The ninth annual Scandinavian Film Festival L.A. comes to the Writers Guild Theater, Beverly Hills, and spans two weekends: Saturday and Sunday, 5-6 January; and Saturday and Sunday, 12-13 January, 2008. The yearly showcase of Nordic films and filmmakers, launched in 2000, screens the year’s Scandinavian films submitted to the Academy as nominees for Best Foreign-Language Film. It also offers documentaries, short subjects and other pictures by Scandinavian filmmakers. Non-competitive, the festival gives Southern California audiences an opportunity to see the best in contemporary film from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Read the press release.

Scandinavian Film Festival L.A. is underwritten by ASFLA with Scandinavian consulates, and generous support of national film organizations, individuals and corporate donors. If you'd like to become a festival sponsor, please see the "Patrons" information at the bottom of this page, or email ASFLA.

ASFLA welcomes Absolut, Sons of Norway, and Bache Gabrielsen Cognacs as sponsors of the ninth annual Scandinavian Film Festival L.A.

2008 Festival Schedule

Download and print a 2008 festival schedule and ticket order form in pdf format. Complete the form and save, then fax, mail or email it with your payment. See "How to Order Tickets," below, for prices and payment information.

        *   Submitted to the Academy Awards for consideration as an Oscar® nominee.

        +   Short-subject or documentary film; admission gratis with purchase of ticket to accompanying feature film.

Saturday, 5 January - Gala Opening Day

Featuring special guests throughout the day, including the films' directors, producers, actors and actresses.

1 p.m.          JAR CITY (Mýrin),* Iceland 2006, 93 min. Baltasar Kormákur. When an elderly man is found murdered in his basement, an investigator has no leads except a photograph of a young girl’s grave. The investigator discovers that, many years ago, the old man was accused, though not convicted, of horrible crimes. Did the man’s past come back to haunt him? As the investigator reopens the cold case, he follows a trail of unusual forensic evidence, uncovering secrets much larger than one man’s murder – and with clues knit into the genetic bloodline of an entire country.

4 p.m.         AT NIGHT (OM NATTEN),*+  Denmark  2007, 45 min. Christian E. Christiansen. It’s Christmas and New Year’s. Three girls between 18 and 20 are hospitalized with cancer. All three have serious problems, not just in health, but also in their relationships with their nearest and dearest. The girls each find a haven in one another’s company, free from the fear of death and loneliness. Through it all, they maintain their sense of humor, an unrestrained candidness, and an uncompromising zest for life. Followed by:

4:30 p.m.    THE ART OF CRYING (Kunsten at Græde i Kor),* Denmark 2006, 106 min. Peter Schønau Fog. This tragicomedy is set in South Jutland in the 1970s. When his dysfunctional family starts to fall apart, a precocious but innocent 11-year old goes to desperate lengths to stop the rot, stymied at every turn by his failure to understand the fallibility of human nature.

6:30 p.m.    Gala Opening Buffet. The Gala Opening includes a buffet and no-host bar at 6:30 p.m., with film screening at 8 p.m., followed by champagne dessert table. Advance reservation required by Thurs., 3 Jan. 2008. Followed by:

8 p.m.         THE SUBSTITUTE (Vikaren), Denmark  2007, 93 min. Ole Bornedal. Sixth grade gets a new substitute teacher who wants to prepare the class for an international competition in Paris. But something just isn’t right. How is she able read kids’ minds? Why is she so cruel? And how does she manage to convince everyone’s parents that she’s wonderful when the entire class knows that she’s actually an alien? Advance reservation recommended by Thurs., 3 Jan. 2008; followed by champagne dessert table.

Sunday, 6 January

1 p.m.         THE ART OF CRYING (Kunsten at Græde i Kor),* Denmark 2006, 106 min. Peter Schønau Fog. This tragicomedy is set in South Jutland in the 1970s. When his dysfunctional family starts to fall apart, a precocious but innocent 11-year old goes to desperate lengths to stop the rot, stymied at every turn by his failure to understand the fallibility of human nature.

3 p.m.         YOU, THE LIVING (Du levande),* Sweden 2007, 94 min. Roy Andersson. A woman in heavy makeup sits on a park bench and complains to a heavy-metal freak about being misunderstood. A primary school teacher and a carpet salesman break into tears after a marital fight. A family man smashes valuable porcelain at a party and is punished by death in the electric chair. There are 50 similar ‘tableaux’ in this film, an inimitable depiction of the fears and worries of human coexistence – scenes of everyday life that switch between realism and the grotesque, and offering a strong surrealist streak in stylized staging and colors.

5 p.m.          A MAN’S JOB (Miehen työ),* Finland 2007, 97 min. Aleksi Salmenperä. A young husband and father becomes a male escort to support his family, unbeknownst to them. He soon discovers that he earns more in two hours than he used to earn in two days at his prior job. His shame and deceptions grow, however, though the money helps him cope with the downside of the new profession. And as long as wife doesn’t touch her antidepressants, everything seems fine ...

7:30 p.m.    GONE WITH THE WOMAN (Tatt av kvinnen),* Norway 2007, 92 min. Petter Naess. A woman moves into a young man’s home and starts running his life – a process that makes the man fall hopelessly in love with her. This is about a young man’s encounter with the enigma that is love and the even greater enigma that is woman.

Saturday, 12 January

11:30 a.m.  PARENTS (Foreldrar), Iceland 2007, 88 min. Ragnar Bragason. A dentist adopts a little boy when he finds that his wife can’t have children. A stockbroker lives in a hotel after his wife throws him and out, and he hopes she’ll let him come home. A young woman who returns to Iceland after 8 years and who wants to live with the son who’s been raised by his grandmother must come to terms with her past. The film examines the relationship between parents and children, and provides an illuminating glimpse at a society in a far-off, isolated country.

1:30 p.m.     LIFE HITS (Råzone), Denmark 2006, 93 min. Christian E. Christiansen. Four girlfriends form a tight-knit gang, slacking on their schoolwork, living mostly for weekends of gate crashing, drinking, experimenting with drugs, and picking up guys. One girl’s world is turned upside down when another’s boyfriend hits on her and she’s accused of making out with him. Furious, the three girls turn on her, and she suddenly finds herself on the receiving end of some serious bullying. Things quickly spin out of control.

4 p.m.           MIRUSH (Blodsbånd), Norway 2007, 100 min. Marius Holst. A young man travels from Kosovo to Norway in search of the father who long ago abandoned his family. The father now runs a restaurant in Oslo and is in deep debt to the Albanian mafia. Without knowing it, the father hires his own son to work in the restaurant. Gradually they become acquainted, but the young man is unprepared for the truth he discovers about his father.

7 p.m.          WITH YOUR PERMISSION (TIL DØDEN OS SKILLER), Denmark 2007, 95 min. Paprika Steen. An ordinary man has no easy life. He’s the most unpopular employee at work. At home it’s even worse. His marriage with a not-so-ordinary woman is breaking down. Finally, his boss sends him to group therapy where he develops an unlikely friendship with two mechanics. If he’d known what the two mechanics were up to, however, he’d never have invited them into his home.

Sunday, 13 January

1 p.m.         SOPHIE,+ Denmark 2006, 15 min. Birgitte Stærmose. A man and his pregnant wife are on their way to the movies. Out of the blue, she asks her him if he’s ever been with a prostitute and the evening takes an unexpected turn. Followed by:

1:30 p.m.    BLOOD SISTERS (BLODSØSTRE),*+ Denmark 2006, 29 min. Louise N.D. Friedberg. A seven-year-old girl adores her best friend but is abandoned by her when a new girl moves into the building. The girl wants her best friend back, but the harder she tries to gain her friend’s acceptance, the more she’s pushed away. The battle for love is on and soon it gets bloody. Followed by:

2:15 p.m.    WINTERLAND (Vinterland), Norway 2007, 52 min. Hisham Zaman. Filled with warmth and humor, this is the story of a well-adjusted Kurdish refugee who lives in a godforsaken locale in Northern Norway. Though he has nearly everything he wants, he doesn’t have a good woman. So he marries a Kurdish woman from his home country without having met her in person. After she arrives, the relationship gets off to a rocky start: neither her new husband nor Norway appear the way she’s imagined. Is it possible that the man could love a woman he knows only from a photograph?

4 p.m.         THE YEAR OF THE WOLF (SUDEN VUOSI), Finland 2007, 95 min. Olli Saarela. An athletic, clever and good-looking young woman carries a secret: she’s an epileptic. During a fit she feels as if she’s drowning, and has visions that she’s being followed by a wolf. Though she’s in a casual relationship with a fellow student, her heart belongs to a ‘post-romantic’ university lecturer on Baudelaire. After the lecturer is thrown out by his unfaithful wife, the girl moves in with him – purely for pragmatic reasons, of course. But neither relatives nor employer are prepared to accept the arrangement. The professor’s job is at stake but the unsettled girl has greater concerns – like life itself. 

6:30 p.m.    When Elvis Came to Visit (När Elvis Kom På Besök),+ Sweden 2007, 11 min. Andreas Tibblin. In the suburbs of Stockholm, a 30-year-old man meets the young immigrant boy Elvis. Annoyed by him, the man tries to keep his distance, but the young boy's innocence gradually affects him. Followed by:

7 p.m.         THE NEW MAN (Den Nya människan), Sweden 2007, 104 min. Klaus Härö. A 17-year-old girl grows up in an impoverished family and is placed in a home for young women. Refusing to submit to the rules, she attracts attention when she has an affair with a man. To subjugate her, she is forced to undergo compulsory sterilization. This portrays a dark chapter in the history of post-war Sweden when, in the 1950s, thousands of Swedish women from poor families were sterilized – part of a closed-door agreement between doctors and politicians to keep the birth rate low for low-income families. Followed by ASFLA closing party at 9 p.m.

Nordic Café

Between screenings, you're invited to network and nosh at the Nordic Café in the theater lobby, where you'll enjoy refreshments and the good company of others who share a love for Scandinavian film and Hollywood.

Admission

Click here to download and print a festival schedule and order form in pdf format. Complete the form and save, then fax, mail or email it with your payment.

How to Order Tickets

Order tickets in one of these ways:

·        C lick on the PayPal button below. Enter your total amount, click "Continue," then enter in the "Message to Seller" field a detailed itemization of your order, plus your phone number. Note: There is no shipping; please pick up your ticket(s) at will-call.

·         Email your order to Scandinavian Film Festival L.A. Box Office.

·         Fax your order to (323) 661-4273.

·         Mail your order to Scandinavian Film Festival L.A; P.O. Box 292329; Los Angeles, CA 90029.

·         Call the film festival box office at (323) 661-4273.

Please send your order for the Gala Opening reception, buffet, screening and champagne dessert table (Jan. 5) so that the box office receives it no later than 3 Jan. 2008.

Please itemize your order to include:

·        The number of gala or buffet packages and/or name(s) of film(s)/number(s) of ticket(s).

·        A check (made payable to ASFLA), money order or charge authorization for the total cost.

·        If paying by credit card, your name as it appears on the card, address, telephone number, credit-card type (Visa and MasterCard accepted), credit-card number and expiration date.

·        Add an ASFLA membership

Note: there is no shipping. All tickets and passes are held at the festival box office until the date of the event, reserved under the name of the individual who placed the order. Please pick up tickets and passes at the will-call line upon arrival. Be prepared to show identification.

Location

The Writers Guild of America Theatre is located at 135 S. Doheny Dr. at Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills (the southwest corner of Wilshire and Doheny), California 90211. There is parking on the street and in the Writers Guild Theater lot for a fee.

Patrons

Scandinavian Film Festival L.A. is underwritten by American-Scandinavian Foundation of Los Angeles, the consulates of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, with the generous support of national film organizations, individuals and corporate donors. Donors of $125 and more receive a free opening-day pass (three screenings, reception, Gala Opening buffet, champagne dessert table, and more). Donors of $175 and more receive a festival passport good for VIP admission to all screenings and events. Donors of $250 and more receive two festival passports. All donors are listed in the festival program (subject to the printing deadline) and an invitation to a special "King Oscar" post-festival party. Learn more about becoming a sponsor, and how to make your tax-deductible donation.

Now in its seventh year, Scandinavian Film Festival L.A. offers a Nordic visibility and voice in the Oscar race. Attracting audiences that are part Southland film afficionados, part film professionals, and part homesick Nordic folk anxious to see something new from home, "The festival takes people North to see who might be the next Bergman, or receive one of the coveted Best Foreign-Language Film nominations," said festival founder/director Jim Koenig.

All five Scandinavian consulates enthusiastically hail the event as an important part of the arts scene in Los Angeles as well as a boon to cultural exchange between the U.S. and Nordic countries. Funding for the event is dependent on individual and corporate donors, the consulates, and the Nordic film institutes. The festival was launched in Feb. 2000 with the Danish Film Institute as the primary sponsor. If you'd like to become an individual or corporate sponsor please contact ASFLA, or call (323)661-4273, to express your interest in making your gift.

Proceeds from the film festival -- and all ASFLA activities -- fund a scholarship program for upper-division and graduate students at Los Angeles-area colleges and universities. For more information, contact ASFLA at (323)661-4273.

For a complete list of past years' films and Oscar nominees, click here.

About the 2007 Film Festival

About the 2006 Film Festival

About the 2005 Film Festival

About the 2004 Film Festival
About the 2003 Film Festival
About the 2002 Film Festival
About the 2001 Film Festival
About the 2000 Film Festival

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    American-Scandinavian Foundation of Los Angeles (ASFLA), due to circumstances beyond its control, reserves the right to change screenings and schedule without prior written notice.

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