Stockholm Film Festival

Thursday November 20

The Brothers Bloom #025
Skandia, 21.30
An adventurous con movie, starring Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody and and Mark Ruffalo.
WITH Rian Johnson, director.
Born in 1973 in Maryland, USA, Johnson grew up in San Clemente, California. In 1996, he graduated from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, Los Angeles. His first feature, Brick, won the Special Jury Price at the Sundance Film Festival 2005.

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Friday November 21

East/West – Sex & Politics #123
Grand 4, 16.30
A straight forward documentary about homophobia in Russia.
WITH Jochen Hick, director. MODERATOR Tiina Rosenberg, professor in gender studies.
Born in 1960 in Darmstadt, Germany, Hick is a multitasking filmmaker. Working as director, producer, writer and cinematographer, he has made a number of features, shorts and documentaries on the subject of male homosexuality. His documentary Talk Straight: The World of Rural Queens was awarded with a Teddy for Best Documentary at the Berlin Film Festival 2003.

Wild Combination: A portrait of Arthur Russell #110
Grand 2, 17.30
Documentary about the late artist and music genius Arthur Russell.
WITH Matt Wolf, director. MODERATOR Alexandra Pascalidou, journalist and author.
Born in 1982, in San Jose, California, USA, Wolf moved to New York to study filmmaking at the New York University. His two short films, Golden Gums (2002) and Smalltown Boys (2003), have been screened at film festivals worldwide. Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell is his first feature film.

De ofrivilliga #112
Skandia, 18.00
Ruben Östlund’s second feature after the acclaimed “Gitarrmongot”. De Ofrivilliga has already been awarded at three international film festival.
WITH Ruben Östlund, director. MODERATOR Caroline Hainer, journalist.
Born in 1974 in Styrsö, Sweden, Östlund studied at the School of Film Directing in Göteborg. There, he made the documentary Låt de andra sköta kärleken. Östlund made his feature debut in 2004 with the awarded and critically acclaimed Gitarrmongot.

Blind Loves #113
Saga 2, 18.30
A beautiful documentary about the sex life of blind people.
WITH Juraj Lehotsky, director. MODERATOR Jonatan Järbel, journalist.
Born in 1975 in Bratislava, Slovakia, Lehotský studied documentary film directing at the Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Bratislava. With a number of music videos and short documentaries to his name, Blind loves is his debut full length documentary.

Peace Mission #116
Sture 18.30
The Nigerian film industry has exploded and is now one of the biggest in the world. Peace Mission gives you a guided tour through an intense and creative landscape.
WITH Dorothee Wenner, director. MODERATOR Jonas Holmberg, editor of FLM.
Born in Stockum, Germany, in 1961, Wenner is a freelance journalist and filmmaker based in Berlin. In 1988 she made her first short film Hollywood Killed Me. Since then she has directed several documentaries. In 1990, Wenner became a member of the selection committee for the International Forum of New Cinema, at the Berlin Film Festival.

Boogie #122
Saga 2, 21.00
Boogie is a family man, torn between going home to his wife, and having one last wild night with the boys.
WITH Anamaria Marinca, actress. MODERATOR Hélène Dahl, head of guest department, Stockholms Film Festival.
Marinca was born in 1978 in Iasi, Romania, but lives in London. She is rapidly turning into the first lady of the new exploding Romanian movie scene. In 2007 she dazzled the word with her leading role in 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days, which was awarded the Bronze Horse for Best Film, as well as the Aluminum Horse for Best Actress, at the Stockholm International Film Festival.

Downloading Nancy #124
Skandia, 21.00
Depressed housewife Nancy has nothing in her life besides a failed marriage to coldhearted husband Albert. So she decides to commit suicide with the help of a hired assassin.
WITH Johan Renck, director. MODERATOR Sharon Schwartz, editor of Variety.
Born in 1966, in Uppsala, Sweden, Renck started his show business career as the chart topping singer Stakka Bo. As a director, he has made music videos for the likes of Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Suede and Robbie Williams. Downloading Nancy is his first feature. In 2008, Variety listed him as one of ten directors to keep an eye on in the future.

Saturday November 22

Valentino: The Last Emperor #211
Skandia, 12.30
The life and career of fashion legend Valentino, seen through the eyes of an insider.
WITH Matt Tyrnauer, director.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, USA, Tyrnauer is a New York-based writer and filmmaker, currently working as a correspondent for Vanity Fair. In 2007, he released the book Una Grande Storia Italiana: Valentino Garavani. Valentino: The Last Emperor is his first ever work as a director.

Anywhere, USA #213 with Chusy Jardine, director.
Saga 1, 14.30
Divided into three loosely connected segments, Anywhere, USA tells us quirky stories from the lives of carefully picked characters. Part one, Penance, starts off in a trailer park. Here lives Tammy, her hillbilly boyfriend Gene and his hostile dwarf friend Ricky. When Ricky convinces Gene that a member of al-Qaida is seducing Tammy, the farce is on. In the second part, Loss, we encounter Pearl, a precocious orphan who is on the verge of discovering that the tooth fairy is a hoax. And finally, Ignorance raises questions about racial prejudice, when businessman Ralph in an epiphany realizes that he doesn’t know any black people.

Gloss: The Director’s Cut #215
Saga 1, 14.30
A countryside girl goes to Moscow to make it as a supermodel. At first everything is glossy and shiny, but soon the uglier sides begin to show.
WITH Andrei Konchalovsky, director. MODERATOR John Alexander, filmvetare.
Born in 1937 in Moscow, Russia, Konchalovsky attended the Russian State Institute of Cinematography. Before that he studied to become a concert pianist. Siberiade paved the way for him to become one of Russia’s most successful directors. Konchalovsky moved to the USA in 1980, and made films like Runaway Train and Tango & Cash, before returning to Russia in the 1990’s.

Transsiberian #240
Saga 1, 22.00
In this nerve-wrecking thriller, acclaimed director Brad The Machinist Anderson tells the story of two couples, whose paths involuntarily cross on a cramped train. It soon becomes clear that none of the travelers are who they seem to be.
WITH Brad Anderson, director. MODERATOR Caroline Hainer, journalist.
Born in 1964 in Madison, Connecticut, USA, Anderson studied at the Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, before attending the London Film School. Besides the breakthrough The Machinist, he has worked on several television series, including the critically acclaimed The Wire and The Shield.

Martyrs #247
Grand 1, 23.00
Two young women are trying to take charge over their lives through the act of revenge. Blood drenched French torture porn, not for the weak.
WITH Pascal Laugier, director. MODERATOR Martin Frostberg, Swedish Film Institute.
Laugier studied filmmaking at École Supérieure de Réalisation Audiovisuelle, Paris. Besides several short films, Laugier has also directed Brotherhood of the Wolf: The Making of (2001), a television documentary about the film with the same name. Martyrs is his second feature. In the future he will direct a remake of the horror classic Hellraiser.

Sunday November 23

Mañana #311
Skandia, 13.30
Swedish director Manuel Concha examines the male view on romantic engagements. Guldbagge-awarded actors Michael Segerström and Alexandra Dahlström add a golden lining to this warm, sidesplitting and highly relatable drama comedy.
WITH Manuel Concha, director. MODERATOR Lisa Norrevik, journalist.
Born in 1980 in Malmö, Sweden, Concha studied film in at the Santa Monica College in Los Angeles, USA for two years. He then continued his studies in Sweden, while making short films and music videos at the same time. Mañana is his first feature.

Stockholm Lifetime Achievement Award: Charlotte Rampling
The Duchess #220
Skandia, 18.30
Living legend Charlotte Rampling accepts our Stockholm Lifetime Achievement Award. After the ceremony, we will show her latest film, The Duchess, a big budget period piece. The duchess of Devonshire, Georgiana Spencer, was an it-girl of the eighteenth century. She lived an extravagant political and private life, and was always the center of aristocratic attention. But the duchess was trapped in a loveless marriage. In the end, she had to pay the price for challenging the codes of social conduct.
WITH Charlotte Rampling, actress. MODERATOR Nils Petter Sundgren, journalist.
Read more about the career of our guest of honor here.

Back Soon #326
Saga 2, 18.30
A laid back Icelandic road movie about a weed dealer who's trying to get out of the business.
WITH Solveig Anspach, director.
Born in 1960 in Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland, Anspach graduated from Paris film school La Fémis in 1989. She initially started as a documentary filmmaker. Her Made in the USA was given the François Chalais Award at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, but Anspach also gained international attention with her first feature Battle Cries in 1999.

Soi Cowboy #335
Saga 2, 21.00
Controversial British director Thomas Clay challenges the audience with a film based on the complicated relationship between a Western man and a Thai woman.
WITH Thomas Clay, director.
Born 1979 in Brighton, United Kingdom, Clay studied film at the CFU in London. He made the student piece Motion at the age of 19. His debut The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael, screened in the competitive section at the Stockholm International Film Festival 2005, caused quite the controversy due to its graphic violence. Soi Cowboy is Clay’s first sole writing credit.

Monday November 24

Better Things #431
Grand 1, 22.30
An exposé on the drug addicts’ psychology.
WITH Duane Hopkins, director.
Born in 1973 in Cotswolds, United Kingdom, Hopkins studied photography and painting in London. He later left painting for film studies, and soon made his first short Field. The debut was awarded with the Aluminum Horse for Best Short Film at the Stockholm International Film Festival in 2001.

Tuesday November 25

Wendy and Lucy #513
Grand 1, 18.00
On her way to the possibility of a new life, Wendy’s car breaks down in a small town in Oregon. The setbacks just keep mounting, as her dog Lucy disappears.
WITH Kelly Reichardt, director. MODERATOR Emma Gray Munthe, journalist.
Born in 1964 in Miami, Florida, USA, Reichardt graduated from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, after having studied at Massachusetts College of Art. Her third feature, Old Joy, was an international success and won several awards in 2006.

Les grandes personnes – De vuxna #517
Skandia, 18.30
Four very different people living under the same roof proves to be a hotbed for cultural clashes, as well as blossoming infatuations.
WITH Anna Novion, director, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, actor. MODERATOR Olivier Guerpillon, film producer.
Born n Paris, France, of a Swedish mother and a French father, Novion has a Masters Degree in film from the University of Vincennes in Saint-Denis, Paris.

Ballast #531
Saga 1, 22.00
About a young boy, growing up in the shadow of a family tragedy.
WITH Lance Hammer, director.
Born in 1967 in Ventura, California, USA, Hammer graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in architecture. He worked as an art director before taking up directing. In 2008, Hammer won the Directing Award at Sundance for Ballast, his first feature as a director and writer. The film also received the Cinematography Award at the Sundance Film Festival.

Wednesday November 26

H:R Landshövding #616
Skandia, 18.30
We follow the former Swedish Minister of Defense, Anders Björck, in his work as governor of Uppsala County. For the first time ever, we are screening a documentary in our competitive section.
WITH Måns Månsson, director, Anders Björck, governor. MODERATOR Gunnar Rehlin, journalist.
Born in 1982 in Stockholm, Sweden, Månsson has made three short documentaries previous to the feature-length H:R Landshövding.

Voy a Explotar #625
Saga 2, 21.00
Two teen rebels fake their own disappearance, with disastrous consequences.
WITH Gerardo Naranjo, director. MODERATOR Jonas Holmberg, editor FLM.
Born in Salamanca, Mexico, the young unruly Naranjo escaped to film after being kicked out of almost every school he attended. He was admitted to Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City, where he founded the film club Zero for Conduct. Following that, he obtained a Master’s Degree in Directing at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. This is Naranjo’s third feature.

Thursday November 27

Mellan väggarna #717
Skandia, 18.30
Praised French drama about a school in a troubled suburb.
WITH Laurent Cantet, director. MODERATOR Olivier Guerpillon, film prodcuer.
Born in 1961 in Melle, France, Cantet studied at the film school La Fémis in Paris. He made his debut as a short film director with Tous à la Manif in 1994. This is his fifth feature.

Tale 52 #722
Grand 3, 20.30
A hallucinatory clash between a psychological drama and a fantasy thriller.
WITH Alexis Alexiou, director. MODERATOR Alexandra Pascalidou, journalist and author.
Born in 1976 in Athens, Greece, Alexiou completed a degree in physics at the University of Athens before he started studying cinema. After several short films, he debuts in the feature format with Tale 52.

Frozen River #728
Skandia, 21.30
A single mother struggles to support her children. She is drawn into a cold world of crime, trafficing and indians.
WITH Courtney Hunt, director, Don Harwood, producer. MODERATOR Tove Leffler, journalist.
Born in 1963 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, Hunt holds a Master of Fine Arts from Columbia University’s Film Division, New York City, as well as a law degree from Northeastern University, Boston. Frozen River was first made as a short film in 2004.

Friday November 28

A Complete History of my Sexual Failures #810
Victoria, 17.00
Director Chris Waitt visits old girlfriends to ask what went wrong.
WITH Chris Waitt, director.
Born in the United Kingdom, Waitt found his theatrical vein through acting at the National Young theatre in the early 1990’s. He has also worked as an illustrator, drawing children’s books, cartoons and greeting cards. In his youth, Waitt made musicals with Sasha “Borat” Baron Cohen, and is currently busy with the MTV show Fur TV (2008).

Stockholm Visionary Award: Wong Kar Wai
Ashes of Time Redux #814
Skandia, 17.30
Mastermind director Wong Kar Wai accepts our Visionary Award for his unique, seminal work in film. After the ceremony, we screen the new redux version of his Ashes of Time: In the waste desert of medieval China, there’s a tavern that people travel to when they are in need of an assassin. There the once great swordsman Ouyang Feng spends his days helping other, less gifted fighters to kill, as he tries to forget the love he once lost because of his dangerous vocation.
WITH Wong Kar Wai, director. MODERATOR Caroline Hainer
Read more about the career of our guest of honor here.

Parc #817
Saga 2, 18.30
A luxurious gated community in the south of France looks like paradise from the outside, but holds an insidious serenity.
WITH Arnaud des Palliéres, director.
Born in 1961 in Paris, France, des Pallières is a graduate from the film school La Fémis in Paris. In his early career, he worked as an actor and director for the theater, while making several short films on the side. Parc is his third feature.

Rumba #826
Saga 2, 21.00
The story of two lovers who struggle to keep their love and their everyday life intact in the aftermath of an accident.
WITH Dominique Abel, director and actor, Fiona Gordon, direcor and actress.
Born in 1957, Abel and Gordon attended school in Canada and Belgium, before studying theater in France. Today, they live in Brussels, making films together with French resident Bruno Romy. The trio’s debut feature, The Iceberg, was screened at the Stockholm Film Festival in 2005, and has been awarded at film festivals around the world.

Johnny Mad Dog #828
Skandia, 21.30
Disturbing story about African child soldiers. Some scenes will haunt you to the grave.
WITH Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire, director, Mathieu Kassovitz, producer MODERATOR Olivier Guerpillon, film producer.
Born in 1968, Sauvaire has worked as an assistant director for, among others, Laetitia Masson and the controversial Gaspar Noé. Johnny Mad Dog, based on a novel by Emmanuel Dongala, is his first fiction feature.

Julia #829
Grand 1, 21.30
Academy Award-winner Tilda Swinton delivers a tour-de-force performance with her tragic portrayal of Julia, a 40-something lost soul trying to find balance.
WITH Erick Zonca, director, Aude Py, sciptwriter. MODERATOR John Alexander, film scholar.
Born in 1956 in Orléans, France, Zonca left home at the age of 16 to study acting in Paris. After a three-year stint in New York City, USA, he returned to France, but did not break into cinema until way into his 30’s. After directing television documentaries, he did his first short film Rives in 1992. Zonca’s debut feature The Dreamlife of Angels (1998) was highly acclaimed.

Saturday November 29

A Christmas Tale #907 with Arnaud Desplechin, director.