Discoveries from Sweden World Cinema

This Christmas special breathes new life into some of Astrid Lindgren's beloved stories. Some, we've seen before, some we've never seen in animated form and some are completely new. Centering around a mysterious cuckoo clock, this film brings us into the worlds of Emil, Brenda Brave and Nils Karlsson Pyssling among others.

A drama-comedy about Max, a successful New York-based commercial cinematographer, who is disillusioned and alone. He has a very low opinion of love, romance and emotions. One day Max is contacted by his old childhood friend Peter, who invites him to come to a small Swedish city Hudiksvall and help him make a film about his daughter's friends.

The year is 1954. The war in Korea has just ended and the superpowers stand by each side of the boarder. The peace in Europe is fragile and the cold war is imminent. At F8 - Air Fore Base, the yellow squadron stand ready with its J29 fighters.

Tells a story about a man named Anthony who loses his wife, to an illness and finds it hard to move on. Although Anthony is now single, he struggles with how to build a new relationship with Tiffany. Anthony is uneasy to love again and pushes her away. He finds a letter from his deceased wife, saying that if something happens, to love and marry again. He is ready to let go, let God and move on.

We follow the timid Theo, whose mother stands to lose her disability benefits. Help comes from the effortlessly flamboyant trans woman Kleopatra, a militant animal-identified posthumanist (a.k.a. Rabbit), and their fearless comrades. Together they reclaim social security for Theo’s mother, with the help of black magic and a comic shoot-out with the police. But fear not: “In order to break the symbolic connection between masculinity and power, everyone carrying a gun must wear a dress.” Then there’s the release of the animals from the Götenborg zoo, and much dancing and singing in between the organizing.

Romance blossoms between single seamstress Puck and the art critic, Roger. He is engaged to Elsa, whose wedding dress Puck is involved with designing.

Incident by a bank is a detailed account of a failed bank robbery: A single take where over 90 people perform a meticulous choreography for the camera. The film recreates an actual event that took place in Stockholm in June 2006.

Two friends on a journey

In Czechoslovakia, between 1946 and 1971, the characters of two very different fairy tales interacted and enriched each other: on the one hand, the filmmakers of the Czechoslovak New Wave who, through poetic, committed and ambitious cinema, fought against the Soviet yoke with subtle irony; and, on the other, the writer Jan Procházka, who in 1968 added his voice to the popular outcry of the Prague Spring.

The Finnish War 1808-1809 is over and Russia has conquered Finland from Sweden. All weapons in the country are meant to be handed over to the new ruler, but in some small places people are preparing for an uprising.

In a rural parish in 1906, young Heikki, one of the Finnish immigrants, lives a wild and free life in the deep forest. After poaching, his furs are confiscated and Heikki vows to have his revenge by seducing the young women of the parish, one by one.

"Hagström - Everything in Music" is a documentary about Albin Hagström who, based on his love of music, built an international empire with manufacturing accordions, guitars and amplifiers. Hagström started a variety of music stores, music schools, and published booklets. The headquarters were located in the small village of Älvdalen, Sweden, but already in the 1930s Hagström had a branch in the Rockerfeller Center in Manhattan. Among Hagström's customers and friends were Jimi Hendrix, Carl Jularbo, Frank Zappa, ABBA, Owe Thörnqvist. Larry Coryell and many others.

35-year old Erik Engman, aka Pinnen, is the local fool. He picks up garbage and eats at the old people's home. One day he is asked to try the high-jump at the sport's field. He becomes fascinated and starts to train every day. Being fool-hardy, it doesn't take long before he is one of the best in the country and is asked to compete at the Stockholm Stadion.

"Dad, why are you angry? You did the same yourself when you were young." - The Swedish army is too expensive. The cost has to be reduced by downsizing. The army chiefs begins to recreated the country's defense system.

A successful ad man records a personal message for his 17 year old daughter.

When the hunter arrives for this year's moose hunt, a young woman who is new to the hunting team is introduced. He watches her during the hunt and then he steps into action.

A comedy about taxi driver Bengt, who finds himself in trouble when he is unable to repay a loan to loan shark Kurt. At the same time, researcher Johan receives an urgent assignment from his professor, which is complicated by the fact that he unexpectedly has to take care of Bengt's daughter Pia. Their lives become intertwined in a series of comical and dramatic events that take place in the same apartment building.

A Documentary about the Swedish Comedian Tage Danielsson. He was one member of the "Hasse & Tage" duo, the other beeing Hasse Alfredsson. He was also a writer and an Actor.

Rich socialite must deny persistent rumours that she has an affair with a poor author.

Young lovers Vera and Kurt are engaged, but Kurt has to leave for studies abroad. With Kurt away, Vera’s boss, Falk, decides to make her his wife.

The hyped French philosopher Malentende visits Sweden to present a groundbreaking hypothesis. Professors are ecstatic as they gather during the break to dissect the meaning of his words. Intellectual reasoning takes unexpected leaps in this wildly humorous film about the perils of blindly following authority.

Krister and his fiancé Brita return to Stockholm after a stay in Italy. Shortly upon their return Krister learns that all his assets left to him by his father has disappeared. Together with Brita he tries to obtain justice in a aristocratic and corrupt legal system.

Roland Hassel is chasing a criminal who deals with stolen luxury cars and narcotics.

Roy and Roger decide to close their gasstation for the summer, to try to find where, what and how their lost father is. Roger also falls in love and much more.

ABBA's 1979 tour of North America and Europe, with emphasis on performances at Wembley Arena, London.

After young film writer Leo has his latest screenplay rejected he retreats to his summer home on an island, on his way he meets the flight attendant Virgo and a romance soon blossoms.

About being young and Sámi, focusing on the topics, pride, love and conflict. Isabel moves from her mother in Stockholm to her father in Jokkmokk. Amoc rap in Aanaarsämikielâ, Inari Sámi, a language used among 400 people. Alette doesn't feel like a Sámi. Thomas is a drummer, snowboards and dream of being an actor. The skier Tonje always fall in love with a Sámi. Why? Jon is adopted from Colombia and joiks a lot. Thomas and Petra plan for their future. Ritva loves horseback riding. Amanda likes theatre and politics. Vocalist Sandra wonders how much Sámi she is. Johan is brought up in a religious home where music is prohibited. Aslak love scooters. Marit was bullied in school because she is a Sámi.

Marianne is unhappily married with the rich Arvid Croneman. Arvid has been ill for some time and Marianne has been looking forward to his passing away. However, Arvid recovers. Marianne has had an affair with Lennart Hägg, her husband's doctor. She steals poison from his office and makes sure that her husband gets a poisonous injection that swiftly kills him. After his burial, Arvid's relatives, who lives in the house, treats her with suspicion. Has she really gotten rid of all the evidence?

Alongside a tranquil road somewhere in Sweden live a number of people who are pretty much like people in general. When a highly improbable and catastrophic chain of events besets them, it leads to break up and change. A tragicomic story that feels both familiar and alien at the same time.

Following the boat Capella as it makes its way through and around the Dalsland canal.

Elin and Jennie’s parents are separated and have an infected relationship. Depicted from the two sister’s perspective we follow them through their everyday life dealing with parental intrigues.

A girl disappears on her way to school, and suspicion falls on her father who has been fighting for her custody. Wallander's investigation is helped when he visits a woman whom he had arrested when her own daughter disappeared.

The theater director Sten Rampe, Svend Blom and Ulrik Blad are on their way to Sten's summer house and suddenly get a flat tire. The fate brings them together with seven young women whose car has fallen out for the same accident.

Roberto tries to interview his grandmother to find the story behind a family secret. There are two relatives whose faces are crossed out in all the pictures and nobody talks about them.

Two friends on a muddy field by a railroad track. A farewell, many emotions.

Anna bumps into Jesper on the morning train. She’s never seen him before, but it turns out he knows everything about her. A short film about social media and surveillance in postmodern society.

The film is based on a true occurrence in Sweden in 1988. A Finnish couple murdered a young boy and his parents when they prevented the theft of the son's bicycle. The film tries to describe the relationship between the dominant Jari, who calls himself "Il Capitano", and his more mature "soldier" Minna, that develops into mutual dependence.

At an indoor playground, 19-year old Anja has been hired to play a princess at a birthday party of a celebrity’s daughter. But when Anja shows more interest in the famous father than in the children, the situation soon becomes uncomfortable.

Roman Catholic priest Anders has begun to doubt his role as a clergyman due to past misfortunes and experiences when the phone at the parish hall suddenly rings.

An older man looks back on his life from childhood until today.

Four of Sweden's top actors anchor Jörgen Bergmark's tragi-comedy about a couple, both marriage counsellors, who find themselves in deep water when the husband falls for his best friend's wife. A smart, funny film made for adults. Nominated for Best Film at the 2009 Ghent International Film Festival.

A shy but righteous teacher - Topaze - with no social skills what so ever, gradually becomes aware of the realities of human societies and finally learns to master the rules at level far superior to his former mentor, Laurent Castel-Benac.

After a life of constant partying, Nojet inherits an apartment building from her recently deceased father. What she at first takes for a cash cow turns out to be a curse as she gets thrown into the murkiest corners of the Swedish housing market.

A hard-working farmer, despairing by the harsh reality of his daily struggle, is determined to have his son taking over the farm and continue his legacy. The mother tries her best to keep the family together. Yet, with increasing horror, the son witnesses his father's psychotic behavior escalate.

In the early fifties Ingmar Bergman got himself a cine-camera, a 9.5 mm Bell & Howell, which he often used both privately and in his work. "Bilder från lekstugan" ("Images from the Playground") embark on these films, giving a diverse representation of one of the greatest artists in cinema.

David has just started working for a large pharmaceutical company and falls madly in love with a young and very beautiful colleague, Angelica.

On a seemingly ordinary night out, a young man, Victor, finds what he think is true love for the first time in his life. But what starts as a dream soon becomes a nightmare and before the new day, Victor will have to confront his deepest fears and re-evaluate his beliefs about life, love and sex. —Erik Lundqvist

An engineer and a businessman is on the run from Manchuria, where revolution and civil war erupted. Both suffer from typhoid and the businessman dies. Before he dies, he changes identity with the engineer.

Soledad, Mattias, Bahar, Facundo, and Josselin were born in 1976 and were the first generation of young people to grow up in Husby. Now, almost 30 years later, they too tell their stories.

The financial crisis has brought three people to the edge or, to be more precise, to the roof of a sky scraper. Sarah, John and Ben reached a dead end. Everything divides them, even their faith, but they have only one thing in common – all of them have decided to commit suicide. Different questions arise in their conversation, which only strengthens their belief that the answers will be found only in the Big Leap. The Big Leap is a metaphoric story on ultimate questions made with gusto and a touch of humour.

Hilda Granström runs a ladies' tailoring shop. Her husband Richard is a cellist in the Opera Orchestra. Their three daughters help out in Hilda's shop. Richard's 80-year-old mother, who once was a dancer, also lives with the family.

Two boys bet a girl that they will pass a women's bath for money or a kiss...

Halim has seen through it all. He has seen through the Integration plan a secret conspiracy that tries to turn all immigrants into Swedes. Unfortunately he has also seen through his own father, who has fallen victim to the Integration plan. But Halim has his own plan; he is going to be Sweden’s mightiest revolution immigrant and take a stand to save his father from forgetting his Arabic roots.

Lieutenants Johnny Waller and Ingvar Lund have been appointed captains of two torpedo boats.