Scandinavian Film Festival 2017

words by sophie rennard

Scandinavia summons thoughts of snow-capped mountains, undecipherable languages, expensive beer and Vikings (or is that just us?). However, there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to this mysterious place on earth. One thing (among many) they excel at is the arts, so today we explore what’s on at this year’s Scandinavian Film Festival, on now until August 2.

Tom of Finland

One of Finland’s most acclaimed directors, Dome Karukoski, is the man behind the iconic signature film. The story follows a WWII vet living in a country where homosexuality is illegal. Tom of Finland became an infamous emblem of an entire generation of men, and a globally identified symbol of their freedom and sexual liberation.

FINLAND | BIOGRAPHY/DRAMA | 2017 | 115′
DIRECTOR: Dome Karukoski
CAST: Pekka Strang, Lauri Tilkanen, Jessica Grabowsky, Jakob Oftebro, Werner Daehn
WHERE: Palace Verona, Palace Norton Street

The Man

Boasting a distinguished cast, The Man uses intergenerational rivalry to take the Mickey out of the uber trendy Copenhagen arts scene. This film also marks the victorious return of writer/director, Charlotte Sieling (The Killing, Borgen, The Bridge, Homeland) to the silver screen.

DENMARK | DRAMA/COMEDY | 2017 | 94′
DIRECTOR: Charlotte Sieling
CAST: Søren Malling, Jakob Oftebro, Ane Dahl Torp, Søren Pilmark
WHERE:  Palace Verona, Palace Norton Street

Heartstone

The winner of 26 international awards at film festivals, Heartstone is an emotive coming-of-age.  This beautifully-crafted film is set over a summer in a small Icelandic village. It follows the lives of a group of youths as they explore relationships, sexuality, cruelity and maturity.

ICELAND | DRAMA | 2016 | 129′
DIRECTOR: Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson
CAST: Baldur Einarsson, Blær Hinriksson, Gunnar Jónsson, Søren Malling, Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir
WHERE:  Palace Verona, Palace Norton Street

A Hustler’s Diary

Rotterdam Film Festival crowd favourite, A Hustler’s Diary, features a breakthrough performance by star/co-writer Can Demirtas. Demirtas plays an unlikely hero – a petty criminal of Turkish descent who still lives with his widowed mother, Fatma, and adoring teenage brother, Emre, in the grey projects of Jordbro. A Hustler’s Diary gives us a thrilling look into what it’s like getting up to mischief on the streets of Stockholm.

SWEDEN | COMEDY/DRAMA | 2017 | 97′
DIRECTOR: Ivica Zubak
CAST: Can Demirtas, Lena Endre, David Nzinga, Toni-Prince Tvrtkovic
WHERE:  Palace Verona, Palace Norton Street

The Scandinavian Film Festival 2017 will be in Sydney from July 11 – August 2 at Palace Norton Street and Palace Verona (which is right near QT Sydney).