The 44^th edition of the Göteborg Film Festival (29 January-8 February) will show 70 films from 39 countries. But while this year's focus is, unsurprisingly, on social distances, the event is set to push the idea even further by introducing “The Isolated Cinema” – an initiative that allows, among other things, one “solitary film enthusiast” to experience the festival's offering on the island of Pater Noster for a duration of seven days. The prospect of “no phone, no family, no friends” didn't discourage many applicants, though.

“We talked a lot about how this pandemic has affected us and our film experiences, and we wanted to experiment with that,” says artistic director Jonas Holmberg. “Take that to the extreme by giving one person access to our 60 premieres and nothing else. This island is far out in the sea; it's just a tiny rock. I am very curious to see how this person will respond to our film programme and how it will differ from what other people experience.”

Back on the mainland, seven films will be competing in the Nordic Competition, starting with Thomas Vinterberg's Another Round [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] (Denmark/Sweden/Netherlands), a recent favourite at the European Film Awards. It will be followed by Tigers [+lire aussi :
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interview : Ronnie Sandahl
fiche film] (Sweden/Italy/Denmark) by Ronnie Sandahl, Persona Non Grata [+lire aussi :
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interview : Lisa Jespersen
fiche film] by Lisa Jespersen (Denmark), Gritt [+lire aussi :
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interview : Itonje Søimer Guttormsen
fiche film] by Itonje Søimer Guttormsen (Norway), Ninja Thyberg's Pleasure [+lire aussi :
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interview : Ninja Thyberg
fiche film] (Sweden/Netherlands/France), Sweat [+lire aussi :
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interview : Magnus von Horn
fiche film] by Magnus von Horn (Poland/Sweden) and, finally, the Finnish-Swedish effort Tove [+lire aussi :
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interview : Zaida Bergroth
fiche film], helmed by Zaida Bergroth and also chosen for the prestigious opening slot. Focusing on the life and loves of the creator of the Moomins, Tove Jansson, it's also Finland's Oscar submission.

“I certainly hope that Tove will be embraced – it will be very interesting to see how it goes,” Bergroth told Cineuropa. “Sweden played a hugely important role in Tove Jansson’s life: her mother was Swedish, and Tove studied and spent a lot of time there. I feel like both the Finns and the Swedes feel the same kind of pride when it comes to her; like she belonged to both of us. I’m happy to share her, and I’m hoping for the best for our film!”

Finland will also be represented by Virpi Suutari's latest film, Aalto [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], joined in the Nordic Documentary Competition by A Song Called Hate by Anna Hildur (Iceland), Be My Voice [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Nahid Persson (Sweden/Iran/USA/Norway/UK), Jonas Poher Rasmussen's Flee [+lire aussi :
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interview : Jonas Poher Rasmussen
fiche film] (Denmark/France/Sweden/Norway), Maciej Kalymon’s Into the Fog (Sweden) and Firouzeh Khosrovani's Radiograph of a Family [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] (Norway/Iran/Switzerland). The Ingmar Bergman Competition, awarding “a debuting filmmaker who in their film treats an existential theme with a dynamic or experimental approach to the cinematic means of expression”, will play host to the likes of Gagarin [+lire aussi :
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interview : Fanny Liatard et Jérémy Tr…
fiche film] by Jérémy Trouilh and Fanny Liatard (France), Liborio by Nino Martínez Sosa (Dominican Republic/Puerto Rico/Qatar), Li Dongmei’s Mama [+lire aussi :
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interview : Li Dongmei
fiche film] (China/France), Ben Sharrock's Limbo [+lire aussi :
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interview : Ben Sharrock
fiche film] (UK), The Last Bath [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by David Bonneville (Portugal/France) and The Salt in Our Waters [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Rezwan Shahriar Sumit (Bangladesh/France).

The Square [+lire aussi :
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interview : Ruben Östlund
fiche film] helmer Ruben Östlund will be given the Nordic Honorary Dragon Award, with other recognisable names to be found in the International Competition, which will be showcasing the San Sebastián winner Beginning [+lire aussi :
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interview : Dea Kulumbegashvili
fiche film] by Dea Kulumbegashvili (Georgia/France), Never Gonna Snow Again [+lire aussi :
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interview : Małgorzata Szumowska et Mi…
fiche film] by Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert (Poland/Germany), Philippe Lacôte’s Night of the Kings [+lire aussi :
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interview : Philippe Lacôte
fiche film] (France/Ivory Coast/Canada/Senegal), Quo vadis, Aida? [+lire aussi :
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interview : Jasmila Žbanić
fiche film] by Jasmila Žbanić (Bosnia and Herzegovina/Austria/Romania/France/Netherlands/Germany/Poland/Norway/Turkey), Charlène Favier’s Slalom [+lire aussi :
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interview : Charlène Favier
fiche film] (France/Belgium) and Emma Dante's The Macaluso Sisters [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] (Italy). However, as pointed out by Holmberg, nothing will prepare viewers for Frida Kempff's Knocking [+lire aussi :
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interview : Frida Kempff
fiche film] (Sweden), which will celebrate its European premiere and bring the festival to a close with the story of a woman who tries to venture out on her own after a traumatic event, only to be driven crazy by the relentless noises coming from the floor above her apartment. “Yes, we will end on a darker note,” he laughs.