Göteborg Marks 50 Years With Youth Theme
The Nordic festival pairs its anniversary with a focus on aging and immortality while its industry head prepares to depart.
By Jack Weber ·
Göteborg Film Festival announced a thematic focus on youth and the desire for immortality for its 2027 edition. The initiative, titled Forever Young, coincides with the event's 50th anniversary. It will feature films that examine how society views aging and the pursuit of eternal life.
The festival, which operates as the largest film and television event in the Nordic region, will run from January 20 to February 6, 2027. Organizers stated that the focus aims to question the cultural pressure to remain young. They intend to explore identity and life choices through screenings and discussions.
Three specific works will anchor the program. Joshua Oppenheimer’s short film, The Revolution Against Death, is set at a longevity conference. The 23-minute piece was acquired by The New York Times’ Op-Docs platform and will be released by Mubi in December. The film observes the eccentric efforts of participants to achieve immortality.
The second selection is The End of It, a science fiction comedy-drama directed by Maria Martínez Bayona. The film stars Rebecca Hall, Gael García Bernal, and Beanie Feldstein. It depicts a world where the wealthy can choose to die. Hall plays a 250-year-old artist who seeks inspiration by making that choice. The project premiered in the Premiere section at the Cannes Film Festival.
The third film is Once Upon a Time in Harlem, a documentary by William Greaves and David Greaves. It portrays a 1970 cocktail party at Duke Ellington’s townhouse attended by figures from the 1920s Harlem Renaissance. Bruce Richard Nugent, a guest at the event, recalled the moment as a defining cultural epoch.
Pia Lundberg, the festival’s artistic director, explained the rationale behind the theme. She noted that modern expectations demand youth regardless of actual age. The focus invites audiences to consider what it means to grow older. Lundberg described the anniversary as a paradox, where the festival examines youth while celebrating five decades of history.
The announcement came two days after news that Josef Kullengård is leaving his post as Head of Industry. He will join CPH:DOX in Copenhagen as its new head of Industry and Training. Kullengård served in his previous role at Göteborg from 2022. He had previously worked as the Industry Producer of the Nordic Film Market from 2017 to 2021.
Kullengård cited family reasons for the move, noting a desire to be closer to relatives in southern Scandinavia. He expressed enthusiasm for documentary cinema and its engagement with social issues. He will remain at Göteborg until the end of the 50th anniversary edition in 2027.
The 2026 edition of the festival saw strong participation. It drew 2,600 accredited industry and press participants. Of those, 1,370 came from 47 countries for the Nordic Film Market and TV Drama Vision. This represented a 50 percent increase over 2023. The event featured projects from major talent and production companies, including Banijay and Fremantle.
Kristina Colliander, CEO of the Göteborg Film Festival, thanked Kullengård for his contributions. The festival’s previous focus strand in 2026 examined concepts of truth and included a lie detector event. The 2027 Forever Young focus continues this tradition of pairing film screenings with interactive discussions.
