Editor

The short film competition Mobile Movies is one of the new additions at this year’s Stockholm International Film Festival. Equipped with a Nokia N93, ten selected filmmakers set out to produce a short film on the theme ”together”.

The line-up of filmmakers in the new short film competition for mobile films span from the up-and-coming to the already established, from Swedish to Singaporean, from feature film to commercial directors to cartoonists. Diversity is key, ”together” the premise, when the festival presents the ten mobile directors of 2006 in co-operation with one of its main sponsors, Nokia Nseries:

Eric Khoo – The most exotic Mobile Movies entry comes from Singaporean director Eric Khoo. Khoo’s last film, Be With Me (2005), won numerous awards on festivals worldwide, including the FIPRESCI award for best film and an Aluminum Horse for best cinematography at last year’s Stockholm film festival.

Johan Renck – had his breakthrough as pop artist Stakka Bo. Nowadays Renck is one of Sweden’s most successful commercial- and music video directors, and has worked with companies and artists like Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams, Nike and H&M. He is currently working on his first feature film: Downloading Nancy (starring Holly Hunter and Stellan Skarsgård).

Malou Schultzberg – Malou Shultzberg has previously done casting on films like Face/Off and The Postman. Last year she won the Stockholm film festival scholarship 1 km film , and this year her film Mirror, Mirror opens the Stockholm XVII Short Film Competition.

Johan Skog – Skog was among the founders of production company Mekano. Nowadays he is an award-winning commercial director and a creative leader at MFL Film.

Jens Jonsson – The director behind Good Morning Children (2005) which was screened at last year’s Stockholm film festival. Jonsson’s short Linerboard (2006), starring Swedish actors Reine Brynolfsson and Amanda Ohms, is in the XVII Short Film Competition.
Mia Engberg – documentary filmmaker who has made films like The Stars We Are (1997) (about homosexual, HIV-positive skinhead Kalle), 165 Hässelby (2005) and lesbian-erotic short film Selma & Sofie (2001).

Martin Kellerman – The man behind immensely popular Swedish cartoon Rocky has returned from his Tokyo adventure and produced a short film for the Stockholm film festival. And rumor has it Kellerman has feature film plans for his scruffy, cynical Rocky…

Malin Erixon – Winner of two awards at last year’s festival; her The Forest… and 7 Illustrations Around the Name of a Tree (2005) was voted winner by the nearly 500 000 visitors of the iFestival, and she won the Made in Stockholm scholarship for her Death by Heart (2005).

Tomas Jonsgården – director who has made commercials for Aftonbladet (Swedish evening paper), Apoteket (the Swedish pharmacy) and Boxer. Jonsgården, previously assistant director to Jonas Åkerlund, was awarded a Bronze Lion in Cannes 2004.

Linda Callenholt – Director Linda Callenholt has made music videos for artists like Moneybrother, and made commercials for companies like Absolut Vodka and L’Oréal.

The entries in this year’s Mobile Movies will be available on the festival website, www.stockholmfilmfestival.se, and the Nokia Sweden website, www.nokia.se. Festival visitors who become inspired to make a film of their own can visit the Nokia stand at the movie theater Skandia during the festival. Aspiring filmmakers will, besides making their own short film, have the opportunity to learn the basics of film editing.

This year’s recipient of the Stockholm Lifetime Achievement Award, Swedish director Lasse Hallström, will make a short film which will be screened out-of-competition in the Mobile Movies section. Hallström’s latest film The Hoax (2006), starring Richard Gere and Alfred Molina, has its US premiere in April 2007.