Nordic Noir cinema on Tofifest 2014
The Tofifest International Film Festival has revealed its new festival poster and the first items in this year’s menu.
The axis of Phenomena—the flagship section of the festival—will be a new trend in international cinema, which is Nordic Noir. The festival’s poster will feature the fictional character of Lisbeth Salander from the “Millennium” series by Stieg Larsson, portrayed on screen by a Swedish actress Noomi Rapace. The Tofifest IFF that starts on 18th October will be the first film event in Poland to present the Nordic Noir genre.
For many years now, the Phenomena section has been one of the flagship sections in the programme of the Tofifest International Film Festival. This section deals with those spheres of cinema that create its history in particular and innovative ways. This section presents trends in cinema that are born, when different arts meet, thus introducing a breath of fresh air in the development of international cinematography, while being themselves unique and surprising. They constitute a new direction in international cinema, although they are not necessarily properly appreciated by film critics.
In previous years, Tofifest devoted the Phenomena section to trends that had been forgotten, remained undiscovered, or to largely unknown in international cinematography, such as camp films or the blaxploitation genre. We would also take a perverse pleasure in remembering such icons of cinema, as Bruce Lee or Pam Grier, who are also famous pop-culture heroes. What’s more, the phenomenon presented in this section has for three years now shaped the visual identification of the festival, which made it possible for the Tofifest IFF to draw particular attention to this programme section.
This year’s Phenomena section will mark the first attempt at presenting a genre for which one cannot unambiguously establish the starting point, as it is developing as we speak. The phenomenon in literature and cinema discussed herein is referred to as Nordic Noir. Since the times of Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie, we have become accustomed to a certain type of crime fiction, and little did we suspect that there could be a different one of similar power. And yet, Scandinavian culture has taken us by surprise and created a new model of crime fiction, in their own way—dark, gloomy, austere, and intriguing, as the Nordic Noir phenomenon has been defined by Barry Forshaw, a British journalist, columnist, author of books, and expert in the subject.
Sweden, Norway, and Denmark have given birth to many outstanding writers, whose work inspired filmmakers. Let us just name a few of them: Henning Mankell, Liza Marklund, the duo Maj Sjöwall and Per Frederik Wahlöö, Camilla Läckberg, or Jo Nesbø. However, what made Nordic Noir so fascinating and popular in the world was the publishing of the “Millennium” trilogy by Stieg Larsson, which was a great commercial hit, quite contrary to common expectations.
The selection of this year’s visual identification of the festival was based on the film creation of Lisbeth Salander, the main heroine in the Stieg Larsson’s trilogy, who was portrayed by the magnificent Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, in the film adaptation of the book. One may risk the conclusion that Lisbeth Salander, main heroine in Larsson’s books, has become the most recognizable symbol of the Nordic Noir genre, on a global scale. Experts in the subject emphasize the fact that Sting Larsson created a unique heroine, simultaneously strong and sensitive, self-confident and confused, scared to death and brave, who struggles with social rejection and fights against men abusing women. And although the feud between the fans of the two actresses who played Salander on screen (Noomi Rapace in the Swedish version and Rooney Mara in the American version) has not as yet quieted down, we remain loyal to the “Swedish” Lisbeth, even if David Fincher did a fine job and offered an interesting portrayal of Salander in his film remake.
The Phenomena section will include an original selection of feature films from the Nordic Noir genre. We will have an opportunity to see, among others, the following titles: “Insomnia” by Erik Skjoldbjærg, which features an excellent creation by Stellan Skarsgård (the American remake of the film was made by Christopher Nolan, and the main hero was portrayed by Al Pacino), “Hunters” (“Jägarna”) part 1 and 2, by Kjell Sundvall, “Headhunters” by Morten Tyldum (film director among others famous for “Buddy”), “The Keeper of Lost Causes” by Mikkel Nørgaard, “Nordvest” by Michael Noer, and “Citizen of the Year” by Hans Petter Moland (famous for such films as “Aberdeen” or “A Somewhat Gentle Man”).
This selection of Nordic Noir is aimed at presenting a genre still being born, on the basis of its artistic significance and the influence it has on the shaping of modern cinematography and the language of film. The Nordic Noir genre has created a new face of crime fiction. Tofifest will not settle the dispute, whether books prevail over their film adaptations, or it is the other way round. This is something the audience must decide. Nonetheless, we want to draw your attention to this fascinating phenomenon in literature and cinema that one cannot ignore. It is worth remembering that many of the high quality crime series, such as Borgen, The Bridge, The Killing, or Wallander, have successfully won and are still winning the hearts of thousands of cinema enthusiasts.
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