Festival to screen 429 films; industry highlights include works in progress screenings, such as Jan Troell’s Truth and Consequence [pictured[.

Even with Berlin looming the following week, the Göteborg International Film Festival has registered a record number of buyers (74), sales agents (23) and festival programmers (51) for its Nordic Film Market, which runs at Göteborg’s Biopalatset between Feb 2-5.

”In Göteborg the 280 participants can get updated on Scandinavian films in three days and be well prepared when they arrive at Berlin. Many deals are instigated in Göteborg, then closed in Berlin,” explained market director Cia Edström, who has been in charge of the trade show the last five years.

”Usually the attendants are particularly interested in our works-in-progress programme, which give them an overview of the Nordic movies which will be presented at the upcoming festivals and markets. And they are sure to meet a representative of the production, because the whole Nordic industry is here.”

”The last couple of years there has internationally been an increasing focus on Nordic crime, which is also on show in our catalogue. Still we try to collect some-30 new productions in different genres from the five Nordic countries, which we think will travel outside Scandinavia,” Edström concluded.

This year’s 17 works-in-progress presented at Göteborg’s Lagerhuset include Danish Oscar-winning director Bille August’s Marie Krøyer – his first film made in Denmark for almost 35 years – and Swedish directors Jan Troell’s Truth and Consequence (Dom över död man) [pictured] and Mikael Marcimain’s Call Girl. Also Norway’s so far most expensive feature, Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg’s Kon-Tiki.

Starting tomorrow (Feb 27) the Göteborg fest – the largest showcase in Scandinavia, attracting 200,000 audiences – will screen 429 films from 80 countries in its 35th edition; six of them are Oscar nominées, such as US director and festival guest Alexander Payne’s The Descendants.

The main prize is the the $145,000 (SEK 1 million) Dragon Award for Best Nordic Feature, but the honour for last year’s best local film has already been given to Lisa Ohlin’s Simon and the Oaks, to coincide with the Swedish Film Institute’s Guldbaggar. Ohlin will receive her audience nod on the festival’s opening night.

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