2009-2010 Nordic Film Fest Season in Full Swing
"Brúðguminn" or "White Nights Wedding" was Iceland's first Oscar-nominated film. The film was a nominee for Best Foreign Language Film in 2008.
The upcoming 2009/10 Nordic Film Fest season in the US promises to be the most vibrant and far reaching one yet with Nordic Film Fests occurring in Seattle, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Austin, Denver, and on-going screenings in New York.
Sweden’s ‘Everlasting Moments’ and ‘Heaven’s Heart’; Finland’s ‘Black Ice’ and ‘Lights in the Dusk’; and Iceland’s ‘White Nights Wedding’ and ‘Family Reunion’ are a few of the feature films highlighting the Nordic Film Fests. Shorts to screened include My Uncle Loved the color yellow (Sweden), The Lake (Finland), and 2 Birds (Iceland) amongst others.
Two new Nordic Film Fests are coming on board this year in Seattle and Minneapolis.
Kari Lie, founder of the Minneapolis Nordic Lights Film Fest, says: ‘We are looking forward to our inaugural event! We are happy to have the Nordic Lights film festival at the Parkway Theater, a locally owned theater in the heart of Minneapolis. Thanks to the grants from the American Scandinavian Foundation and Lektorpuljen and a number of corporate sponsors, we believe that the wide selection of Nordic films will attract film goers of all ages, and will reaffirm our community’s connection to its Nordic heritage.”
The upcoming season spans October 2009 to April 2010
October 23-25, 2009 – Seattle Nordic Film Fest
November 20-22, 2009– Minneapolis Nordic Lights Film Fest
January 2010 – Los Angeles Scandinavian Film Festival
January 2010 – Atlanta Danish Film Festival
February 27, 2010– Austin Nordic Film Fest
April 2010 – Denver Scandinavian Film Fest
“Many high-quality films come out of the Nordic countries, and so few make it into the mainstream U.S. market,” says Henrik Johansson, Austin-based Swedish screenwriter and producer. “Nordic filmmakers often bring a different sensibility to their work than you typically see, making these Nordic film fests unique opportunities for local film lovers. Here’s a chance to see great films that otherwise you would probably miss.”
Corporate and Foundation sponsors include the American-Scandinavian Foundation (www.amscan.org), Bache-Gabrielsen Cognac (www.bache-gabrielsen.com/usa), American-Swedish Foundation; and Copenhagen Furniture.
Film Partners include the Swedish Film Institute, Finnish Film Foundation, Icelandic Film Center, IFC Films, The Swedish Institute, Bastard Film, Matila Rohr Productions, and Enclave Film.
Contact information for the different festivals is available at nordicfilmfest.com.
