Palace Cinemas Barracks will screen contemporary Nordic cinema at this year’s Volvo Scandinavian Film Festival from Thursday 19 July to Sunday 5 August. The diverse program will feature an esteemed selection of films from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Finland.
Opening the festival is Under The Tree on Thursday 19 July, a very dark comedy from Icelandic writer-director Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurdsson where the shade from a front yard tree sees the already simmering tensions between two families come to the boil in an astute observation of suburban mores. Mid-way through the 20 day festival will be special event screenings of Amatuers on Wednesday 25 July, winner of the 2018 Göteborg Film Festival award for Best Nordic Film. The comedy from director Gabriela Pichler hints at the changing face of Sweden as two high school girls use mobiles and selfie sticks to create a promotional video for their town. This screening will be accompanied by a Swedish cocktail on arrival.
Winner of Best Screenplay and Best Actress at the Danish Academy Awards (Robert Festival), A Horrible Woman is a provocative drama/comedy that cleverly explores a dysfunctional relationship from the man’s point of view from the writer/director of Parents (Scandi FF 2016), Christian Tafdrup. Also from Denmark comes Darling, a captivating film with Danica Curcic in the lead, the film follows a world renowned ballerina caught up in a love triangle while preparing for a new production of Giselle. Two awkward European entrepreneurs set out on a business venture to try and make their fortune in China’s lucrative pet industry in The Saint Bernard Syndicate while in wry comedy Word Of God starring Søren Malling, changes threaten the peace in a 1980s suburban Danish household. Inspired by true events, While We Live is the Danish Academy Award nominated drama from Mehdi Avaz which follows four people in Northern Denmark and how their fates intertwine after a tragic accident. Multi award winning drama and winner of Best Film at the 2018 Danish Academy Awards, Winter Brothers follows two brothers whose routines, habits, and rituals are ruptured by a violent feud with a neighbouring family.
From Finland comes breakout SXSW hit comedy Heavy Trip in which a young man tries to overcome his fears by leading his small-town Finland heavy metal band to a massive music festival in Norway. And in Law Of The Land by first time feature filmmaker Jussi Hiltunen, a retiring policeman gets caught up between his two sons trying to kill each other in this remote western thriller. Iceland’s offerings include The Swan, a seven time Icelandic Academy Award (Edda) nominated drama in which a young girl is sent to mature and work on a farm after shoplifting, but there finds herself deeply entangled in an adult drama.
Readers also enjoyed this review of the Backyard Film Festival.
