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8 Highlights of the 2018 Volvo Scandinavian Film Festival in Australia

scandinavian film festival

This July, the 2018 Volvo Scandinavian Film Festival brings with it a diverse program of acclaimed films from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Finland.

The festival hits Palace Cinemas screens across Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Brisbane and Hobart beginning from July 10.

We’ve selected a few films for you to check out below, and you can click on the film titles to go to the official site and purchase tickets for your city, along with trailers!

The festival opens up with the dark comedy film Under the Tree from Icelandic writer-director Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurdsson, which follows the already simmering tensions between two families come to the boil in an astute observation of suburban mores.

The winner of the 2018 Göteborg Film Festival award for Best Nordic Film, Amateurs, will screen mid-way through the 20-day long festival.

The progressive comedy film from director Gabriela Pichler follows two high school girls that use mobiles and selfie-sticks to create a promotional video for their town.

Guests will also be treated to a Swedish cocktail on arrival to the Amateurs screening.

Also included in the program is the winner of Best Screenplay and Best Actress at the Danish Academy Awards, A Horrible Woman

The film is a provocative drama/comedy that explores a dysfunctional relationship from the man’s point of view and comes from writer/director Christian Tafdrup.

From Finland we have the SXSW hit road-trip movie Heavy Trip (pictured top of the page), which follows a young man who tries to overcome his fears by leading his small-town Finnish heavy metal band to a massive music festival in Norway.

Iceland’s second entry in the festival is the 7-time Icelandic Academy Award (Edda) nominated drama The Swanwhich sees a girl that’s sent to mature and work on a farm after shoplifting, only to find herself deeply entangled in an adult drama.

Out of Norway comes the harrowing drama U – July 22which depicts the 2011 attack on Utøya island.

Director Erik Poppe crafts a heart-breaking re-telling of this real-life tragedy, filmed entirely in one take.

Another Norwegian entry is the film What Will People Say, that sees a teen clash with the traditional values of her Pakistani immigrant parents, in a semi-autobiographical drama from director Iram Haq.

The film also won the Audience Award at the 2018 Göteborg Film Festival.

Direct from the Cannes Film Festival and hailing out of Sweden, we have the winner of Un Certain Regard at Cannes, Ali Abbasi’s Border.

The film tells the story of customs border patrol officer Tina and a mysterious traveller that upends her world.

This will be the Australian premiere of the film.

The 2018 Volvo Scandinavian Film Festival takes place nationally from 10 July, with the specific dates, cities and venues listed below:

NSW: 10 – 29 July at Palace Verona, Palace Norton Street & Palace Central

ACT: 11 – 29 July at Palace Electric

VIC: 12 – 29 July at Palace Cinema Como, Palace Brighton Bay & Palace Westgarth

WA: 19 July – 1 August at Cinema Paradiso

QLD: 19 July – 5 August at Palace Barracks

SA: 18 July – 5 August at Palace Nova Eastend & Palace Nova Prospect

TAS: 19 July – 25 July at State Cinema

For the full program guide and more details about the Scandinavian Film Festival, check out the official website here.

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Loves producing content as much as consuming it. Deserted Island Movie Collection: The films of Quentin Tarantino. Best Movie Snack: Nachos.
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