World Premiere in Toronto for Lars Vega’s Arne Goes To Space

Lars Vega’s debut feature Arne Goes To Space will have its world premiere in the Discovery programme at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The selection marks a strong Swedish presence at one of the world’s leading film festivals, following yesterday’s announcement that Amanda Kernell’s Brace Your Heart has been selected for the Platform programme.

– Being selected for Toronto is a great honour, I’m told. It felt truly special to make my feature debut on home turf together with a film crew from Norrbotten. I hope Toronto audiences will enjoy a film from Norrbotten – and our beautiful landscapes. But above all, I’m looking forward to finally having an Oyster Martini. Gin and oyster juice – what could possibly go wrong?, says director Lars Vega.

Producer Anette Brantin adds:

– I’m incredibly happy and proud that Arne Goes To Space has been selected for Toronto. It has been our goal from the very beginning, and having the film meet an international audience is both exciting and deeply rewarding.

Originally set for Papua New Guinea to learn more about earth, an alien crash-lands in a Swedish forest and ends up with the two aging brothers Arne and Stefan in Norrbotten. The brothers lead a quiet small-town life, concerned with hunting team disputes and Arne’s growing illness. Stefan doesn’t want a free loathing space man in his home, while Arne welcomes and names the alien Roland. The brothers begin to teach him about the important things in life: moonshine, hunting and the concept of love, but as Arne’s illness starts to flare up, Stefan is forced to face the inevitable, a life without his brother.

The sci-fi dramedy Arne Goes To Space is Lars Vega’s debut feature. He has previously directed several acclaimed short films, often exploring life in rural Sweden through tragicomic stories and distinct characters.

The film stars The Hunters (Jägarna) duo Rolf Lassgård and Lennart Jähkel as the two brothers. Lassgård is internationally recognised for roles in films including A Man Called Ove (2015) and Alexander Payne’s Downsizing, while Jähkel is a recurring collaborator of Vega’s and has appeared in leading roles in several of the director’s short films. Kiran Shah also stars as the alien Roland. The British-Kenyan actor and stunt performer has appeared in major productions including Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings films, and has worked with directors such as James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Peter Jackson.

The film is selected for TIFF’s Discovery programme, which highlights emerging filmmakers from around the world presenting their debut or sophomore features. Films in the programme are also eligible for a number of the festival’s awards. Arne Goes To Space has been developed through Moving Sweden, the Swedish Film Institute and SVT’s joint talent initiative supporting filmmakers early in their careers, and its selection for Discovery underlines the potential of the new cinematic voices the initiative seeks to support.

Arne Goes To Space is directed by Lars Vega, who also wrote the screenplay together with Theodor Östberg. The film is produced by Anette Brantin for Nexiko Drama, in co-production with Filmpool Nord, SVT and NonStop Winning Formula. The film received support from the Swedish Film Institute’s former film commissioner Hanna Sohlberg.

NonStop Entertainment is the film's Swedish distributor, while international sales are handled by TrustNordisk.

The 51st edition of the Toronto International Film Festival takes place between September 10–20, 2026. Read more about the festival.