The Promised Land

Source: Henrik Ohsten / Zentropa

‘The Promised Land’

Goteborg Film Festival has selected almost 250 films for its 47th edition, including recent Nordic favourites The Promised Land starring Mads Mikkelsen and The Hypnosis by Ernst De Geer.

The festival, which runs from January 26 to February 4, has also programmed events including a talk between Ruben Ostlund and Cannes director Thierry Fremaux; and selected Danish actress Sidse Babett Knudsen to receive its Nordic Honorary Dragon award.

Scroll down for the list of festival titles

The 10 films competing in the Nordic Competition include Nikolaj Arcel’s The Promised Land, a Venice premiere which is on the longlist for best international feature film at the 2024 Oscars. Also selected are De Geer’s Sweden-Norway co-production The Hypnosis, which premiered at Karlovy Vary in July 2023, and stars The Worst Person In The World’s Herbert Nordrum alongside 2024 EFP Shooting Star Asta Kamma August.

As previously announced, the festival will open with Thea Hvistendahl’s Handling The Undead, starring The Worst Person… lead Renate Reinsve.

The eight titles in the Ingmar Bergman Competition include Hoard, the debut feature of 2022 Screen Star of Tomorrow Luna Carmoon; while the Nordic Documentary Competition includes Ellen Diske’s Sweden-Denmark co-production Leaving Jesus, about a group of former Christian fundamentalists.

The 18 films in the International Competition include Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s Cannes 2023 Competition entry Banel & Adama; and Alice Rohrwacher’s Venice Competition title La Chimera.

A highlight of the festival’s events programme is an in-conversation session between Cannes general delegate Thierry Fremaux, and Swedish director Ruben Ostlund, where they will discuss the current cinematic landscape and the past, present and future of film festivals. Goteborg artistic director Jonas Holmberg, holding his last edition of the festival before Pia Tamm takes over, will host the session on Wednesday, January 31.

The festival will also host an interview with UK actress Sarah Lancashire, star of series including Happy Valley. It will play an AI-generated version of Ingmar Bergman’s classic Swedish title Persona, with Fallen Leaves actress Alma Poysti as an AI-generated version of Liv Ullmann’s character Elisabet Vogler; the screening is intended as a once-only event, followed by a conversation about acting and technology.

Ewan MacGregor was previously announced as recipient of the Honorary Dragon award; Niclas Bendixen’s Meeting In Rome will close the festival.

Goteborg Film Festival 2024 programme

Nordic Competition

  • Handling The Undead (Nor-Swe-Gre) dir. Thea Hvistendahl
  • My Wonderful Stranger (Nor-Fr-Swe) dir. Johanna Pyykko
  • The Missile (Fin-Est) dir. Miia Tervo
  • The Hypnosis (Swe-Nor) dir. Ernst De Geer
  • The Promised Land (Den-Ger-Swe-Nor) dir. Nikolaj Arcel
  • Solitude (Ice-Slovakia-Fr) dir. Ninna Palmadottir
  • Mother, Couch (US-Swe-Den) dir. Niclas Larsson
  • Eternal (Den-Ice-Nor) dir. Ulaa Salim
  • Madame Luna (Swe) dir. Daniel Espinosa
  • Kalak (Den-Nor-Neth-Swe-Fin-Greenland) dir. Isabella Eklof

Ingmar Bergman Competition

  • Me, Maryam, the Children and 26 Others (Iran-Ger-Czech) dir. Farshad Hashemi
  • The Dreamer (Fr-Bel) dir. Anais Tellenne
  • Mimang (S Korea) dir. Kim Taeyang
  • Heartless (Braz-Fr-It) dir. Nara Normande
  • Milk Teeth (Ger-Switz) dir. Sophia Bosch
  • Hoard (UK) dir. Luna Carmoon
  • Dormitory (Tur-Ger-Fr) dir. Nehir Tuna
  • Borrowed Time (China) dir. Choy Ji

Nordic Documentary Competition

  • Ibelin (Nor) dir. Benjamin Ree
  • Shard (Swe) dir. Sara Broos
  • As The Tide Comes In (Den) dirs. Juan Palacios, Sofie Husum Johannsen
  • Life Is Beautiful (Nor-Pal-Qat) dir. Mohamed Jabaly
  • The Andersson Brothers (Swe-Fin) dir. Johanna Bernhardson
  • Fifteen Zero Three Nineteenth Of January Two Thousand Sixteen (Swe) dirs. Petra Bauer, Marius Dybwad Brandrud
  • Leaving Jesus (Swe-Den-Nor) dir. Ellen Fiske
  • Homecoming (Fin-Nor) dirs. Suvi West, Anssi Komi

International Competition

  • Girls Will Be Girls (India-Fr-US-Nor) dir. Shuchi Talati
  • Red Island (Fr-Bel-Mad) dir. Robin Campillo
  • Blaga’s Lessons (Bul-Ger) dir. Stephan Komandarev
  • The Universal Theory (Ger-Austria-Switz) dir. Timm Kroger
  • Fremont (US) dir. Babak Jalali
  • Sujo (Mex-Fr-US) dirs. Fernanda Valadez, Astrid Rondero
  • Totem (Mex-Fr-Den-Neth) dir. Lila Aviles
  • La Chimera (It-Fr-Switz) dir. Alice Rohrwacher
  • Days Of Happiness (Can) dir. Chloe Robichaud
  • Great Absence (Jap) dir. Kei Chika-ura
  • Animal (Gre-Austria-Rom-Cyp-Bul) dir. Sofia Exarchou
  • There’s Still Tomorrow (It) dir. Paola Cortellesi
  • Banel & Adama (Fr-Sen-Mali-Qat) dir. Ramata-Toulaye Sy
  • Woman Of… (Pol-Swe) dirs. Malgorzata Szumowska, Michal Englert
  • The Reeds (Tur-Bul) dir.Cemil Agacikoglu
  • Puan (Arg-It-Ger-Fr-Braz) dirs. Maria Alche, Benjamin Naishtat
  • Do You Love Me? (Ukr-Swe) dir. Tonia Noyabrova
  • Ichiko (Jap) dir. Akihiro Toda

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