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about the series |
film descriptions and times
At this time, we are expecting many directors and/or producers, whose films are included in The New Faces of Swedish Cinema, to be present for their screenings.
The past ten years have witnessed an impressive and welcome renaissance of several European national cinemas, including that of Sweden. A new generation of filmmakers has emerged seemingly ready, willing and able to face the continuing threats of Hollywood product as well as the new outlets for entertainment cutting into cinema audiences. Aided by strong government support, this new generation has worked effectively to create new audiences for Swedish films both at home and abroad. An important strand of this new Swedish cinema has been devoted to confronting the ethnic and cultural changes taking place in that country owing to the influx of immigrants from around the world over the past few decades. Yet, while the new demographics of Europe is a subject that has been addressed by a number of films, a fascinating aspect of contemporary Swedish production has been how often these films are being made by these immigrants or by the children of immigrants to Sweden. Films such as ALL HELL LET LOOOSE or the major hit JALLA! JALLA! speak with a special authority from inside the immigrant experience, offering Swedes both insights into their new neighbors as well as very original perspectives on contemporary Swedish life and culture. As part of this series, we're especially pleased to present the full, television version of THE NEW COUNTRY, Geir Hansteen Jörgensen's eye-opening, epic road movie about an Iranian and Somali crossing the length and breadth of Sweden.
This program was organized by the Film Society of Lincoln Center in collaboration with the Swedish Film Institute. Special thanks to the Consulate General of Sweden in New York and the Swedish Institute for their help and support of the series.
THE REUNION / KLASSFESTEN
Måns Herngren and Hannes Holm, Sweden, 2002; 100m
While in high school, Magnus tried to run away with his then-girlfriend Hillevi, but for various reasons his plans were foiled. Twenty years later, he's a successful, married man living comfortably when he gets an invitation to his high school reunion. Normally he wouldn't imagine going to one of those affairs, but this time something - perhaps the thought that Hillevi, whom no one has seen for years - might also make an appearance seems to goad him into showing up. Graced with a rich assortment of characters, THE REUNION looks at how one event, one evening, can sometimes define the rest of your life. Magnus, aided at times by an apparition of his teenaged self, dreams about trying to re-live old times, but discovers that the only times worth living are all new. Directors Herngren and Holm also directed Adam and Eva, one of the greatest Swedish box-office hits in recent years, shown in our 1998 Swedish series.
Fri Nov 1: 1; Sat Nov 2: 8:30*; Wed Nov 6: 8:15
*Directors will be present for intro & Q & A.
ALL HELL LET LOOSE / HUS I HELVETE
Susan Taslimi, Sweden, 2002; 88m
Settled in Sweden for the past decade, Iranian actress Susan Taslimi (known for her work in Bashu, the Little Stranger) makes an impressive debut as a director in this no-holds-barred look at the travails of an Iranian family attempting to adjust to their new homeland. Minoo, a young woman in her early twenties, chafes under the increasingly disapproving attitude of her father, Serbandi, who feels unappreciated for all his sacrifices for the family. Her mother, Nana, longs to step out on her own and finally have her own career, while sister Gita is worried about the family's reaction to her love interest. All this takes place under the watchful gaze of Minoo's grandmother, who takes it all in with some amusement. Taslimi clearly loves working with her actors, and powerfully orchestrates all the nuances of the family's collective and individual emotions, creating a revealing and engaging look at cultural and generational collisions.
Fri Nov 1: 3:15* & 9:15*; Tue Nov 5: 3:15
*Director will be present for intro & Q & A.
DAYS LIKE THIS / LEVA LIVET
Mikael Håfström, Sweden, 2001; 96m
While attending to his slowly dying wife, a vacuum cleaner salesman makes the rounds of an apartment building and becomes a witness and at times reluctant participant in the romantic and marital dramas playing out in the various apartments. One couple tries to figure out what their difficulty in conceiving a child might mean for the future of their relationship; another wonders if their lack of interest in each other means that they've found others. A lonely old woman seems able to conjure up the presence of her departed husband. Aided by a top-notch cast and a wonderful sense of comic timing, Mikael Håfström weaves together several story lines to create a wry look at a series of couples in various states of distress. The action never flags, and builds to an extraordinary final crescendo.
Sat Nov 2: 1:30; Tue Nov 5: 8:15
JALLA! JALLA!
Josef Fares, Sweden, 2000; 88m
This exuberant comedy was one of the biggest Swedish box-office hits in recent years, announcing director Josef Fares as an important new talent. The son of Lebanese immigrants, Roro has it pretty good. His job as a park groundskeeper gives him enough to scrape by, and he's madly in love with his girlfriend Lisa. Then one day Roro's parents announce that they've arranged a marriage for him. The families set up a meeting, hoping to settle the deal, but when Roro is finally alone with his intended, Yasmine, she quickly reveals that she's as uninterested in going through with this marriage as he is. Thus is set in motion a series of plots and counter-plots so that everyone can try to end up with whom they'd really like to be. "In the past few years, many Swedish filmmakers have looked at the travails of immigrant families juggling tradition, history and the desire for acceptance. JALLA! JALLA! is distinguished by its raucous, even slapstick approach to that theme. Paced like a stock car race (the title means "hurry up") it's a film about cultural collision which is utterly devoid of a single self-congratulatory note or even any rancour." - Steve Gravestock, Toronto Film Festival.
Sat Nov 2: 6; Wed Nov 6: 6
INVISIBLE / DEN OSYNLIGE
Joel Bergvall and Simon Sandquist, Sweden, 2002; 95m
Nicklas is a straight-A student in a small Swedish town whose future prospects seem tremendously promising. His success, however, draws the attention of a clique of local toughs, led by Anneli, who seems to have a peculiar grudge against him. When Anneli thinks Nicklas has informed the police about a robbery in which the group was involved, Nicklas is brutally attacked. At school the next day Nicklas realizes that something is wrong when nobody notices or hears him; he seems to have become totally invisible…. Directors Joel Bergvall and Simon Sandquist, whose short film Victor was nominated for an Academy Award in 1999, have created for their first fiction feature a provocative, resonant film about teenage bullying and the emotional as well as physical violence to which it can often lead.
Sun Nov 3: 1; Wed Nov 6: 3:15
FOUR WOMEN / FYRA KVINNOR
Baker Karim, Sweden, 2002; 90m
When Monika hears that Annette - who vowed never to get married - has finally agreed to tie the knot, she decides to go back to her old hometown and get re-acquainted with her old friends. The reunion provides Monika with the perfect opportunity to avoid dealing with her increasingly conflict-ridden relationship with Josef. Monika brings with her a camcorder in the hope that she will capture the summer light, the experience of seeing old friends, and of course the wedding. She interviews her friends and records the details of their everyday lives. For Monika, this becomes a way of getting closer to her old friends - without letting them get too close to her. Born in Uganda, director Baker Karim worked extensively in the United States after completing workshops in directing and screenwriting at the American Film Institute. Since returning to Sweden he has directed several prize-winning shorts, including Malcolm, shown in our program of Swedish short films.
Sun Nov 3: 3:15*; Tue Nov 5: 1 & 6
*Director will be present for intro & Q & A.
THE NEW COUNTRY / DET NYA LANDET
Geir Hansteen Jörgensen, Sweden, 2000; 240m
We're very pleased to be able to present, for the first time in the US, the original, TV mini-series version of THE NEW COUNTRY , shown earlier this year in a much-shortened theatrical release version at New Directors/New Films. When shown on Swedish television in late 2000, THE NEW COUNTRY caused a sensation with its sobering, outsider's perspective on contemporary Sweden. Facing deportation, two refugees from an asylum camp - Ali, a young Somalian boy and Massoud, a fortyish Iranian - escape in an old car and embark on a journey through the country they hope will be their new home. Soon after they take off, they link up with Louise, a "Miss Sweden" of not exactly yesterday, and the unlikely threesome find themselves involved in at times hilarious, at times chilling, interactions with an assortment of types they meet along the way. Co-scripted by Lukas Moodysson (director of Together), the theme of friendship becomes the major focus as the exquisitely realized characters reveal themselves in Jörgensen's clever satire of the proverbial land of milk and honey.
Sun Nov 3: 6*; Thurs Nov 7: 1
*Director will be present for intro & Q & A.
 ON THE HORIZON: A PROGRAM OF SWEDISH SHORT FILMS
Curated by Ulla Aspgren, Swedish Film Institute
Total: 90m
Here's a wonderful opportunity to meet Sweden's newest generation of filmmakers in a program that features several international award winners, including the marvelous Music for One Apartment and Six Drummers, a great hit at the 2001 New York Film Festival.
Sweden / Sverige
Johannes Stjärne Nilsson and Ola Simonsson
One Magic Night / En förtrollad kväll
Per Carleson
Pin-up
Mats Olof Olsson
See Me
Jörgen Lööf
The Stockholm Syndrome / Stockholmssyndromet
Carl Johan De Geer
Hidden / Gömd
Hanna Heilborn, David Aronowitsch and Mats Johansson
Svitjod 2000+
Mårten Nilsson and David Flamholc
Brother of Mine / Bror min
Jens Jonsson
Tempo
Per Carleson
Malcolm
Baker Karim
Music for One Apartment and Six Drummers
Ola Simonsson and Johannes Stjärne Nilsson
Sat Nov 2: 3:45*; Wed Nov 6: 1
*Baker Karim, director of Malcolm, will be present for Q & A.
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