With a superb lineup set to warm the hearts and minds of cinemagoers this winter, the 2024 Saxo Scandinavian Film Festival returns
It’s coming to Palace, Palace Nova and Luna Palace Cinemas from July until August. Presenting the best new cinema from the Nordic region, a first look at festival highlights has been announced with films from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland, featuring a selection of epic dramas, sweeping romances and stunning visuals.
Festival Curator Elysia Zeccola says about this year’s edition “The Nordic countries always create such memorable cinema and this year’s films are no exception. From thrilling Scandi noir to breathtaking ice-capped dramas these unmissable highlights are only a taste of what is to come.”
Scandinavian Film Festival
- Adelaide: 17 July – 7 August, Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas
- Brisbane: 18 July – 7 August, Palace James St, Palace Barracks
- Melbourne: 19 July – 7 August, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, Palace Penny Lane, The Kino, Pentridge Cinema and The Astor Theatre
- Canberra: 23 July – 14 August, Palace Electric
- Sydney: 24 July – 14 August, Palace Norton St, Palace Moore Park, Palace Central and Chauvel Cinema
- Perth: 25 July – 14 August, Luna Leederville, Luna on SX and Palace Raine Square
- Byron Bay and Ballina:26 July – 14 August, Palace Byron Bay, Ballina Fair Cinemas
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Festival Centrepiece The Tundra Within Me (Eallougierdu) from Norway is a powerful drama exploring community, heritage, and identity. Featuring beautiful cinematography, it follows Sámi artist Lena who returns to her hometown in northern Norway where she finds an unexpected new love and is forced to confront her past.
Icelandic film Touch (Snerting), a romantic drama directed by renowned filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur, is a festival Special Presentation. Based on the best-selling eponymous novel, this beautiful and thrilling story spans several decades and continents as it follows one man’s emotional journey to find his first love who disappeared 50 years ago.
Danish box office hit Boundless (Den grænseløse) is a gripping thriller based on the bestselling Department Q novel. It follows Detective Mørck and his team who become embroiled in a cold case on the remote Danish island of Bornholm, providing a spectacular backdrop.
Set during the Cold War in 1961, Hammarskjöld – Fight for Peace (Hammarskjöld) is a political thriller that follows the true story of Swedish diplomat and economist Dag Hammarskjöld, who served as Secretary-General of the United Nations. A key figure during this pivotal time, iconic actor Mikael Persbrandt (In a Better World, Sex Education) stars as Hammarskjöld, the man who John F. Kennedy once called ‘the greatest statesman of our century’.
Hugely popular in Finland, epic historical drama Stormskerry Maja is based on the book series by Anni Blomqvist. A tale of female empowerment set in the 1840s, it follows Maja and her husband through the breathtaking Finnish seasons on the windswept and remote Åland archipelago.
The 2024 Saxo Scandinavian Film Festival will take place from 17 July to 14 August (dates vary by location). The full programme will be announced later in June when tickets go on sale.
For more information, visit scandinavianfilmfestival.com.
