Time to get ready for one of my favourite festivals, the Saxo Scandinavian Film Festival. Here are my tips for this year.
This year we will be treated to films from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland.
“The Nordic countries always create such memorable cinema and this year’s films are no exception. From thrilling Scandi noir to breathtaking ice-capped dramas these unmissable highlights are only a taste of what is to come,” says Festival Curator Elysia Zeccola
My tips this year are:
- BOOK EARLY
The 2024 Saxo Scandinavian Film Festival runs from 25 July – 14 August. Make sure you get in early as tickets usually sell out fast.
2. ARTIFICIAL JUDGEMENT
I’ve just watched this film and it’s a highly topical, fascinating look at what would happen if court judges were replaced with an AI sentencing software. What if an algorithm decided whether you were innocent or guilty? Set in the near future, the Spanish government is trialing such software. Carmen Costa is a judge who’s unconvinced by the software. But the software’s creator is suddenly killed in a car accident, she learns that the corporation behind the software needs her approval to launch it. She quickly becomes involved in murky dealings behind the scenes which could cost her her own life.
3. BOUNDLESS
The Department Q series is a personal favourite of mine. Make sure you book before it sells out. This Danish box office hit is a gripping thriller based on the bestselling Department Q novel. It follows Detective Mørck and his team who become embroiled in a cold case on the remote Danish Island of Bornholm.
4. UPON OPEN SKY
Two teen brothers and their newly-met stepsister take a road trip to the Mexico-U.S. border in a tense revenge journey. They’re out to track down the man responsible for the accident that caused their father’s death.
5. THE TUNDRA WITHIN ME
From Norway this film is a powerful drama exploring community, heritage and identity. Featuring beautiful cinematography, it follows Sámi artist Lena who returns to her hometown where she finds an unexpected new love and is forced to confront her past.
6. TOUCH
This Icelandic film is a romantic drama and festival Special Presentation. Based on the best-selling eponymous novel, this beautiful and thrilling story spans several decades and continents as it follows one man’s emotional journey to find his first love who disappeared 50 years ago.
7. HAMMARSKJÖLD – FIGHT FOR PEACE
Set during the Cold War, in 1961, this film is a political thriller that follows the true story of Swedish diplomat and economist Dag Hammarskjöld, who served as Secretary-General of the United Nations. A key figure during this pivotal time, iconic actor Mikael Persbrandt stars as Hammarskjöld, the man who John F. Kennedy once called ‘the greatest statesman of our century’.
8. STORMSKERRY MAJA
If you like epic historical dramas this film is for you. Based on the book series by Anni Blomqvist it is a tale of female empowerment set in the 1840s, it follows Maja and her husband through the breathtaking Finnish seasons on the windswept and remote Åland archipelago.
For more information go to Luna Cinemas
