Greta Thunberg film to world premiere at Venice 2020

Photo by BRF Films

At a press conference today, the Venice International Film Festival revealed the official programme for 2020. Two Swedish films have been selected: Nathan Grossman’s documentary I Am Greta and the short film The Night Train (Nattåget) by Jerry Carlsson.

In August 2018, 15-year-old Greta Thunberg begins her school strike for the global climate. The question she asks the world’s adults: If you don’t care about my future on the planet, why should I care about my future in school? In just a few months her strike grows into a global movement. Greta, a teenager of few words with Asperger’s syndrome, is now a world-famous environmental activist. The team behind the documentary Greta have been with her since that very first day outside Swedish parliament.

–  It’s an amazing thing for the film to have its première at Venice in this special year. Not only because it’s one of the world’s most influential film festivals, but also because Venice is one of the many places that will suffer hugely if we don’t deal with the climate issue immediately, says the film’s director Nathan Grossman.

I Am Greta was produced by Cecilia Nessen and Fredrik Heinig for BR•F, with funding from the Swedish Film Institute, Film Commissioner Jenny Gilbertsson.

Director Nathan Grossman was born in Stockholm in 1990, and graduated in TV from Stockholm University of the Arts in 2015. His directorial début, the documentary series Köttets lustar, was nominated for a Kristallen Award for Best Factual/News Show in 2018. The series follows comedian Henrik Schyffert considering his life as a meat-eater.

As a producer for social programmes and documentaries at production company BR•F, Grossman has also worked in concept development for the acclaimed documentary about author Stieg Larsson, The Man Who Played With Fire (Mannen som lekte med elden, 2018).

Greta is being screened as part of Fuori Concorsi, a non-competitive section.

The short film The Night Train (Nattåget), written and directed by Jerry Carlsson, is also screening at Venice, competing in the festival’s short film section Orizzonti.

Oskar is taking the night train home from Stockholm to Älvsbyn. On the train he sees Ahmad, and for the first time Oskar meets the same longing and attraction that he feels himself. The lead roles in The Night Train are played by newcomers Erik Nilsson and Khalil Ben Gharbia.

–  This is absolutely amazing! It’s a real honour, and I’m delighted that the film will have its world première in Venice. I look forward to having it shown to an audience, says Jerry Carlsson.

The Night Train is produced by Frida Mårtensson for Verket Produktion, with co-producers SVT and Filmpool Nord and with funding from Film Stockholm/Filmbasen and the Swedish Film Institute, Patrik Axén.

Jerry Carlsson is the director, producer and screenwriter. Carlsson’s big breakthrough came with the short film Shadow Animals (Skuggdjur, 2017) which has screened and won awards at more than 70 international film festivals.

The Man Who Sold His Skin

Also being screened is The Man Who Sold His Skin by Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania. The Swedish Film Institute contributed co-production funding for the film (former Film Commissioner Calle Marthin). Andreas Rocksén, Laika Film and Film i Väst are co-producers. Kaouther’s previous film Beauty and the Dogs, which was also a Swedish co-production

Synopsis:
In order to be reunited with his fiancée in Europe, Syrian refugee Sam Ali makes an agreement with world-famous artist Jeffrey Godefroi, who tattoos a work of art on Sam’s back. Sam can now travel the world freely, but the agreement is not without problems…

The 77th Venice International Film Festival takes place 2–12 September 2020.
Go to labiennale.org for further information.