New Nordic Cinema And The 5th Annual Sámi Film Festival Return This Season At Scandinavia House!

New Nordic Cinema returns this season to Scandinavia House with in-person screenings of award-winning contemporary film from each of the Nordic countries, as well as the Sámi Film Festival taking place as a must-see hybrid event in February!

Screening on Wednesdays at 7 PM in Victor Borge Hall, New Nordic Cinema kicks off with Everybody Hates Johan /Alle Hater Johan on February 8, hailed as "a folktale and a saga...a sort of Molotovian romance" (Sydney Morning Herald). Directed by Hallvar Witzø (Norway, 2022), the Norwegian comedy follows small-town loner Johan Grande, whose unrequited love for the girl next door have been thwarted by his passion for explosives - where some use beautiful words, he's more likely to grab a stick of dynamite. Living with his aunt and wild horse Ella in Titran, on the windswept ridgeline of Trøndelag, will he be able to balance his desires - or will his journey to win her heart go up in flames? And on February 15, see the touching Norwegian dramedy Nothing to Laugh About /Ingenting å le av, written and starring comedian Odd-Magnus Williamson (Kon Tiki) and directed by Petter Næss (Norway, 2021). Successful stand-up comedian Kasper Berntsen has everything a man could ask for until, shortly after losing his girlfriend and comedy gig, he's informed that he has incurable cancer. Left with his life in shambles, he begins to discover new sides of himself - giving new life to his comedy as he uses humor as a disarming and life-giving force, in a film acclaimed as "warm, heartfelt, and offering surprisingly much to laugh about" (BMA Mag).

In So Damn Easy Going / Så Jävla Easy Going (dir. Christoffer Sandler, Sweden, 2022), screening on February 22, 18-year-old Joanna's mind is like an amusement park -only her ADHD meds help to keep her buzzing mind in check. But when money runs tight, she must find creative solutions to afford them; meanwhile, the charming and confident Audrey has her heart jumping as well. Based on the critically acclaimed young-adult novel by Swedish author Jenny Jägerfeld, So Damn Easy Going captures the cacophony of light and sound of ADHD in a funny, sweet coming-of-age drama hailed as "perfectly capturing the charm and chaos of first love" (QueerScreen). And on March 1, see the critically acclaimed Swedish dramedy Comedy Queen (dir. Sanna Lenken, Sweden, 2022), also adapted from a novel by Jenny Jägerfeld and described as "a tender journey into the process of grief and how to manage it" (Cineuropa). Sasha doesn't want to cry - and she's deeply angry at her mother for taking her own life. To escape a similar fate, the 13-year-old compiles a survival list; up next on the list is to become a stand-up comedian to make her father laugh again. Winner of awards including the Crystal Bear at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival, Comedy Queen sensitively depicts an emotional journey of grief and anger transformed by humor. New Nordic Cinema will continue in the spring with more hits from Denmark, Finland, and Iceland.

And returning from February 9-12 in its fifth annual edition, save the date for the Sámi Film Festival, exploring Sámi stories through contemporary Sámi documentaries and short films with in-person and virtual screenings alongside panel discussions with the filmmakers. Presented as a partnership between Scandinavia House and the National Nordic Museum in Seattle, the Festival will take place virtually from February 9-12 and in-person at both venues on February 11, featuring selections of guest curator Katja Gauriloff, a Skolt Sámi filmmaker and co-owner of the production company Oktober, who was recently awarded the Finnish Film Affair's top prize for Je'vida, the first film shot in the Skolt Sámi language. Tickets and a full lineup will be announced closer to the date; check back soon for more details.