Palace Cinemas presents the Carlsberg Scandinavian Film Festival, screening nationally at Palace Cinemas, Luna Palace Cinemas and Palace Nova Cinemas from July 12 to August 10.
This year’s specially curated selection encompasses films from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden with a number arriving directly from this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Opening the Festival is the Australian premiere of Margrete – Queen of the North (Margrete den første), an historical drama set in 1402 from director Charlotte Sieling. It explores the legacy and dilemmas faced by Denmark’s Queen Margrete (Trine Dyrholm) a visionary ruler who brokered the historic Kalmar Union uniting Sweden, Norway and Denmark.
Dyrholm also stars in A Matter of Trust (Ingen kender dagen), a portrait of interpersonal trust and unspoken truths. Five stories intertwine in Annette K. Olesen’s bittersweet relationship drama, which had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Selected for the 2022 Cannes Film Festival Critics’ Week, this year’s Special Presentation is Finland’s The Woodcutter Story (Metsurin tarina), the directorial debut of Mikko Myllylahti.
In an idyllic village, Pepe the woodcutter’s quiet life is suddenly torn apart by a series of tragic events over the course of a few days, but he seems to be fine with it as if he holds a secret to existence that is hard to grasp.
Closing the festival is The New Land (Nybyggarna), the 1972 sequel to the original The Emigrants (Utvandrarna), starring Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann as Swedish immigrants who struggle to establish a new life for themselves in the forest of Minnesota in the mid 19th Century.
In 1973, the film was nominated for an Oscar and won Best Foreign Language film at the Golden Globes and in 2022 celebrates its fiftieth anniversary.
The Emigrants (2021) (Utvandrarna) from Sweden is director Erik Poppe’s new adaptation of the award-winning classic which closed the 2021 Festival.
Starring Lisa Carlehed and Gustav Skarsgård, it follows the emigrants’ journey from Sweden to the United States in the mid 1800s, telling the story for the first time from Kristina’s perspective.
The 2022 Carlsberg Scandinavian Film Festival will take place from July 12 to August 10. Melbourne venues include Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, Pentridge Cinema and The Astor Theatre (selected sessions)
For further information about Festival program content and to book tickets, visit www.scandinavianfilmfestival.com