After 21 years, the festival’s director Git Scheynius knows how to make the festival bigger and more beautiful year after year. This year, she’s showing 175 different films, has 435 showings at seven theaters around the capitol.

A film festival usually means an excellent opportunity to see films from other countries, and this year the Stockholm Film Festival feature movies from 57 countries (compare this to a “normal” film week in Stockholm, when 41 films are showing, out of which 23 are English-language movies, 7 Swedish, 3 from the rest of Scandinavia and 8 from the rest of Europe). During this festival, Stockholmers and visitors to the city will be able to see films from Latin America, Asia and Africa, too.

What’s special about Stockholm Film Festival is its focus on new directors: One third of the films' filmmakers are making their debuts here.

This year an unusual amount of Swedish films are shown, a sign that Swedish film is on its way forward internationally, no doubt. Some of the Swedish films shown are: a documentary about the Sweden Democrats, directed by Moa Junström and Ingrid Holmberg, “Vi bryr oss egentligen inte om midsommar” (We don’t really care that much about midsummer); “Sound of Noise” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1278449/) by Ola Simonsson and Johannes Stjärne; “Shanghai” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1092634/) starring John Cusack by Mikael Håfström and Måns Mårlind; and, Björn Stein’s American debut “Shelter” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1179069/) starring Julianne Moore.

Awards are also being handed out. This year’s Life Time Achievement Award goes to a Swede, Harriet Andersson. She's the fourth Swede to take home the award; previous winners include Viveka Lindfors, Erland Josephson and Lasse Hallström. This year’s Visionary Award goes to American director, Gus Van Sant. Chairman of the jury this year is the American actress Holly Hunter. The festival takes place November 17-28.

www.stockholmfilmfestival.se