English filmmaker Mike Leigh at the 2014 festival, with actor Olle Sarri, festival director Git Scheynius, and actress and director Alexandra DahlströmAi Weiwei's ice sculptures at Norrmalmstorg during the Stockholm Film Festival 2014
The Stockholm International Film Festival (Swedish: Stockholms filmfestival) is an annual film festival held in Stockholm, Sweden. It was launched in 1990 and has been held every year since then during the second half of November, and focuses on emerging and early career filmmakers. The winning film in the international competition section is awarded the Bronze Horse (Bronshästen), and it awards a number of other prizes.
History
The Stockholm Film Festival was founded in 1990 by the three film enthusiasts Git Scheynius, Kim Klein, and Ignas Shceynius. The first festival took place over four days, with its opening film being "Wild at Heart" by David Lynch. In 1994, the Stockholm Film Festival took a step into the digital age as the first film festival in the world with its own website.
David Lynch visited the festival for the first time in 2003 to receive the Stockholm Lifetime Achievement Award, 13 years after Wild at Heart inaugurated the very first edition of the Stockholm Film Festival.
The Stockholm Film Festival celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2009 by screening films on a specially made ice screen in Kungsträdgården. Susan Sarandon, who attended the festival to receive the Stockholm Lifetime Achievement Award, helped to unveil the canvas before the screening of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". At the festival's 30th anniversary celebration in 2019, several tons of ice were yet again transported from Torneälven, 1227 km to the capital to recreate the ice canvas in Kungsträdgården.
In 2011 the Stockholm Film Festival Feature Film Award was inaugurated, which funds a feature film for an unestablished female director.
When director and actor Peter Fonda arrived at the festival as chairman of the jury in 2012, he made his entrance in style, escorted to the Skandia cinema by an entire motorcycle gang.
The Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei was part of the festival jury in 2013, but could not be present as he was under house arrest in his home country. He created the work of art "The Chair of Nonattendance" which was sent to Stockholm; an empty chair that is impossible to sit in. The collaboration inspired the establishment of the Stockholm Impact Award; one of the world's largest film prizes, which was awarded for the first time in 2015 in collaboration with the City of Stockholm. The prize is awarded to filmmakers who raise important societal issues.[citation needed]
In 2021, due to the COVID pandemic, the Stockholm Film Festival pivoted to a hybrid model using a video-on-demand platform provided by Shift72. This initiative included a unique partnership with Polestar to show films on their Android Automotive system, creating the world’s first in-car film festival.[1]
Since its start the Stockholm International Film Festival has focused on supporting new talents through competitions and scholarships. As many as a third of the films selected for the competition are made by a debuting director and by directors who have made fewer than three films.
The festival hosts seminars, gala screenings, and opportunities to meet actors and filmmakers. It also organises mobile film workshops for children and teenagers, screenings for festival members throughout the year as well as the Stockholm Film Festival Junior, an annual film festival for children and youth during the spring. The main goal of the Stockholm Film Festival Junior is to provide access to quality films from every corner of the world for young audiences – films that otherwise would not reach the mainstream film repertoire. All screenings are free of charge for everyone between 6 and 19 years old.
Since 1990, the Stockholm International Film Festival has also been the host of Summer Cinema, an outdoor cinema open to the public during August in Stockholm. Summer Cinema has taken place in different venues in the Swedish capital, for example, Stockholm Olympic Stadium, Berzelii Park, and Rålambshovsparken.
The winning film in the international competition section is awarded the Bronze Horse (Bronshästen). At 7.3kg (16 lb) the Bronze Horse is the heaviest film award in the world. It is also a paraphrase of a national design icon, the Swedish Dala horse, and was created by artist Fredrik Swärd.
The following films have received the top honour at the festival, the 7.3 kg Bronze Horse statute for best film.[3]
The Rising Star Award is awarded to an actor who has made distinctive achievements in film and has the ability to become tomorrow's star. The purpose of the award is to highlight an actor early in their career.
