Nordic Women in Film

The five Nordic Embassies in the U.S., WIFT International and WIFV Washington are presenting a digital screening series of fiercely intelligent and radiant Nordic cinema!

Nordic Women in Film is five weeks of artistic ambition. Five weeks of cultural exchange. Five weeks of fearless film screenings and conversations.

The Nordic countries have a proud history of firmly embracing the complexities of gender equality. With this common voice of urgency, we invite you to a space where bold, creative and distinctive female voices are examined, amplified and celebrated.

Date: During five weeks between February 2 and March 3, 2021.

During five weeks between February 2 and March 3, you can watch five films from across the Nordic countries, meet their directors and host five conversations with Nordic and American filmmakers. Themes range from inconvenient women to borderless filmmaking, from women who define their own reality to those making our blood boil. Meet Sundance-winner Ísold Uggadóttir, May el-Toukhy, Oscar-contenders Zaida Bergroth and Maria Søhdahl and Samí-director Suvi West; award-winning actresses Sofia Helin, Trine Dyrholm; and many more. 

Every week, you will have the chance to watch a contemporary Nordic film between Tuesday and Thursday, and meet online for a Q&A and themed conversation each Wednesday.

The films will only be available to watch in the US and Canada. The coffee conversations will be open to the whole world.

Registration for week 3 and 4 is now open. Stay updated on here and at @wiftinternational on Facebook and Instagram.

Schedule:

Week 1: BOUNDLESS ART, BOUNDLESS SUCCESS

February 2-3: Tove (dir. Zaida Bergroth, Finland, 2020) 

In the midst of her artistic struggles and unconventional personal life, Tove Jansson found worldwide success from an unexpected side project: the creation of the beloved world of the Moomins. TOVE is a captivating drama about the creative energy of an iconic talent and her turbulent search for identity, desire, and freedom.

Registration for the film screening is now closed.

February 3, 3:00-4:30 PM (EST): Q&A and panel discussion

What does it mean to live and create freely? What lies behind artistic ambition and who is to judge the worth of one’s work?

3-3.30pm EST: Q&A on TOVE with director Zaida Bergroth, actress Alma Pöysti, producer Andrea Reuter and screenwriter Eeva Putro.

3.30-4.30pm EST: Online Special Conversation on Boundless Art, Boundless Success. Speakers: Zaida Bergroth (FIN), Isabella Eklöf (SWE), Terry Pheto (ZAF/US), Pamela Green (US) and Silja Hauksdóttir (ISL).

Rewatch the Q&A and panel here.

Week 2: INCONVENIENT & OUTRAGEOUS WOMEN

February 9-11: Queen of Hearts (dir. May el-Toukhy, Denmark, 2019)

A woman jeopardizes both her career and her family when she seduces her teenage stepson and is forced to make an irreversible decision with fatal consequences.

Registration for the screening is now closed.

February 10, 3:00-4:30 PM (EST): Q&A and panel discussion

How are women portrayed in unexpected ways in films, and what happens when women are “inconvenient” and outrageous? Why is it so important to be seen on screen?

3-3.30pm EST: Q&A on Queen of Hearts with director May El-Toukhy and lead actress Trine Dyrholm.

3.30-4.30pm EST: Online Special Conversation on ‘Inconvenient & Outrageous Women’. Speakers: Trine Dyrholm (Denmark), Sofia Helin (Sweden) and Elina Knihtilä (Finland).  

Re-watch the Q&A and panel here.

Week 3: PERSONAL STORIES & BIG BUDGETS

February 16-18: Hope (dir. Maria Sødahl, Norway, 2019)

What happens with love when a woman in the middle of her life gets three months left to live? 

The screening is now sold out and registration is closed.

February 17, 3:00-4:30 PM (EST): Q&A and panel discussion

Movies about personal stories tend to receive less attention and smaller budgets than films about broader topics. Why is that and what makes the personal political? 

3-3.30pm EST: Q&A on Hope with director Maria Sødahl.

3.30-4.30pm EST: Online Special Conversation on ‘Personal Stories, Big Budgets’. Speakers: Maria Sødahl (NOR), Ninja Thyberg (SWE), Malou Reymann (DK) and Nisha Ganatra (US). Moderated by Kirsten Schaffer, Executive Director of Women in Film LA. 

Register here for the Q&A and panel discussion (available globally).

Week 4: THE GAZE

February 23-25: Lucky One (dir. Mia Engberg, Sweden, 2019)

Ageing gangster Vincent works long nights and dreams of another life. When he is unexpectedly given responsibility for his teenage daughter Grace, his life starts to change. 

The screening is now sold out.

February 24, 3:00-4:30 PM (EST): Q&A and panel discussion

What happens with the world when young women define their own reality instead of being defined by others? 

3-3.30pm EST: Keynote on The Gaze in Film with director Mia Engberg.

3.30-4.30pm EST: Online Special Conversation on ‘The Gaze in Film’. Speakers: Mia Engberg (Sweden), Selma Vilhunen (Finland), Suvi West (Sapmí) and Michèle Stephenson (US). Moderated by Cynthia Lopez, Executive Director of New York Women in Film.

Rewatch the keynote, Q&A and panel discussion here.

Week 5: BORDERS & BOUNDARIES

March 2-4: And Breathe Normally (dir. Ísold Uggadóttir, Iceland, 2018)

Two women’s lives will intersect while trapped in circumstances unforeseen. Between a struggling Icelandic mother and an asylum seeker from Guinea-Bissau, a delicate bond will form as both strategize to get their lives back on track. 

Register here for the film screening.

March 3, 3:00-4:30 PM (EST): Q&A and panel discussion

How do filmmakers influence physical, geographical, and emotional boundaries?  

3-3.30pm EST: Online Q&A with director Ísold Uggadóttir

3.30-4.30pm EST: Online Special Conversation on Borders and Boundaries. Speakers: Ísold Uggadóttir (Iceland), Heather Rae (US, Frozen River), Elisabeth Ronaldsdottir (Iceland), Elisa Fernanda Pirir Ruiz (Norway). Moderated by Robyn Watson (WIFT Atlanta).

Register here for the Q&A and panel.

Nordic Women in Film is presented by the five Nordic Embassies in the U.S. (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden), Women in Film and Television International and Women in Film & Video Washington, DC.