It is that time of the year again, to welcome back the Stockholm International Film Festival. This year the festival can finally welcome people in cinemas and it will be premiering 100 films from 48 countries in both cinemas and digitally on Festival on Demand. The festival takes place November 10-21 and opens with Parallel Mothers by the legendary director Pedro Almodóvar. YLC was invited to the press conference and program reveal and here we bring you all the highlights of this year’s film festival!
Finally, we’re open to meet the audience again and share cinematic experiences. It will be an unforgettable festival with a perfect mix of exciting debutants and legendary masters, says Git Scheynius, Festival Director at the Stockholm Film Festival.
Leos Carax‘s glittering film fest Annette with Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard in the leading roles is the centrepiece film at this year‘s Festival. Other films that will be screened are Paris, 13th District by Jacques Audiard, The Hand of God by Paolo Sorrentino, Flag Day by Sean Penn and The Souvenir Part II by Joanna Hogg.
Watch Stockholm Film Festival 2021’s trailer here:
The past year and the ongoing one, have been hard for everyone, many of us have lost someone and even I had to say goodbye to my mother earlier this year. So finding out that the festival is dedicating this year’s Spotlight to Motherhood almost brought tears to my eyes – a tribute to women whose position in the world is threatened. Films to discover on this theme are Céline Sciamma‘s Petite Maman, Spencer by Pablo Larraín with Kristen Stewart as princess Diana, Jane by Charlotte by Charlotte Gainsbourg about her mother Jane Birkin and the festival’s gem Feathers by Omar El Zohairy. And what a tribute to women the Stockholm Film Festival really is! With 43 percent female directors, this is the Festival’s most gender-equal program to date.
As always, the festival presents new talents and more than one-third of the program is composed of debutants, and half of the screened films are of Nordic and/or European origin. To mention some, we will have the opportunity to see Swedish-born Nathalie Álvarez Meséns’ film Clara Sola, The Hill Where Lionesses Roar by the Kosovar Luàna Bajrami, and Erasing Frank by Gábor Fabricius from Hungary.
Another emotional moment during the program reveal was when it was announced that the Stockholm Film Festival 2021 focuses on the film nation Mexico this year, you can picture me quietly screaming Yaaass!! at the press conference, feeling pure pride as a Mexican and a film lover. From the country in focus, films such as Users by Natalia Almada, La Civil by Teodora Mihai and Prayers for the Stolen by Tatiana Huezo are to be screened.
You can find this year’s program here. And if you’re wondering about the very particular image featured in this year’s Stockholm Film Festival program cover, poster and promotion, it derives from Pedro Almodovar‘s film Parallel Mothers. The image which shows a lactating nipple has been creating controversy already from its release, when it was immediately removed from Instagram for ‘breaking the community rules over nudity’. Instagram’s parent company Facebook then backtracked on its decision and returned the poster to the social media platform. “We do, however, make exceptions to allow nudity in certain circumstances, which includes when there’s clear artistic context,” the company added in a statement. “We’ve therefore restored posts sharing the Almodóvar movie poster to Instagram, and we’re really sorry for any confusion caused.” And so we now have it here for everyone in Stockholm and Sweden to gaze at.
Watch the Parallel Mothers trailer here:
Stockholm Lifetime Achievement Award 2021 is presented to one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Jane Campion. It is with special pride that the Festival honours the iconic director for long and faithful service to cinema. Campion will have an exclusive Face2Face conversation, live on Zoom, at the Nordic premiere of The Power of the Dog, November 13.
The Golden Globe-winning actress and director Robin Wright is awarded the Stockholm Achievement Award 2021 at the Stockholm International Film Festival. Wright will accept the Bronze Horse digitally during the Nordic premiere of Land, in which she also has the lead role, at the Skandia Theatre at 6:00 pm on Thursday, November 18.
Also, the five-time Oscar-nominated actor Kenneth Branagh receives the Stockholm Achievement Award 2021. At the Festival he will present his most personal work to date, and the already Academy Award-predicted film, Belfast.
Joachim Trier was announced as the Stockholm Visionary Award 2021 Bronze Horse recipient. The Norwegian master now shares the record of having received three Bronze Horses at the Festival, only matched by Quentin Tarantino. Trier will receive his 3rd Bronze Horse during the screening of The Worst Person in the World at Skandia, November 11. The lead actress and winner of “Best Actress” in Cannes, Renate Reinsve is also attending the screening in Stockholm.
As every year the festival comes packed with several fabulous films in all its sections, some of its sections are: The Competition, Documentary, Spotlight, Twilight Zone, American Independents, and Open Zone.
The 1 KM Film Award is one of Sweden’s biggest short film competitions that gives young filmmakers a way to reach their filmmaking dreams. The winner gets to make a short film that will be screened at the festival next year. Last year‘s winner was Jo Widerberg and this year‘s nominees are Emma Brunzell, Jerry Carlsson, Simon Elvås, Henrik Johansson and Tara Fouladi, Pella Kågerman, Cecilia Oscarsson, Olga Ruin, Naures Sager, Tomas Stark and Erik Warolin.
The six promising talents nominated for the Zalando Rising Star Award are Ayaan Ahmed (last seen in Snabba Cash), Edvin Ryding (last seen in Young Royals), Erik Enge (last seen in Tigers), Matilda Källström (last seen in Threesome), Omar Rudberg (last seen in Young Royals) and Sofia Kappel (last seen in Pleasure).
The tickets and the program to the Stockholm International Film Festival 2021 at the festival’s website and at Festival on Demand.
Through Stockholm Film Festival’s online platform Festival on Demand, film lovers all around Sweden will be able to watch a selection of festival gems from home during Nov 10-21, 2021. You can see all of the available films here! When you buy a film you will have 5 days to watch it, and after you first press play you have 30 hours to finish it. During these 30 hours you can watch the film as many times as you’d like/have time for.
