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Experiencing the Stockholm Film Festival: Volunteering and watching

The Stockholm International Film Festival, which ended this weekend, was an important event not only for filmmakers from around the world but also for international students here. NFGL member Diana Imamgaiazova shares her impressions and speaks with a student who volunteered at the festival.

Experiencing the Stockholm Film Festival: Volunteering and watching

"Window to the world"

This year the Stockholm Film Festival was celebrating its 25th anniversary –  which makes the event relatively young compared to the other major European film competitions. However, the festival's youth can be seen as a great advantage of the Stockholm festival. The event is dedicated not only to praise of the masters, but also to opening the door for young independent directors from all across the globe.

The last international film festival I visited was in Venice, where the festival competition featured 20 films, including 12 from European countries and four from the United States. Thus, there were only four films representing the "rest of the world" in the main programme, along with a half-dozen screenings in the additional categories.

In contrast, the Stockholm festival presented a more varied program focusing not mainly on Scandinavian films (as I expected it would be), but also highlighting creative works from other regions. There were entire sections for movies coming from Asia and Latin America ('Asian Images' and 'Latin visions') as well as films created in Somali (Fishing Without Nets) and Morocco/Qatar (The Narrow Frame of Midnight).

For my personal programme I chose movies only from Sweden, USA, Russia and South Korea, but I have an overall impression that the festival was a truly cosmopolitan event. The director of the festival, Git Scheynius, called it 'the window to the world' because the event encourages us to learn more about the other cultures. Stockholm Film Festival promotes international and non-commercial movies which otherwise can hardly be spotted among the flow of Hollywood's blockbusters.

"Behind the scenes"

IQko Muhammad has just come to Sweden from Indonesia for master studies at Stockholm University, and decided to try his hand at organization of the Stockholm film festival. I asked how it worked for him.

Diana: How did you learn about the volunteer's programme at the festival and get involved?

IQko: I just spotted the announcement in Kulturhuset in October. I had some experience in event management before, and I thought that I could really develop my skills by volunteering at this big international event in Stockholm.

I sent an email to the volunteers coordinator and was invited for an interview. I had some doubts about the required language skills, but it turned out that Swedish language was not necessary for all the departments there. Of course, you have to be able to speak Swedish if you want to get into the event department, for instance. But there are other positions open for international participants as well. Taking into account my university schedule and my interests and skills, I decided that the public department would be the best option for me.

Diana: What were your responsibilities during the festival? Was it hard to combine them with studies?

IQko:In the public department your main job is to meet the audience at the film venues, explain what the movies are about, answer the organizational questions in order to create a positive and smooth experience for the guest of the festival.

Talking about the schedule, I just could not apply for a position which would require a full-time workload. The coordinator helped me to find the best occupation in order to avoid clashes with my studies. Mainly I was working at the evening screenings and on the weekends. Of course, it's already not so easy to manage, sometimes I could not get enough sleep during the weekdays… But I enjoyed the experience a lot and I want to take more responsibilities at next year’s festival.

Diana: What opportunities does the festival provide for the volunteers?

The volunteers get some benefits including free entrance to the film screenings, and invitations to Gala Opening and the other parties during the festival.

However, the most valuable advantage for me was the practical experience of the event management. Within our department we had small group meetings and training events helping us to learn about our job, but it was just the beginning.

Participating in the event organization section, you cooperate with the others and can understand almost the whole managerial structure. I've learned about the other departments and their responsibilities, how they maintain the services at the different locations…

This film festival is a very complex organism since there are many events happening parallel at the different venues with hundreds of people involved. And I need to say that everything worked very smoothly thanks to the professional management. For instance, I've learned that the venues for all the events are arranged in advance of two years. It was definitely a great team to join!

"And the winner is…"

The winners of the Stockholm International Film Festival were announced on Friday evening at the award show in Södra Teatern. The prize for the best film was awarded to 'Gilrhood' by Céline Sciamma (France). 'A Girl At My Door' by July Jung (South Korea) was recognized as the best first film at the festival.

The event also proved to be important and inspirational for the international students in Stockholm, who were invited not only to witness it, but to become the part of the story.

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CULTURE

Daddy cool: Swedish dads go viral as boy band

Five Swedish fathers singing capella pop songs while taking care of their young children have taken social media by storm, with their videos garnering tens of millions of views.

Daddy cool: Swedish dads go viral as boy band

The five men, all in their 30s, film their “Dad Harmony” sessions while hanging out with their kids at home in the northern town of Skellefteå.

“This story all started at my bachelor party” in the summer of 2022, Peter Widmark, a 33-year-old who works in sales, told AFP in an interview. “We were hanging out and singing as we usually do when we hang out… (and) my brother filmed it and put it on TikTok with his seven followers.”

The next morning the dads discovered the video had been viewed 40,000 times. The number had skyrocketed to 20 million hits worldwide within a few weeks.

The five friends decided to start posting videos regularly, shot in their kitchens or on their sofas, often holding their little ones on their laps.

Singing the chorus of Leonard Cohen’s classic “Hallelujah”, one of the dads can be seen holding his weeks-old newborn in his arms.

“It’s a soothing thing when we sing,” Widmark said, explaining why the children are usually so calm in the videos.

‘Typical Swedish guys’

“We are typical Swedish guys,” said Widmark’s brother Tomas, who is also part of the group, adding it was “not that unusual” for men in Sweden to spend a lot of time with their children.

“Almost every guy in Sweden is used to taking paternity leave so it’s not a big deal for us,” he added.

Each of the dads has two kids.

Dad Harmony’s repertoire includes hits by Michael Jackson, the Beatles and popular Christmas songs.

Since the end of November the group has been on a month-long tour criss-crossing Sweden to perform live shows each weekend – albeit without their kids.

During the weeks, they go back to Skellefteå and continue to work at their normal jobs and spend time with their families.

The members of Dad Harmony in an interview with AFP. Photo: Viken Kantarci/AFP

“I just stumbled on their video on Instagram and I was mesmerised,” said Louise Elgström, a 41-year-old fan who attended a recent show in the town of Norrköping.

She said their appeal lies in the fact that “they feel so natural and also (that they are) involving their children”.

The dads vow their success won’t go to their heads. “No televisions flying from the hotel rooms!” joked band member Sebastian Åkesson.

But the group has big dreams: they hope to line up tour dates in the United States and Asia, and say they would love to sing with Elton John one day.

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