The International Department

Instead of Abracadabra by Patrik Eklund, shortlisted for an Oscar for Best Short Film. Photo: David Grehn.

2009: a record year for Swedish film

In the beginning of 2010, Swedish shorts continue to be in demand on the international festival circuit. Patrik Eklund´s Seeds from the Fall, that won the Canal+ Award for Best Short Film in Cannes in 2009, will be screened both at the Sundance Film Festival and at Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival. This is Alaska by Gunilla Heilborn and Mårten Nilsson will screen at the Rotterdam International Film Festival as well as at Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival.

During 2009, Swedish films were highly visible worldwide and received more than 150 international awards, more than any previous year. With ten films in the official program of the Berlinale, the Swedish participation at the festival was the largest amount of films ever by a Scandinavian country. Among the films screened were Lukas Moodysson´s Mammoth and Fredrik Edfeldt´s debut feature The Girl, which received two special mentions.

At the Cannes film festival, two Swedish short films were included in the official program; Johannes Nyholm´s Dreams from the Woods in Directors’ Fortnight and Patrik Eklund´s Seeds of the Fall in Critics’ Week. This was both Nyholm´s and Eklund´s second participation in Cannes. Furthermore, Sweden had nine feature films at the Marché du Film, including the smash hit The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which together with the second and third part of the Millennium-trilogy has sold more than 7 million tickets worldwide.

At the Venice Film Festival, four Swedish features were included, amongst them Erik Gandini´s controversial documentary Videocracy and Jesper Ganslandt´s The Ape, both of which were also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival.