Sundance 2026: Unapologetically Imperfect: Siri Hjorton Wagner on Female Desire and Motherhood in “Without Kelly”
“Without Kelly” screened at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival as part of the Shorts Program, following its Orizzonti International Short Film Award win at the Venice Film Festival. Made by Swedish filmmaking duo Lovisa Sirén (director) and Siri Hjorton Wagner (producer), the short offers a raw, intimate portrait of young single motherhood and the layered […]
Göteborg 2024: Ninna Pálmadóttir Explores Fear, Friendship and Iceland’s Multifaceted Society in Her Debut Feature “Solitude”
World-premiered in the Discovery section of the 2023 Toronto Film Festival, Ninna Pálmadóttir’s accomplished debut feature, titled “Solitude,” recently played at the Göteborg Film Festival (26 January-4 February), one of Northern Europe’s most prominent cinematic gatherings. Penned by acclaimed Icelandic filmmaker Rúnar Rúnarsson, the movie follows Gunnar (Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson), an old farmer forced to […]
CIFF 2023 Review: “Paradise is Burning,” (“Paradiset Brinner”) directed by Mika Gustafson
“Paradise is Burning” screened as part of The 59th Chicago International Film Festival on October 18, 2023, as part of the International Competition. Writer-director Mika Gustafson’s “Paradise is Burning” is a union of debuts. It’s her narrative feature film debut, and the three actresses at its center have it as the first line on their […]
At Cannes, the Swedish Film Institute shares the results of its gender equality strategies, unveils brand-new report “406 Days – It’s About Time”
On 21 May, the Main Stage of Cannes’ Marché du Film (17-25 May) hosted a special event organized by the Swedish Film Institute. As many European and international industry stakeholders already know, the goal of gender equality permeates everything that is done at the Nordic body – from production funding to promotional activities, from curating […]
Look back: Anna Serner blazes trails at the Swedish Film Institute with her 2019 gender equality report “What Women?”
*The following interview was conducted at the end of December 2019 and was featured on cinemafemme.com on January 2020. We are bringing the interview back for our site because she is stepping down from her role as CEO at the Swedish Film Institute. We are grateful for her hard work for women in the film […]
Amanda Kernell’s love story in “Charter” explores the complexities of divorce
Last month at the Sundance film festival in Park City, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Amanda Kernell to talk about her beautifully haunting film “Charter”. Chatting with her over coffee (for me) and tea (for her), I loved how we got into the complexities of what it is to be a parent, […]
‘Britt-Marie Was Here’ director Tuva Novotny shows us how a 63-year old woman can relate to everyone with or without a smile
It is a wonderful experience when you meet someone you connect with on a deep and creative level. I felt this connection with Swedish filmmaker and actor Tuva Novotny during our conversation about her film “Britt-Marie Was Here”, her second directorial effort following her debut feature “Blind Spot”. Before meeting Tuva, I was familiar with […]
‘Britt-Marie Was Here’ directed by ‘Annihilation’ star Tuva Novotny
Actor Tuva Novotny (“Annihilation,” “Eat Pray Love”) follows up her directorial debut “Blind Spot” (Blindson) with her second feature “Britt-Marie Was Here,” going from thriller to heart-warming comedy. “Britt-Marie Was Here” is based on the novel by Fredrik Backman, who also wrote the international bestseller “A Man Called Ove.” Tuva’s adaption reminded me of another […]