Film Festivals in Stockholm
Beyond the well-known Stockholm International Film Festival, check out the following film festivals in Stockholm that take you from the Balkans to Africa and Portugal.
Photo Courtesy of Tempo – Sammy Davis JR: I’ve Gotta Be Mine by Sam Pollard
When Stockholm plunges into the throes of winter and days get longer, residents enjoy a series of back-to-back film festivals that keep us indoors; warming us across cultures and giving us something to think about and discuss over fika with friends.
Whether enjoying a night out at a single movie or going all-in with a pass and attending multiple showings, here are some film festivals in Stockholm worth checking out during the winter.
Balkan New Film Festival
Debuting in 2011 as one of Stockholm’s newer film festivals, the Balkan New Film Festival features not only films from the Balkan countries but also films with origins in other countries but with a lens toward the Balkans. All films during the festival take place at Zita Folkets Bio, also home to a large number of films across the other festivals.
While you’re there, be sure to grab a drink and maybe some moose tacos at in-theater bar, Bongo Kök & Bar conveniently located steps from Zita’s Theater 1, where most screenings take place.
Stockholm Feministiska Film Festival
Photo of Sameblod courtesy of Stockholm Feministiska Film Festival
Opening the 2018 festival with the Swedish premiere of Greta Gerwig’s Oscar-nominated Lady Bird, this festival graces Stockholm’s audiences with an opportunity to see not only cutting-edge feminist films, but to also engage in thoughtful dialogue with directors, creators and those actively engaged in moving the prominence and footprint of women in film forward.
In 2018, the Feminist Summit on Film and Equality will be held and there will be conversations related to disparities between men and women in production budgets and salaries as well as sexual harassment as a manifestation of inequality within the film industry. Only in its third year, this festival is already making waves and its films are screened at Zita.
CinemAfrica Film Festival
Photo courtesy of CinemAfrica
The CinemAfrica Festival spans a number of theaters across Stockholm and recently celebrated 20 years. It is the largest African and African Diaspora film festival in all of Scandinavia and one worth catching every year. It features a myriad of films; many of which struggle to be screened in their home countries due to sensitive issues they touch on.
For example, South African film The Wound was pulled from seven of the twenty theaters it was meant to launch in South Africa because of the way the film challenges traditional notions of masculinity and sexuality.
The festival categorizes its films into thematic sets (for example, #metoo) so you can easily attend films that resonate most with you and the issues you’re interested in.
Tempo Documentary Film Festival
Photo courtesy of Tempo – Faces Places by Agnès Varda
This is Sweden’s largest documentary film festival and treats audiences to over 100 films. Centering each year around a key theme, the 2018 theme was persona – society’s focus on the individual. In 2019, the festival will celebrate its twentieth anniversary. The intention of the festival is to bring to Swedes films that may not otherwise be accessible to them.
Frames – Portuguese Film Festival
Photo courtesy of Frames – Ama-San 海女さん by Cláudia Varejão
The Frames – Portuguese Film Festival may be relatively new, but it’s quickly picking up speed. Originally conceived as a way in which the Portuguese community in Stockholm could come together, the festival expanded in 2016 to not just Stockholm but also two other cities – Gothenburg and Västerås.
All Stockholm-based showings take place at the renowned Klarabiografet – the film center of Kulturhuset.
Do you have more film festivals in Stockholm you’d like to recommend? Please share them with us below.
