Sweden’s Göteborg Film Festival is in the market for a new Artistic Director.
Jonas Holmberg, who will have led the prominent festival for a decade come January, will step down following next year’s edition. The festival’s board is currently in the process of finding Holmberg’s replacement.
Holmberg was appointed Artistic Director in 2014, succeeding Swedish writer Marit Kapla. During his time at the helm, Holmberg has been widely regarded by industry and local audiences. He has also been credited with raising the profile of the festival, attracting A-list talent, and experimenting with the presentation of films with stunts like Ruben Östlund’s interactive Triangle Of Sadness screening last year.
Holmberg also oversaw Göteborg’s transition into a hybrid festival with a digital platform and established the festival’s streaming service Draken Film as Sweden’s leading VOD platform for arthouse films. Göteborg is now the largest film festival in Scandinavia, with an annual attendance of 270,000 visitors and nearly 2,000 accredited participants.
“Next festival will be my tenth as Artistic Director. It has been a difficult decision, but it feels like a good moment to step aside. We have successfully navigated through the pandemic, and both Göteborg Film Festival, alongside our industry platforms Nordic Film Market and TV Drama Vision, as well as Draken Film, are thriving,” Holmberg said in a statement. “I will be leaving colleagues whom I admire and have learned a lot from, but before that, we will organize one last festival together. We are working intensively to shape the 47th Göteborg Film Festival into something amazing.”
The 47th Göteborg Film Festival will take place from January 26 to February 4.