Stockholm celebrates twelve days of film – as art form, that is

“130 films from 60 countries” is this year’s grand tally at the Stockholm International Film Festival, playing out November 11-22. Whether this is a record figure throughout the thus far 37 editions, covering five decades, is up to any statistically inclined scholar to establish. At any rate, it safely corresponds with the mission of “meticulously handpicking a rich selection, reflecting a wide variation of tastes, yet forming a unity overviewing the foremost fare in the year in film that is 2026 – film as art form, that is”, as Beatrice Karlsson, the festival’s programme director since 2021, eloquently puts it.

The main competition for the Bronze Horse is a flagship in the festival’s history. The prize has been awarded through the years to works by Lars von Trier (Europa, 1991), Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, 1994), Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth, 2009), Joachim Trier (Oslo, August 31st, 2011, and Louder Than Bombs, 2015), and Ali Abbasi (Holy Spider, 2022), to name a few. As the competition rules stipulate a maximum of three features by those participating, a number of filmmakers here have been fairly unknown at the time, but have gradually gone on to become big players; von Trier, Tarantino and Trier certainly among them.

First-time directors entered in the 2026 competition include Marine Atlan, France, with La Gradiva, Jack Auen and Kevin Walker, US, with Chronovisor, Eivind Landsvik, Norway, with Low Expectations (Lave forventninger), Sompot Chidgasornpongse, Thailand, with 9 Temples to Heaven and, appropriately named for the occasion, Jordan Firstman, US, with Club Kid.

The last-named is also right up the alley in the theme-of-the-year Spotlight section, dubbed “Daddy Issues”. As per Beatrice Karlsson’s deductions, today’s image of the father figure has moved quite a bit away from the breadwinning patriarch and protector of the family, to someone at best beloved and at worst absent, and at many times problematic.

“It’s a trend we’ve noticed quite prominently in some films. We’ve assembled a little gang of struggling dads here, fathers of a wide variety, ‘timeless’ ones as well as the more contemporary ones, dealing with assorted ‘issues’. Club Kid deals with a careless, hedonistic party guy suddenly confronted with a ten-year old boy who calls him ‘Dad’. We have Minotaur, where the polished image of the confident and almighty family father crackles apart due to an incident of jealousy and hurt manhood. That’s a ruthless one, to say the least.”

Minotaur, Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Grand Prix-winning Cannes entry, is presented in the Masters section, together with among others Danny Boyle’s Ink, Carlos Reygadas’ Heil Jupiter! (Estela de sombra), Pawel Pawlikowski’s Fatherland and Asghar Farhadi’s Parallel Tales (Histoires parallèles). The Icons section include Wicker by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson, starring Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård, and The Debut, directed by Jesse Eisenberg and starring Julianne Moore. A couple of the hottest titles of the season, Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine and Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s Elisabeth Holmes documentary You Can See Everything, will bookend the festival as respectively opening and closing screenings. A good number of Cannes and Venice titles are found during these twelve days, with additional picks from Rotterdam, Sundance, Telluride and Toronto. Eleven Oscar submissions are screened, and Japan has been chosen as special focus country.

Nordic presence is seen in two Norwegian features, the aforementioned Low Expectations and Halkawt Mustafa’s Venice-playing No Paradise If You Are Killed by a Woman, with the director in town to present his work.

The Special Presentations section will include a world premiere of the latest Wallander installation, now starring Gustaf Skarsgård, Wallander – One Step Behind (Wallander – Steget efter), a TV4 production directed by Molly Hartleb. The same section also premieres the concert film Roxette – Live in Sydney, featuring 1991 footage unearthed, enhanced and embellished by Henrik Burman, lovingly aided by Per Gessle; both will attend the festival.

Nordic presence is in full focus during the festival’s lively Industry Days, November 16-19. The Industry Talks programme will put a special spotlight on Norway’s Eye Eye Films, whose track record since launching in 2022 include The Worst Person in the World (Verdens verste menneske, 2021), Sick of Myself (Syk pike, 2022), Armand (2024), Oscar winner Sentimental Value (Affeksjonsverdi, 2025) and the latest Palme d’Or winner Fjord. Eye Eye founder partners Dyveke Bjørkly Graver and Andrea Berentsen Ottmar will be present for a deep dive into their fruitful enterprise as well as a special case study around the making of Fjord, where also Romanian producer Tudor Reu, running Mobra Films together with Fjord director Christian Mungiu, will join in.

Other industry events include a visit behind the scenes of the second season of the top-awarded Swedish series Burden of Justice (Hundarna), guided by writer Jens Lapidus and producer Caroline Landerberg. This year’s Writer’s Roundtable session is presented by Cilla Jackert and Amy Deasismont, and representatives from Mubi, TV4 and SVT will partake in the Meet the Streamers sessions. The latest Next Generation of Filmmakers sessions are presented by Netflix and the Fryshuset youth organisation.

Pitches and presentations include the 1KM Film short film pitch and Nordic Shorts competitions, the latter with Denmark especially prominent this year, the Film Stockholm, Film Gotland Debut and Nordic Wave sessions, and, new this year, the Alma pitch sessions, devoted to series. Line-ups will be announced shortly.

As for Stockholm’s prestigious career recognitions, the Stockholm Achievement Award 2026 will be awarded to American actor-director John Turturro, and the Lifetime Achievement Award will go to Swedish actress Lena Olin. A number of additional guests will be unveiled shortly, promises Beatrice Karlsson, who looks forward to some stimulating exchange between the talents present.

”It was here that Joachim Trier first met with Isabelle Huppert, you know, the year of Oslo, August 31st, an encounter that led straight to the two of them collaborating in Louder Than Bombs a few years later. There are other such happy run-ins as well. We like Stockholm in this role, as a friendly mingling place.”

On the whole, by her own admission, she’s had a fairly easy time as far as selecting the films is concerned.

“No, it wasn’t that hard to put the programme together this year. I feel a generous dose of innovative expressions coming to the fore right now, with some very exciting examples that I hope and think will register with the audience.”

Full programme available here: CLICK HERE.
Industry programme: CLICK HERE.