✨ The official program for Nordic Star Festival 2026 is now released! ✨
This year’s festival unfolds across several cities in the Mälardalen region and Stockholm – with film screenings, conversations, and encounters with filmmakers in Arboga, Kungsör, Köping, Västerås, and Stockholm.
Each city offers its own unique atmosphere, from big-city pulse to small-town charm.
🎬 No matter where you join, you’ll experience new cinematic discoveries, international guests, and conversations about the future of film.
🍷 Along the way, there will also be smaller parties – and on October 24 at the beautiful Skandia Biografen in Stockholm, the festival culminates with a grand awards ceremony, where around 40 awards will be presented, followed by a celebration for 500-700 guests.
👉 Secure your tickets now – availability is limited!
17 okt
Arboga
10.00–10.59 ·Short film slot 1- The Defiant Soul
The Land We Fight For
VIMEO: https://vimeo.com/1142385551 psw: indiefilm Longline: Two farmers from the former Soviet republics of Ukraine
and Estonia volunteer for the Ukrainian army, determined their countries will never be occupied again. Synopsys: Ivan and Argo,
both 67 years old, once served in the Soviet Army and later built their lives on the land — one in Ukraine, the other in Estonia.
Ivan, a Ukrainian farmer and veteran of the ongoing war, takes care of the farm while his son fights at the front. Up in the north,
Argo cultivates his peaceful Estonian fields, yet feels the shadow of war drawing nearer. Haunted by memories of the USSR
and aware of Russia’s growing aggression, he joins friends to collect vehicles and deliver them to Ukraine.
Their stories unfold in parallel: two men shaped by the same empire, once witnesses of independence, now standing
at the edge of losing it again. Being occupied on their fields, both find a way to defend what they love —
their land, their family, their freedom.
The Sound of Letting Go
Janus is on his way to propose to his girlfriend, when he runs into his ex-girlfriend, June.
After an awkward meeting, which makes Janus insecure about himself, he reminisces
about their lost love, and through song tells the story of how the two met, broke up and
eventually moved on. In the end, our protagonist lets go of that part of himself, and feels
ready to take the next big step in life.
Creepboy
A boy with fear of the end of the world grows up to be a young man with social phobia.
He hides in his messy rat hole with kitchenette. In his dirty apartment, he finally begins
to dare to dig into memories he has tried to suppress. Threads go memorys from
childhood and adolescence form the fabric. Creepboy is an autofictional stop-motion short.
11.30–12.38 ·Short film slot 2 – Cracks in the Façade
Dear Farther
When Milo moves to a new city, his father unexpectedly turns up to lend a hand.
Amid unresolved relationships, smoke breaks, long-forgotten postcards and moments
of unexpected intimacy, the family’s façade begins to crack—
until the tension of the summer erupts in one decisive moment.
The Mulberry Tree
Anna’s grandmother is forced to leave the farm that was her home for 60 years when
Anna’s uncle sells it to clear his debts. Anna (30), her mother Rosi (55) and her aunt
Hilda (60) visit the farm one last time to pick up the family’s few remaining belongings.
Anna, who returned specially to bid farewell to the farm, takes a trip down memory lane.
Chlorine
A guy on a stretcher arrives at night, carried by two mysterious nurses.
A young woman signs a contract, she must now take care of him.
The story of a gentle illness, of an obsession and a cure that might be the same thing.
I CAN SMELL A RAT
Maribel, 10, is surprised when her drama teacher tells her that she has to play
Hamlet in the school play just 2 days before the show, as she is the only one
available after the girl who was playing Hamlet got sick and won’t make it.
Maribel faces the biggest decision of her life: what to do when she has never
taken a part in a play before, other than being a set decoration. She goes home
and spends the scariest night of her life with all her fears coming to life.
13.10–14.24 · Short film slot 3 – Silent Battles and Bitter Truths
Love, Sarah
After a succession of rejections, a woman grappling with Depression and Social Anxiety
retreats into the quiet comfort of her only support system—her two beloved cats.
A touching story on fighting silent battles and struggling with mental health.
Jordan
Jordan, a 9-year-old intersex child, faces a life decision: to be a girl or a boy,
between the expectations of a binary society, the support of her mother, and
the solidarity of new friends and her sibling Christopher.
Shucking Tradition
In coastal New England, where pond after pond of aquaculture stretches as
far as the eye can see, seafood is not just a meal but a way of life.
Shucking Tradition follows a cohort of forward-thinking, hard-working
Reliefs
Carlos is approaching midlife trapped in a personal crisis that has lingered
too long. Rosa, his mother, suffers from disabling pain that is only mitigated
by the warm waters of hydrotherapy. One night, she offers to make the
ultimate sacrifice so that they can both transit to a better place. A short film
about love, hope and relief we all long for.
Follow the sign
A tourist arrives in a new city and quickly becomes overwhelmed by the countless signs and signals
14.54–16.08 · Short Film Slot 4 – Chasing Shadows, Unearthing Bonds
Velvet Salt
They’re in love, they’re lost – and maybe dangerous to each other. Inspired by cinema’s legendary outlaw lovers,
they dream of a life filled with passion and freedom. In Velvet Salt, we follow Philip & Nell in their pursuit of
freedom. They donate piles of belongings to a local thrift store – including a painting that seems anything but
remarkable. We see how they fell in love, and how their perhaps slightly poetic façade quickly crumbles when
the very same painting turns out to be worth over a million at Rune’s Antique Show. Suddenly, money matters
again. With humor, sincerity, and a twinkle in its eye, Velvet Salt tells the story of trying to live grandly in small
ways – right in the heart of Gothenburg.
Room Between Us
Three siblings are drawn into overlapping phone calls where buried tensions and family secrets resurface.
As conversations spiral and emotions flare, guilt, shame, and long-held silence rise to the surface.
Room Between Us is a fast-paced drama about fractured bonds and the things we carry but never say.
In My Dream, We Fell Together
Ali, 8, has only known life with his father. When he’s reunited with his mother after years apart, he’s pulled into an emotional
struggle between reconciliation and betrayal — has she returned to save him, or is she the one in need of saving?
The Elephant Place
Johan and Michael are two friends in their 30s. They are incurably single, for different reasons. Michael goes on hundreds of dates, but never falls in love.
Johan has difficulty finding anyone to date at all. At the same time, they have an unusually close relationship with each other. What happens between the
two friends when one of them finally manages to meet a girl?
Marks of Time
In partnership with the Swedish Museum of Natural History and MAX IV Laboratory,
this film is an artistic exploration of one paleontologists worldview and career.
By displaying the unique perception of time Vivi Vajda possesses, we demystify
the scientific process of this field and inspire others to pursue it.
Oct 16–24: International Spotlight (TBA)” Reserved for international festival entries and
guest filmmakers. Final titles and screening times will be updated continuously as international attendance is confirmed.
Time: 50 min