email print share on Facebook share on Twitter share on LinkedIn share on reddit pin on Pinterest

GÖTEBORG 2016

“Viva Italia!” says the Göteborg Film Festival

by 

- The Swedish showcase will screen 15-20 Italian films – plus another 475 – in its 39th programme, unspooling between 29 January and 8 February

“Viva Italia!” says the Göteborg Film Festival
A Bigger Splash by Luca Guadagnino

Set to take place between 29 January and 8 February next year, the 39th Göteborg International Film Festival – which last year sold 130,000 tickets for 500 films hailing from 89 countries – will focus on Italy, with 15-20 Italian films in the programme and numerous guests from the country. 

“Viva Italia!” said Göteborg’s new managing director, Staffan Settergren, who started his new job on 1 October, after 11 years with Bonnier Publishing and, most recently, working with Online Brands Nordic. The festival is convinced that his experience in company development will benefit its Nordic Film Market and digital project Draken Film.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

One of the Göteborg guests will be Italian director Luca Guadagnino, with his latest film A Bigger Splash [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Luca Guadagnino
film profile
]
, which took home two prizes from Venice; Tilda Swinton, Dakota Johnson, Matthias Schoenaerts and Ralph Fiennes star in the erotic drama about a couple heading off for a few romantic days on the island of Pantelleria, when an old friend and his daughter suddenly show up, and everything is turned upside down.

Other confirmed Italian titles are Paolo and Vittorio Taviani’s Wondrous Boccaccio [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Paolo and Vittorio Taviani
film profile
]
, Pietro Marcello’s Lost and Beautiful [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pietro Marcello ­
film profile
]
, Giorgia Cecere’s In un posto bellissimo [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, Claudio Caligari’s Don’t Be Bad [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, Marco Bellocchio’s Blood of My Blood [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marco Bellocchio
film profile
]
, Adriano Valerio’s Banat (The Journey) [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
and Eleonora Danco’s N-Capace [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]

“Italy is an amazing film country, and it feels great to be able to show off the abundance of Italian cinema,” explained the festival’s artistic director, Jonas Holmberg. “The contemporary Italian film has many forms, often combining poetic sensuality and classic beauty with a critical look at society and history.” 

Honorary chairman Roy Andersson – whose Golden Lion winner at Venice, A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Roy Andersson
film profile
]
, is Sweden’s submission for the Oscar nomination for Best Foreign-language Film – will select his favourite Italian films for the festival’s retrospective.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.

Privacy Policy