Hunting and cheerleading

In the thriller Jakt på ett vitt fält (English title tba) by Sarah Gyllenstierna, Alex, Greger and Henrik are in a remote cabin to do some hunting. They do well the first few days, but suddenly all the forest wildlife disappears, but the men are obsessed that the hunt must go on. This is Gyllenstierna’s first feature film after various shorts.

Hunting is also in focus in the short documentary The Longest Wait (Den längsta väntan) by Lisa Meyer. Teenagers Thelma and Sahlina have just been granted dispensation to go hunting on their own for the first time, without adult supervision. When they’re hunting together, they create their own sanctuary, which gives them a taste of the adult life to come. The film premiered at the Tempo Documentary Festival, and Meyer is now making a feature-length film on the same subject.

The Good Driver is a Finnish-Swedish co-production directed by Tonislav Hristov, whose The Magic Life of V screened at the Sundance Film Festival. The film follows Ivan, who makes his living driving a taxi at the Bulgarian tourist resort of Golden Sands. He needs to earn money to get back to Finland to see his ex-wife and try to make amends for his old mistakes.

Power Jaguars is a short documentary about a cheerleading team training for the Swedish Championships, but it is also a film about friendship between women. It is directed by Jessica and Annika Karlsson, whose previous works include A Legacy of Horses which competed at the IDFA, and Loving Lorna which was nominated for a Crystal Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.

Arvin Kananian’s short film Vernissage follows Simon and Siván and their perfect lives. Their carefully curated day is planned down to the finest detail, from how they have sex to their choice of couple’s therapist. One evening, Simon is forced to confront a realization he has previously ignored: their marriage is all surface and no depth. Will Simon burst the bubble they exist in? The film has real people from the world of culture making cameo appearances.

Features

12 toppar (English title tba)
Director Jimmy Sundin
Screenplay Jimmy Sundin
Producer Jimmy Sundin
Funding recipient Tajgan Productions AB
Target group Adult
Film type Documentary
Technique Live action
Film commissioner Cecilia Lidin
Funding granted 425 000 SEK
Production company’s presentation Tobias, Jimmy and Björn have decided to conquer all of Sweden’s twelve 2,000 metre peaks in wintertime. Using only their own physical strength, and all in a single trip. It will require rigorous planning and elite-level training, while they also try to juggle family and work commitments.

Jakt på ett vitt fält (English title tba)
Director Sarah Gyllenstierna
Screenplay Sarah Gyllenstierna
Producers Maria L Guerpillon, Charlotte Most
Funding recipient MostAlice Films AB
Target group Adult
Film type Fiction
Genre Drama
Technique Live action
Film commissioner Helen Ahlsson
Funding granted 3 000 000 SEK
Production company’s presentation The story of Alex, Greger and Henrik – three men spending a long weekend at a remote cabin. They’re shooting ducks on the lake and stalking deer and elk in the forest. They do well the first few days, and their competitive spirit rises as their eagerness to hunt progresses. Suddenly all the forest wildlife disappears and there’s an uncanny silence. The men become obsessed that the hunt must go on.

We Are Still Here. Photo: Ola Røe

We Are Still Here (Nu räcker det)
Director Gunilla Bresky
Screenplay Gunilla Bresky
Producer Andreas Emanuelsson
Funding recipient Iris Film AB *
Target group Adult
Film type Documentary
Technique Live action
Film commissioner Anna Weitz
Funding granted 600 000 SEK
Production company’s presentation The film follows a group of Sami artists from an Arts-collective, Mázejoavku, as they rebel against cultural stereotypes and explore themes of Sámi identity. Soon they are dragged into the Alta Conflict, a turning point in Sámi political and cultural life.

*Swedish coproducer. Main producer: Rein Film Finnmark AS, Aleksander Olai Korsnes, Norway

The Good Driver
Director Tonislav Hristov
Screenplay Tonislav Hristov, Kaarle Aho, Konstantin Bojanov
Producers Annika Hellström, Erika Malmgren, Richard Olsson
Funding recipient Cinenic Film AB **
Target group Adult
Film type Fiction
Genre Drama
Technique Live action
Film commissioner Helen Ahlsson
Funding granted 400 000 SEK
Production company’s presentation Ivan makes his living driving a taxi at the Bulgarian tourist resort of Golden Sands. He needs to earn money to get back to Finland to see his ex-wife and try to make amends for his old mistakes.

** Swedish coproducer. Main producer: Making Movies Oy, Kaarle Aho, Finland

Shorts

Doris and Bettan. Illustration: Ellen Ekman

Doris and Bettan (Doris och Bettan)
Director Ellen Ekman
Screenplay Ellen Ekman
Producer Anna Warfvinge
Funding recipient Nordisk Film Production Sverige AB
Target group Adult
Film type Fiction
Genre Drama
Technique Animated
Film commissioner Ami Ekström
Funding granted 570 000 SEK
Production company’s presentation Doris and Bettan, two seemingly ordinary old-age pensioners, are enjoying the sun on a beach in Spain. Topless, smoking away and sipping cocktails. Following complaints, the owner of the hotel next door wants to get rid of the women – something he will soon come to regret.

Power Jaguars
Directors Jessica Karlsson, Annika Karlsson
Screenplay Jessica Karlsson, Annika Karlsson
Producers Jessica Karlsson, Annika Karlsson
Funding recipient Systerskaparna AB
Target group Adult
Film type Documentary
Technique Live action
Film commissioner Juan Pablo Libossart
Funding granted 100 000 SEK
Production company’s presentation The cheerleading team Jaguars are happy to be able to train together again after the pandemic. To stand close to each other, to be thrown up, to land safely in each other's arms and to encourage each other in the training hall in Haninge. They dream of winning the SM, but are at the same time in the fragile youth period where many want to find themselves, and see the world. But one thing they know for sure - they do magic here and now.

The Longest Wait. Photo: Malin Nicander

The Longest Wait (Den längsta väntan)
Director Lisa Meyer
Screenplay Lisa Meyer
Producer Mario Adamson
Funding recipient Sisyfos Film Production AB
Target group Youth 13-18 age
Film type Documentary
Technique Live action
Film commissioner Jenny Gilbertsson
Funding granted 300 000 SEK
Production company’s presentation Thelma and Sahlina have just been granted permission to hunt on their own without adult supervision. The weekends they hunt together they create their own free space away from parents, giving them a taste of upcoming adult life.

Vernissage
Director Arvin Kananian
Screenplay Arvin Kananian, Nina Mårshagen
Producers Sara Börje Ramberg, Petter Selvehed
Funding recipient Makeriet AB
Target group Adult
Film type Fiction
Genre Drama
Technique Live action
Film commissioner Ami Ekström
Funding granted 350 000 SEK
Production company’s presentation Simon and Siván are a picture-perfect art couple. Everything in their life is carefully curated, from the way they have sex to their choice of therapist. But Simon is having trouble keeping up with the image his wife has set out for them. Will he be able to keep up this mirage?