KULTUR
OL Goes: Stockholm Film Festival
OL Goes: Stockholm Film Festival TEXT ANNA BARYSHEVA PHOTO STOCKHOLM FILM FESTIVAL
“Every time I go to a movie, it’s magic, no matter what the movie’s about” - Steven Allan Spielberg Stockholms filmfestival is an annual film festival held in the second part of November. It was launched in 1990 with “Wild at Heart” by David Lynch. Its main idea was to organize a film festival based in Stockholm, which would focus on introducing young, unknown directors and highlighting innovative exciting films that would not otherwise be popular among the Swedish audience. With time, the Stockholm International Film Festival has established itself as one of northern Europe's leading film festivals. By now, it is the only festival in the entire Nordic region that has been given specialized competitive status by the FIAPF (International Federation of Film Producers Associations).
Film festivals emerged much later than cinematography, much later after it became a phenomenon of mass culture. Whether coincidently or not, this happened in the thirties in states that were relatively closed from the outside world: in Italy (Venice) and in the USSR (Moscow). However, the role of such film festivals was not limited to just politics and over time they acquired enormous domestic and international cultural significance. Film festivals are resistant to commercial pressures, they give an opportunity to express new and sometimes provocative ideas. By raising independent opinions, it is a chance to be heard by a wide audience
and draw attention to important problems. In turn for the general public, it is a unique opportunity to learn what happens behind the scenes in the film industry, as well as to use it as a great source of information. Usually, film festivals set up engaging seminars, filmmaking masterclasses, and meetings with actors and directors to make the film experience richer. Most film festivals attract attention to multicultural creative films mostly made by unestablished directors and thus it has traditionally been the place where filmmakers go to spot new talent This year, Stockholm Film Festival took place for the 32nd time and screened 100 films from 48 countries. Red Carpet screenings and Face2Face-conversations and workshops with filmmakers and actors were an essential part of the festival this year. It opened with "Parallel Mothers" by Pedro Almodóvar and ended with "Belfast" directed by Kenneth Branagh who won the Audience Award. It was also the most-watched film of this year in the theatres. ”Rhino" by the previously imprisoned Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov was awarded the prestigious Bronze Horse for Best Film. After five years in a Russian prison, he finally completed the project that received widespread public recognition. This was the first time I attended a film festival and I am already looking forward to visiting the next one. I could talk for hours about films presented at the festival but, unfortunately, it is impossible. However, for those who are interested in upcoming film events and would like to stay tuned, I would recommend checking the following website for more information: stockholmfilmfestival.se
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