Git Scheynius, festival director Stockholm Film Festival

I’ve always loved Stockholm, both the city and the festival, so it is a great honour to have been selected as the opening film of the festival. This film is five years in the making, and there were moments when we didn’t know if it would ever get finished. The fact that it’s out there, and that it can play on a stage as big as that of the Stockholm Film Festival is surreal and humbling.

We are looking forward to present this year’s titles in Short Film Competition, delivering an array of intriguing topics with categories ranging from documenteries to comedy and drama. The award aims to encourage directors in the begining of their careers, that every year surprise us with their creativeness and originality

This year’s Twilight Zone presents more realistic and present dangers without being detached from the dark and the fantastic. Neo-nazis and punks clash in Green Room, a virus outbreak in Denmark triggers military action against middle class suburbia and a giant tsunami hits Norway

The current situation at the European borders has made us decide to focus on the issue of migration this year. The selection of films tells the stories of people fleeing or leaving their homes for different reasons

British director Stephen Frears never shies away from taking on people’s dark and tragic sides, doing so with warmth, passion and a sense of humor. This year’s receiver of the Lifetime Achievement Award is a filmmaker who is not afraid to take a stand for those who exist at the margins of society. His filmmaking ranges from political films with social pathos to grand epics with the biggest stars. Regardless of what form the story takes, Stephen Frears shows us that he is a director with a genuine curiosity for people’s life stories.