Five Film i Väst co-productions have been selected for the BFI Lonton Film Festival: Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice, Thomas Vinterberg’s Families Like Ours, Leonardo van Dijl’s Julie Keeps Quiet, Karan Kandhari’s Sister Midnight and Göran Hugo Olsson’s Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989.
The Apprentice
Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice was selected for the Official Competition at the Festival de Cannes. It is a dive into the underbelly of the American empire. It charts a young Donald Trump’s ascent to power through a Faustian deal with the influential right-wing lawyer and political fixer Roy Cohn.
Director: Ali Abbasi. Screen writer: Gabe Sherman. Producers: Daniel Bekerman, Scythiafilms, Jakob Jarek, Profile Pictures, Ruth Treacy and Julianne Forde, Tailored Films, Ali Abbasi and Louis Tisné, Film.
Ali Abbasi’s Border, filmed in Region Västra Götaland, won Un Certain Regard in Cannes and five Swedish Guldbagge Awards, among them Best Film. 2022 Holy Spider was nominated for the Palme d’Or and Zar Amir Ebrahimi won Best Female Actress. Holy Spider was also shortlisted for an Oscar. All films co-produced with Film i Väst. VFX by Dupp.
Families Like Ours
Thomas Vinterbergs seven part drama series Families Like Ours had it’s world premier in Venice followed up by Toronto IFF. Written by Vinterberg and Bo Hr. Hansen and produced by Sisse Graum Jørgensen and Kasper Dissing, Zentropa Entertainments, in co-production with Zentropa Sweden, Lizette Jonjic, and Film i Väst.
Countries disappear, love remains. Denmark, in a not-too-distant future. The rising water levels can no longer be ignored and the country needs to be evacuated. As people disperse in all directions, they must bid farewell to what they love, what they know, and who they are. Slowly but steadily, everything is different. All property becomes worthless, all fortunes change, and luck favours only a few. Those who can afford it travel to affluent countries while the less well-off depend on government-funded relocation to more challenging destinations. Families, friends, and loved ones are separated. Some will be overcome by hatred and division while others will nurture love and foster new beginnings. Against this backdrop we meet Laura, a high school student in love for the first time and on the cusp of graduation. When news of the evacuation breaks, the course of Laura and her family’s lives are changed forever, and Laura is forced into the impossible dilemma of choosing between the three people she loves the most.
Julie Keeps Quiet
Belgian director Leonardo van Dijl’s fim Julie Keeps Quiet was selected for the Semaine de la Critique in Cannes and Toronto IFF.
As the star player at an elite tennis academy, Julie’s life revolves around the game she loves. When her coach falls under investigation and is suddenly suspended, all of the club’s players are encouraged to speak up. But Julie decides to keep quiet…
Producer: De Wereldvrede, Gilles De Schryver, Gilles Coulier, Wouter Sap, Roxanne Sarkozi in co-production with Hobab, Nima Yousefi, and Film i Väst,
Sister Midnight
Indian director and script writer Karan Kandhari’s feature Sister Midnight has been selected by Quinzaine des Cinéastes in Cannes. It is produced by Alastair Clark, Wellington Films, in co-production with Filmgate Films, Sean Wheelan, and Film i Väst. Part of the post production is made by Filmgate VFX and Can Film, based in Region Västra Götaland.
The black comedy Sister Midnight follows the journey of a small-town misfit (Radhika Apte) in a newly arranged marriage who attempts to navigate an awkward spouse, nosy neighbours and her own feral impulses.
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
There is no other search entry that gives an equal amount of hits when searching the SVT archives as “Israel/Palestine”. No other specific topic has been given a comparable amount of resources to be followed and reported on. Swedish director Göran Hugo Olsson have gotten unique access to a treasure and the 4th of October his new feature documentary Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989 will premiere in Swedish cinemas.
By looking back in history, we are trying to understand one of the worst conflicts of our time. During the years 1958 to 1989 there was a public-service monopoly in Sweden, and the public broadcaster SVT’s reporting from Israel and Palestine was unique. Their reporters were constantly present in the war-affected region, documenting everything from everyday life to international crises.
– People ask me if the project or I changed after October 7. But it hasn’t. I still dislike both Hamas and Netanyahu as much as I did a year ago, says Göran Hugo Olsson.
The film is a co-production between Story, Tobias Jansson, SVT, Film i Väst, Tekele and Ström Pictures. Premiere fall 2024. It was selected to Venice Film Festival.
