THE GREAT ESCAPE?
What better way to break free from the realities of 2020 than to cuddle up in a comfortable cinema chair, or even your own couch, and abscond into the wonderful world of celluloid? Stockholm Film Festival are putting on their 31st edition this November, against all the odds. But beware, the troublesome reality comes back to bite us through their spotlight section Out of Order – about a
society on the brink.
Just before the snow arrives, during the darkest days of the year in this here Nordic outpost, there’s this event that provides some light and joy in the midst of an otherwise dreary November. Stockholm Film Festival has been going on for what seems like forever, but this 31st instalment looks like none of its predecessors. They have always been an incredible contributor to Stockholm’s culture, by celebrating film as an art form, by putting the spotlight onto new exciting directors and stories from all corners of the world for the benefit of Stockholm’s cinephiles. They have given film lovers an outlet outside of the large Hollywood productions, and have always been passionate about discovering the most interesting filmmakers of tomorrow. But this time things are different.
They will still be championing new directors and incredible stories from across the globe, and anyone with a cinematic appetite will be rewarded and have great stories brought to their doorstep. And even beyond their doorstep, as it’s actually being brought into their homes through the digital Festival on Demand-platform. There’ll still be films in cinemas like before, but their problem is they are only allowed to sell 50 tickets per cinema screening – unfortunately giving them zero chance of breaking even on that alone. Attracting directors, actors and foreign guests for Face to Face-talks and similar events is also sadly impossible this time out.
When we spoke to Stockholm Film Festival’s founder and Festival Director Git Scheynius, she was adamant that the festival was going ahead no matter what, and I’m sure she takes some pride that the festival goes ahead, as she says, against all odds.
So what are the positive aspects of having to change the format of the festival here in this odd year of 2020? Perhaps that film lovers outside of Stockholm will have a chance to take part? Are there any other silver linings?
It’s really a great advantage that we have initiated our Festival on Demand platform, which gives our audience from outside of Stockholm the chance to take part in our programme from the comfort of their couch, whether they live in Piteå or Örkelljunga. As we don’t have any visits from directors or actors this year, all the introductions and conversations are recorded and screened digitally in connection with the film. It’s obviously not the same thing as presenting them live at the festival, but we think it can create a nice and intimate atmosphere. The advantage is that a lot more people can see the introductions. We have also increased our digital activities by 100 percent when it comes to our ‘Industry Days’ – our business-oriented days are now completely digital, and you can, among other things, meet our Oscar-winning music genius Ludwig Göransson in a masterclass session.
On the negative side, how were you able to see all the films that were in contention for the festival? You usually go around the festival circuit to pick out the participating films, so was the selection process that much harder this time around?
We actually did Buenos Aires, Sundance and Berlin before Covid-19 turned up, but the film business has adapted quickly and there hasn’t been any trouble for us in finding good films. On the other hand, there are fewer films produced now and we have adjusted to that and are presenting 75 films from 42 countries this time, whereas in a normal year we would have 150 films.
Could you explain how this year’s festival will look, and what precautions you have been forced to take, plus how you intend to make the best out of it?
The fact that we have downsized has rather strengthened the quality of the films, so when it comes to the programme we are very comfortable with what we’re offering. The restrictions mean that only 50 people are allowed in the cinema, with the obvious implication that fewer tickets are available, so we are really happy to offer a part of our festival programme on-demand. This is the hardest festival we have ever done, there have been so many hurdles, and we have been completely exhausted many times. It will be a festival against all odds, because we can sense the demand for film, and we want to do something great for our large and faithful audience. We also want to be a beacon of light in the darkness, somewhere you not only can find quality film, but also the filmmakers of the future.
Was there a time when you didn’t think that you were going to be able to do this 31st edition of the festival at all? And could you explain the ups and downs you had on the way to the final version of the festival?
To be perfectly honest, I never thought about cancelling. My focus has always been forward, upwards and through
to the other side. It was a big thing for me that Venice Film Festival decided to go ahead. It meant a lot for the business, as a whole, and we were all extremely grateful. It’s been an emotional year, directors have called us and cried, producers have quit their profession and there are strong currents going on within the media. It’s been a year of frustration, we had to cancel Stockholm Filmfestival Junior a week before the premiere, and then we thought that we could move Junior to our Sommarbio [Summer Cinema] programme, but then we had to cancel that too. And then we arranged a Drive In Cinema, which we also had to cancel, and we still have a hard time understanding why, and now we are finally going to have one ‘Junior Day’ during the festival here in November. The disappointments have been many, due to the lack of clarity and forward planning from the authorities. It’s fantastic that they are committing to supporting culture this autumn. But we are in production right now, and haven’t seen one krona from this crisis fund. In the end you just decide to go through with a film festival AGAINST ALL ODDS. Our spotlight section this year is called Out of Order and presents a society in uprising - that’s where we are right now. Disjointed is our time, chaos lives next door to God. That’s when you need a film festival.
Why did you choose that as a theme this year?
We want to breathe together with the audience and give them films from where we are at right now. In Out of Order we have gathered all those films.
For film in general, this year will have major implications. I suppose it must have been a very difficult year to realise and finalise ongoing projects. But on the other hand some people might have had a lot of time on their hands to plan future work. What are the pros and cons you see and how will this affect next year’s festival?
That’s what we are all wondering. But I don’t think next year will be so short of films. A lot of film projects were pushed into the future, so they will be coming out next year, and as you say, it’s not an unthinkable thought that it’s been possible to finish a lot of ideas and scripts during a time when we all have had some free time and limited social contact.
What are the biggest challenges that you still see ahead for this year’s festival and how do you hope to resolve them?
We have done everything in our power to produce the best festival we possibly could during this ongoing pandemic. It remains to be seen if the crowd will come. Will our older audience dare to come?
We hope we have done all that we can to make it as secure as possible. We really hope so, because this year we’re only doing this for our audience, it’s unfortunately impossible to break even while restricted to only 50 people in the cinema.