Stockholm's spotlights Love Stories this year

The 22nd edition of Stockholm International Film Festival, 9-20 november will be screening 173 films from 44 countries. Visiting directors include Whit Stillman, Alejandro González Iñárrit, Sean Durkin and Joachim Trier.  Stockholm Lifetime Award will be awarded to Isabelle Huppert.

Love is an eternal theme where every new film generation creates their own interpretations. The way love is depicted is an essential reflection of our time and society. With inspiration from our Visisonary Award-winner Alejandro González Iñárritu who uses personal relations to describe current world affairs, we let the festival be flooded with love films. Stockholm presents 

love stories of 2011.

Hysteria by Tanya Wexler. In Victorian London, Doctor Granville runs a hunt for hospital employees but eventually ends up at Doctor Dalrymple - a specialist on female illnesses, curing them through manual inducement of hysterical paroxysm (orgasm). Obsolete gender roles are shaken in this romantic comedy starring Hugh Dancy and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Like Crazy by Drake Doremus. American Jacob meets English Anna in the college dorm, but when the latter abuses her visa she gets sent home to London. With modern technology they engage in a long distance relationship but are eventually reminded that reality goes on even after the phone display has turned black. The movie was rewarded at the Sundance Film Festival 2011.

My Worst Nightmare by Anne Fontaine. This year's Lifetime Achievement Award-winner Isabelle Huppert stars as the cold Agathe in the movie about a small-bourgeois couple's routine based life that is shaken when handyman Patrick turns their organized life upside down.

Once upon a time in Phuket by Staffan Lindberg. When carrier coach Sven (Peter Magnusson) finds out that his old classmate Johan failed a BASE-jump from the Kaknäs tower he decides to quit everyday life. He resigns his job and travels to Thailand with the intention of writing a book, but soon gets caught up in a love triangle.

7 sins forgiven by Vishal Bhardwaj. The dark and morbid story about Susanna, a beautiful woman who does everything to find eternal love. Vishal Bhardwaj mixes movie genres in this tragic yet comical drama thriller whose direction adds a curiously entertaining tone.

Matchmaking Mayor by Erika Hníkov. An absurd and humoristic insight into a Slovak village in crisis. Like a dating service from an old Milos Forman-movie mayor Gajdon arranges a banquette in the city hall where all the singles in the city are invited in order to talk, fall in love and produce babies.

Romeos by Sabine Bernadi. Twenty year old Lukas was born as a girl but will through hormonal treatment finally be able to live in a man's body. Apparent man moves from the country side to Köln where he is warmly received by the city's gay community, but hides his biological sex due to shame when he falls in love with Fabio, the player in the gang.

For more information please visit our website http://media.ne.cision.com/l/knrsoqui/www.stockholmfilmfestival.se/ or contact the press department.

Press pictures: Go to stockholmfilmfestival.se/press (username: press2011, password: stockholm)

Press contact: Anna K Hagnefur Head of Press 46 8 677 50 81 46 73 656 77 32 presschef@stockholmfilmfestival.se

22nd Stockholm International Film Festival November 9-20 2011.
The Stockholm International Film Festival started in 1990 and is today one of the leading competitive film festival in Europe. The festival takes place every year in November with more than 180 films from more than 50 countries. More than a festival: we organize exclusive screenings and the popular Summer Cinema - an outdoor mini-festival. Every year in Spring the Stockholm International Film Festival Junior brings the latest films to youngsters between 6 and 16 years of age. WE LOVE FILM!