This year’s Swedish Film Week runs from 23 to 29 March at Cinema Nouveau Screened by Jameson at Johannesburg’s Rosebank Mall. The Film Week will open with the international premiere of Ulf Hultberg’s The Black Pimpernel, the Oscar-nominated Zozo as well as the controversial documentary, The Planet.
South Africa, through the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), is to host the delegation from Sweden, inclusive of directors, producers, cast and representatives of the Swedish Film Institute. Directors and producers who will represent their films include Hultberg, Asa Faringer (producer of The Black Pimpernel) and Christer Nilsson (producer of Offside). Amanda Ooms, the lead actress of Harry’s Daughters will also be present.
Representatives from the Swedish Film Institute consist of Bertil Sandgren (Board Member), Staffan Gronberg (Director – International Department), and Petter Mattsson (Short Films and International Screening Projects).
The Swedish Film Week is supported by South Africa’s Department of Arts and Culture, the NFVF, the Swedish National Film Council for Cultural Affairs and the Swedish Film Institute.
South Africa and Sweden have had strong political and cultural ties dating back to the 1960s. With regards to film, the NFVF has, over the years been involved in various collaborations with Sweden and back in 1999 a partnership agreement was drawn up between the Swedish Film Institute and the NFVF. The Goteborg Film Festival has regularly made a point of showcasing South Africa films, and in terms of production Film i Vast and others have been involved with similar organisations in South Africa. In turn the Swedish Film Institute has regularly screened Swedish films at the major South African film festivals.
As such, there was much to build on when the NFVF and the Swedish Film Institute were granted funding for a three-year film initiative through the Swedish South African Partnership Programme. One of the first outcomes of this initiative was the South African film week, which showcased South African films at Stockholm’s Sture cinema, in collaboration with Trianglefilm in 2006. This year’s Swedish Film Week will showcase some of Sweden’s best films.
