When the 30th Göteborg International Film Festival counted its last day a new sales record was beaten again. This year 122 400 tickets were sold for 700 screenings of 450 films from 68 different countries. 27 000 member ship cards were sold. This means that the festival manifests its strong position on the hight level reached last year – and even increases ticket sales with 6400 and memberships with 2000.
At the closing press conference festival director Jannike Åhlund announced that the succesful 30th festival, was to be her last.

"This has been the most enjoyable thing I have ever done, but due to personal reasons I have decided to leave. It is a hard job, I have been doing it for five years, and I have my family in Stockholm", says Jannike Åhlund.

New director will be Marit Kapla, who has been working as programme coordinator, close to Jannike Åhlund, during 18 months. Marit Kapla is 36 years old. She is a journalist and have been working for several newspapers and at Swedish televison with the film programme ”Filmkrönikan”.

"I am very proud and honoured. I have been offered the best job in Sweden", she says.

This year’s seminar programme, Cinemix, was a success as well. With names like Stellan Skarsgård, Milos Forman, Jean-Claude Carrière, Saul Zaentz and Lloyd Kaufman giving Master Classes, the crowds lining up.

Among the 10 most popular films in the programme was expected titles like opening film The New Man, by Klaus Härö, Milos Forman’s Goya's Ghosts, Stephen Frear’s The Queen, Lars von Trier’s On Top of It All, Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men and Helena Bergströms Mind the gap! But also Vietnamese Oscar contribution Pao's Story by Hai Ngo Quang, Brasilian Fish Dreams by Kirill Mikhanovskij, Tony Silver’s classic hip hop documentary Style Wars, Congorama by Philippe Falardeau and Croatian What Is a Man Without a Moustache? by Hrvoje Hribar, pleased the crowds.