✨ 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!
18 okt
Arboga
10.00–10.45 · Short film Slot 1 – Dreams and Dissonance
When Art Awakens
When Art Awakens – Synopsis At three o’clock in the morning, when the town of Trelleborg sleeps
and the sea breeze brushes against the old streets, something begins to move inside the
Axel Ebbe Art Gallery. The silent rooms, filled with sculptures and paintings from another
century, come alive in the moonlight. Axel Ebbe’s life’s work — donated to the city in 1933
as a tribute to the power of art — holds a secret: creation itself never truly rests. Through
a fusion of traditional photography and cutting-edge AI technology, the film blurs
the line between reality and imagination. The stone figures and bronze bodies
begin to breathe, their eyes flicker open, and their whispers fill the museum’s
echoing halls. They remember their maker, their stories, their longing to be
seen once more. When a solitary night guard — or perhaps a restless spirit
— stumbles upon the awakening, the fragile boundary between art and life
dissolves. The museum transforms into a dreamlike space where time,
matter, and memory intertwine — where every sculpture becomes a fragment
of the artist’s soul. When Art Awakens is a poetic and visually striking film
that explores the eternal connection between the creator and the created —
a cinematic experiment where technology resurrects art, and the past
breathes again through the lens of the future.
HBC
In this overly complicated and pressuring world lies Haebangchon,
or HBC. Perched on a hill in Seoul, it is a neighborhood where people
know and support each other, live close to music, embrace a simple lifestyle,
and feel free, surrounded by bars, cafes, and restaurants. This animated
music video captures the sweetness of a day in HBC as a living sketchbook,
where characters interact with the frame, reshape backgrounds to suit their needs,
leap from one frame to another, and bend gravity to their whim. The frames
connect, overlap, and surprise, revealing the playful energy of HBC and turning
everyday streets into a living, breathing world of imagination.
Disturbia
Before our very eyes a strange human-bird hybrid undergoes constant
transformation to cope with the omnipresent tensions of economical,
ideological, military, and climatic threats.
Beyond The Darkness
In Beyond the Darkness, we follow the young astronaut Botan on what begins as a routine
mission high above Earth. When an unexpected event turns calm into danger,
Botan is forced into a fight for survival in the endless silence of space. Alone and
far from help, he must find the strength within himself to keep going.
The film is about courage, hope, and the will to never give up, even when everything seems lost.
Entities
ENTITIES is a 3-minute cinematic descent into the architecture of a diseased mind. The film visualises
the organic parasites – the entities – that inhabit the emptiness of mental collapse. It is a raw, visceral
study of decay, where the void is not just a space, but a living host for fears that have taken a physical,
pulsating form – the grit of a mind feeding on itself.
Comb Story
Elena holds a wooden comb in her hands as memories pull her back to childhood —
her mother combing her hair slowly, every single day, even when Elena was already
a grown young woman. When life swept her away to the city, Elena cut her hair and
with it cut her way back home. The years filled up with reasons not to return.
Elena never understood why her mother combed her hair until the day she finally
stood in front of her mother, took out the comb, and ran it through her hair for the very first time.
Faith and The Christmas Star (2026)
Gliding through snowy streets, a young girl’s errand transforms into a
heartwarming journey of kindness and connection. This animated
Christmas movie evokes compassion, generosity, and the spirit of the holidays.
With visual storytelling that mirrors a musical suite, it invites families into a
peaceful world where silent moments speak loudest. Voice actor Hannah Alyea
lends her talent to this serene holiday tale. 2024 American Animation Christmas
Movie Director: Anne Trenning Stars: Miranda Lial, Hannah Alyea
11.30–12.45 Short film Slot 2- Shadows Beneath the Skin
An excess baggage
Sophie hides her unease within the intense bond she shares with her
daughter, Lila. When Lila leaves for summer camp, Sophie finds herself
alone for the first time, overwhelmed by separation and emotional dependency.
As the day unfolds, she drifts through encounters and small gestures, trying
awkwardly to fill the void. An Excess Baggage portrays a woman whose love,
though sincere, becomes too heavy to carry.
Sonata
Ginevra and Giulio are siblings, but that’s all they have in common: even the
piano no longer unites them. When Ginevra is forced to sacrifice everything
to keep Giulio from destroying himself and ending up behind bars, she
uncovers within herself the same violent fire that burns in her brother.
Backstage
Marta lives in a theatre where she’s the custodian. She dreams of being an
actress, but she doesn’t believe in herself. The sweet encounter with a
struggling actress will help her to overcome her fears and follow her dreams.
Between the Shadows
In an old, traditional Chinese medicine clinic, a doctor senses the
presence of a malevolent spirit within a patient. During the process
of expelling the spirit, he must also confront the inner demons
rooted deeply within his own heart, intertwined with the ancient
philosophies of balance and healing.
Beneath the skin
Alyson, eight months pregnant, is the happy mother of 12-year-old
Lola and is in a relationship with Dylan; but Gabriel, her former partner,
who is forbidden from approaching her, returns.
The Big Cleanse
Two strangers meet in a laundromat over a broken washing machine.
13.15–14.30 Short film Slot 3 – Wilderness and Escape
The little girl who lived under her bed
Lily, 10, lives under her bed But sometimes, ”the other one” sits on it and calls her…
STILLCRAFT
Brief synopsis: Polar worker Dmitry Dexheimer lives in a remote island on Svalbard
archipelago in Arctic. His job is to maintain water supply to the miner’s settlement
Barentsburg. He captures the Arctic beauty with his camera, reflecting on questions:
What is happiness and harmony with nature? Synopsis: For over a decade, polar worker
Dmitriy Dexheimer has lived in a remote house on Svalbard archipelago in Arctic,
isolated by water and mountains. His job is to ensure a steady water supply to the
miners’ settlement of Barentsburg, maintaining operations through freezing
temperatures, blizzards, and long Polar nights. In his free time, Dmitriy captures
breathtaking beauty of the Arctic through photography, reflecting on profound questions:
What is happiness? Can humans truly live in harmony with Nature?
Rituals
The tale of a day. Some kids, all dressed in blue, under a giant
concrete tower. Games will be taken seriously and reality will
become a game.
Magnitude & Bond
Against the current of doubt and limitation, this short documentary
follows a blind man who refuses to let loss of sight define the
boundaries of his life. Through intimate moments of training,
competition, and quiet resilience, the film chronicles his journey
into the demanding world of triathlons. Guided by trust, discipline,
and an unbreakable will, he swims, bikes, and runs alongside
sighted athletes, confronting physical exhaustion and social
expectations alike. More than a story about sport, the documentary
is a portrait of independence, courage, and the power of redefining
what it means to see one’s potential.
From Nearness to Vastness
In his studio by the North Sea, Andreas Green gathers impressions, materials and found objects.
Playful and open-minded, he approaches the world with a constant readiness to discover the
unexpected and to see the ordinary anew. The film observes an artistic process shaped less by
planning than by attention, curiosity and experimentation. Between studio, coastal landscape and
everyday life, a quiet portrait unfolds about perception, freedom and the joy of discovery.
“From Nearness to Vastness” invites us to see the world through different eyes.
The Light Behind Your Eyes (My Chemical Romance Cover)
The music video tells the story of Adam, a young and emotionally fragile video editor struggling
to cope with the loss of his girlfriend Michal, who was killed in the war. Isolated in his cold,
cluttered editing room, Adam tries to process his grief by editing a short film made from
memories of their relationship. As he works, he begins to feel Michal’s presence in the house,
her ghost quietly watching him as a painful reminder of love and loss. Through the footage,
we see two key memories: their first kiss in a bomb shelter after a siren in Tel Aviv, and a
late-night picnic under the sky where they watch missile interceptions and she tells him
she loves him. Overwhelmed by grief, Adam almost deletes the entire project, but
Michal’s spirit appears and gently guides him to keep going. As he accepts the loss,
he finishes the film as a tribute to their love. In parallel, a band performs a cover of the
song in a stark, sterile bomb shelter.
CATOPTRICS
EN Tagline: Between vanity and the pressure to conform, the abyss of desires opens up.
Synopsis: How do you phrase desires clearly in front of a magic mirror? When wishes become
reality, annoyance turns into despair. Are four attempts enough?
15.00–16.15 · Short Film slot 4 – Voices in the Silence
Typo
After graduating from university a year ago, Astrid has been struggling to find
a job that fits with her Asperger’s characteristics. Dependent on her pregnant
sister and brother-in-law, time is running out for her to gain her independence
before the baby is due. A misguided idea to hold an ‘art’ garage sale unexpectedly
opens the door to pursuing her passion for typography as a career. However, the
question remains: can she overcome the challenges of her Asperger’s and succeed in the interview?
Nest
Shamila lives in Iran with her two siblings. They are Afghan immigrants whose parents
were tragically killed in a terrorist attack in Kabul. After two years of residing in Iran, they
attempt to enroll their younger brother, Samir, in school, but the laws of the Islamic Republic
of Iran prevent them from doing so.
Mother Pearl
Jane, a kindergarten teacher leading a double life as the manager of an escort agency,
must confront the blurred lines between empowerment, morality, and her own past to
protect her employees from an abusive client.
Lapinous
After the death of her mother, Léa, a young girl, tries to understand the silence that has
settled over her home. Caught between anger, withdrawal, and clumsy attempts to carry on,
she holds back her tears to protect her father as much as herself. In the quiet presence of a
forgotten stuffed toy, father and daughter slowly begin to face the absence together.
The Colour of Sound
After a serious bike accident, a reclusive Berliner begins to experience chromesthesia –
seeing sounds as colours and shifting forms. This new sensory gift transforms his
solitude into unexpected creativity.
Umana 80
Two young volunteers have begun assisting at ”Magliana 80,” a rehabilitation
center for drug addicts. Through their perspective and narration, the world of
the community reveals itself to be a theater of hardship, intense emotional
experiences, and resignation, but also of inevitable emotional relationships
destined to last only a short time: the end date is the conclusion of the Civil Service.
Shut your trap!
A young girl watches as the adults who lecture her about morality justify everyday bribery, theft,
and abuse through silence. In a world where staying quiet is the rule, corruption isn’t questioned — it’s learned.
16.45–18.00 Short film Slot 5 – The Nordic Melancholy
The Child Soldier
When the shy eleven-year-old ballerina Elsa tries to comfort her fifteen-year-old,
football-obsessed cousin after a family tragedy, the tenderness of childhood collides
with the absurd chaos of adulthood — as Elsa looks on helplessly while her mother,
armed with dark humor, makes clumsy attempts to reach her broken nephew.
Sista Versen
Elsa lost her boyfriend to suicide and is now trapped
inside a theatre where the memory of him still lives on. Now she has to escape to move on.
2034
In a surveilled future Sweden, a young IT technician is forced to make a split-second
decision when his neighbours are deported: save their infant child — or obey the system.
2034 is an intense, restrained dystopian drama about civil courage, guilt, and how a single
human act can become a threat to the state, set in a recognizable and stripped-down Umeå.
The Heritage
After his father’s death, Magnus travels to the archipelago island where his father lived.
There, he meets a previously unknown brother, Jonny, who is deeply hurt when Magnus
wants to sell the house. To reach a resolution, Magnus must reconcile with his brother,
which forces him to dig deep within himself, as Jonny is his opposite in many ways.
The confrontation with the past and Jonny’s innocent yet challenging character
culminates in a decision with unforeseen consequences.
She Who Was Sown
A man tends to his garden when he discovers something strange.
In one of the trees, a woman’s face has formed in the bark.
Bleeder
Lilly and Julie are eleven years old, standing on the dizzying threshold between childhood
and adolescence. On their way home from school they race, as always — chasing speed,
laughter, and the victory of being first. But beneath their carefree games, something heavier
is shifting. Julie has gotten her first period, something Lilly longs for but doesn’t fully understand.
Between bike races and bursts of giggles, their conversations move fluidly between curiosity,
shame, and a quiet sting of envy. When Lilly’s insecurity finally cracks and the word “Bleeder”
becomes a wound, time seems to stop for a moment. Yet in the world of children, reconciliation
is never far away. Mensbarn captures the fragile moment between wanting to grow up and still
needing to play your way through life — a poetic story about the body, friendship, and the longing to belong.
18:30-19:34 Feature Film Slot 6 – Lifeline (Documentary)
Lifeline (Original title, Døgnet)
Regi: Lasse Dørumsgaard Stensrud, Nina Bellika · Längd: 01:04:00 · Land: Norway
Each year, thousands of people in the small northern town of Alta enter the salmon lottery, where seven hundred winners receive an 18-hour fishing license.
This event, known as Døgnet (“The 24 Hours”), is a beloved tradition that brings together friends and families across generations. Here, salmon fishing is
more than a pastime – it’s a cultural bond that ties people to one another and to their roots. The Alta River serves as a lifeline, connecting past and future,
with the wild salmon as both a literal and symbolic source of life. The film follows deeply personal stories of local fishers and families, capturing a ritual that
binds generations. Lifeline portrays a community striving to preserve its identity amid mounting global pressures. This is not only the story of a river under
threat, but of a people’s enduring relationship with it. What is truly at stake when a species goes extinct? LOGLINE: For hundreds of years, the Alta River
has been a lifeline for the local community and a national treasure. Now both the wild salmon and the culture it has shaped are at risk of disappearing,
perhaps within just a few decades.
20.04–22.03 · Feature Film Slot 7- The Coruskan
The Coruskan
Gito is a happy man. He lives in Cilaos, a small village perched at an altitude of 1,200
meters in the heart of the mountainous cirque with the eponymous name. He grows lentils
and vines and has the best yields in the entire circus because he loves what he does.
When his father dies, he will have to manage the inheritance of several hectares of land,
creating jealousies in an environment where land is rare. He worries the whole village by
evoking the idea of giving land to farmers who would agree to take up organic farming as
he and his father practice it. It is a “revolutionary” and poorly understood approach.
At the age of fifty, he will also have to “discover” life and its complexity. The friendly
trio he forms with his two childhood friends, Hilaire and Ann, will be undermined by
the birth of a love triangle between them, not always well lived in this small village in the
highland of the island. O Death, old captain, it is time! Let us weigh anchor! This country
bores us, O Death! Let us set sail! If the sky and the sea are black as ink, our hearts,
which you know, are filled with rays! « Les fleurs du mal » Charles Baudelaire.