Gothenburg International Film Festival

GIFF celebrates nordic film with new fund and gala

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:47:00 +0200

Göteborg International Film Festival invites you to a grand gala evening at theatre "Draken" on 14 October. Profits from ticket sales will go into the newly established Dragon Fund, which will facilitate the development of Nordic films.

- We have already raised the prize money for our Nordic Film Prize to one million sek, says CEO Åsa Bernlo. Now we want to ensure that we continues to maintain the same high level.

Find out more about the gala

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100

Great film party during Göteborgs kulturkalas!

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 13:08:00 +0200

Göteborgs Kulturkalas and Göteborg International Film Festival presents a great filmparty with outdoor views at continental Kronhusgården and with a mini-festival at Cinema Roy with exciting guests. Among the sneak premieres, we find PUSS by Johan Kling and OND TRO by Kristian Petri. The political theme at Kronhusgården includes Lukas Moodysson and Stefan Jarl's TERRORISTER in a unique screening.

Download complete program here

More info at Kulturkalasets homepage

Göteborg winner to Bergman Week

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 15:18:00 +0200

During the Göteborg International Film Festival 2010 Esther Rots received The Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award for her film Can Go Through Skin. This summer the director from The Netherlands visits The Bergman Week at the island of Fårö.

Esther Rots will be present at the Bergman Week between June 30 and July 3, staying in the Bergman suite at the Slow Train bed and breakfast. On July 1 her film will be screened.

– It was a great honour to win. I never expected that. The film chose me, I did not know from start that it was going to be such a heavy film, says Esther Rots about her story about a woman trying to repair the damages after a rape.

Esther Rots is the fourth winner of The Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award. The award goes to ” a debutant who in his or her film treats an existential theme with a dynamic or experimental approach to the cinematic means of expression".

The Bergman Week is organised on the island of Fårö on June 29 – July 4 in cooperation with The Göteborg International Film Festival, The Bergman Estate, Gotland Film Commission, and The Gotland University.

Bergman Week homepage

See interview with Esther Rots from GIFF 2010 here.

GIFF raises award to SEK one million

Mon, 17 May 2010 13:13:00 +0200

Dragon Award Best Nordic Film will shine with an even brighter red in the future. Göteborg International Film Festival reveals that SEK one million will be awarded to the best Nordic film in competition. Thus the award will be one of the largest in the world.

Earlier this year the city of Göteborg and the region of Västra Götaland guaranteed the contribution of half a million SEK every year if GIFF could raise the remaining half from private sponsors and contributors.

– We have succeeded, says festival CEO Åsa Bernlo. It feels fantastic to be able to strengthen a 22 year old, established and already very prestigious film award further, and thus favour the art of film in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland.

Earlier the award amounted to SEK 100 000. The increase makes Dragon Award Best Nordic Film (approx 100 000 Euro) one of the absolute largest awards in the festival circuit.

– We have always been passionate about Nordic film and actively worked to give it all the attention it deserves. It is hard to measure artistic talent in terms of money but high quality should be rewarded. Now, with this extra spur, we can give talented filmmakers extra help and chance to develop and grow, says Festival Director Marit Kapla.

The jury choosing the winner during GIFF 2011 (Jan 28-Feb 7) will consist of representatives from the five Nordic countries and a high profile jury president from the world of international film. Eight films will be nominated and the award will be shared equally between the director and the producer of the winning film. The award will be presented during The Dragon Awards Gala on February 5, 2011.

The news about Dragon Award Best Nordic Film will be presented tonight during a beach party in Cannes where the Nordic and international film industry will mingle and celebrate new Nordic film.

– A heavy Dragon Award gives the winner attention as well as extra resources for reaching out internationally, says Åsa Bernlo. As the leading film festival in Scandinavia it becomes natural for us to facilitate the conquering of the world for high quality Nordic films.

Follow the festival blog from Cannes here...

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100

GIFF in Cannes

Wed, 12 May 2010 13:52:00 +0200

Cannes Film Festival lasts for twelve days starting May 12. In addition to the fact that Göteborg International Film Festival is in place with a team of around ten people who are watching movies, fix our party and goes to meetings with the international film industry, also four swedish films will be screened in the festivals officiall programme.

The debut feature film Sound of Noise by John Star Nilsson and Ola Simonsson compete in the Critics Week section. "Sound of Noise" was screened for the international industry as a work-in-progress in February at GIFF's Nordic Film Market.

The short film A Silent Child directed by Jesper Klevenås,
a photographer at Studio 24 of GIFF's honorary chairman Roy Andersson, is shown in the Director's Fort Night.

Short film Micky bathe, by Frida Kempff Skager and Camilla Power, had its world premiere at GIFF in January and now has a chance to win a Palme D'or in Cannes, where it participates in the main event.

Finally, the screening of ... but the film is my mistress, Stig Björkman's documentary about GIFF's former honorary president Ingmar Bergman, in the section Cannes Classics.

Follow our blog here >

This year's Golden Dragon goes to Johannes Nyholm

Fri, 07 May 2010 10:27:00 +0200

Filmkonst seventeenth Golden Dragon was awarded yesterday to the filmmaker John Nyholm.

The award was held at the Göteborg International Film Festival's "Lilla Kulturkalaset" at Parken in Göteborg where the winners also was celebrated with a dj-marathon and live music by the hyped pop band "Vit Päls".

The Golden Dragon is given to someone who has done "Film art promotion efforts in western Sweden" and consists of 10 000 SEK, and a smooth and shiny golden dragon in the design of Karin Landahl.

Jury motivation:
"One of Sweden's most original filmmakers has his workshop in Majorna,
Göteborg. With his music videos, the films about the Puppetboy and the
paper doll animations in Dreams from the Woods, all characterized by
versatility, unpredictability, humour and boldness, Johannes Nyholm has
achieved world reputation and prooved that the one who chooses to go his own way can reach further than the others."

Earlier winners:
1994: Theatre Aftonstjärnan
1995: Director Fanny Danielsson
1996: Film consultant Birgitta Olsson
1997: Professor & Director Göran du Rées
1998: Filmphotographer Ulf Brantås
1999: Director Björn Runge
2000: Director Geir Hansteen Jörgensen
2001: Production Manager Malini Ahlberg
2002: Scriptwriter Peter Birro
2003: Production Company Illusion Film
2004: Film editor Lena Dahlberg
2005: Director Ruben Östlund
2006: Artist Andreas Nilsson
2007: Director Fijona Jonuzi
2008: Musician Mattias Bärjed
2009: Production Company Plattform Produktion

The Golden Dragon – nominees 2010 ready

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 15:32:00 +0200

The time has come for the seventeenth Golden Dragon to get a new home. It will be awarded on the Göteborg International Film Festival's "Little Culture Festival" at "Parken" in Gothenburg.

The Golden Dragon is given to someone who has done "Film art promotion efforts in western Sweden" and consists of 10 000 SEK, and a smooth and shiny golden dragon in the design of Karin Landahl. This time, five nominees will compete for the coveted prize.

This year we have decided to target us in the theme of which pervaded GIFF 2010; sharing. The nominees has in various ways contributed to spread the film art to a few more added. In new forms and new combinations. In new forums in new contexts. Nominees are:

Doc Lounge, Göteborg

Gothenburg Film Studios

The Göteborg String Theory

Director - Johannes Nyholm

Film Consultant - Lars Wiberg

Earlier winners:
1994: Theatre Aftonstjärnan
1995: Director Fanny Danielsson
1996: Film consultant Birgitta Olsson
1997: Professor & Director Göran du Rées
1998: Filmphotographer Ulf Brantås
1999: Director Björn Runge
2000: Director Geir Hansteen Jörgensen
2001: Production Manager Malini Ahlberg
2002: Scriptwriter Peter Birro
2003: Production Company Illusion Film
2004: Film editor Lena Dahlberg
2005: Director Ruben Östlund
2006: Artist Andreas Nilsson
2007: Director Fijona Jonuzi
2008: Musician Mattias Bärjed
2009: Production Company Plattform Produktion