Dogme film When The Nights Get Longer will open Scandinavia's largest film event, the Gothenburg International Film Festival, while Jan Troell's As White As Snow closes proceedings as a world premiere.

When The Nights is a tragicomedy about the hidden conflicts at a family's Christmas reunion in a mountain cabin. The Norwegian production also screens in Gothenburg's Nordic competition section.

Troell's film stars Amanda Ooms as aviation pioneer Elsa Andersson. The picture caps a retrospective of Troell's work at the Swedish event, which runs January 26 to February 4. The veteran Swedish filmmaker's work includes The Flight Of The Eagle, Hamsun and The Emigrants.

Also expected to attend is John Waters, who will be this year's guest of honour. The director will present Cecil B Demented at the festival.

Amongst the other eight entries in the Nordic competition are Robert Douglas' debut feature, The Icelandic Dream, and Markku Polonen's Badding, about a 70s rock star. Also in competition are Flashlights, directed by Denmark's Anders Thomas Jensen, and Knut Erik Jensen's Cool And Crazy, a Norwegian documentary about a male choir.

The rest of the competition entries are new Swedish films such as Daniel Lind Lagerlof's romantic comedy, His And Hers, and Dan Ying's drama, Home Sweet Home.

Around 20 additional films from the Nordic territories will screen as part of a market organised by the festival. Now in its second year, the event is aimed at overseas distributors and festival programmers.

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