tuesday 23 May Meet the Nordic Shorts Industry.