The Nordic International Film Festival (NIFF) is holding its 6th edition and, like many festivals this year, has had to re-invent the festival experience due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Founders and NYFA alumni Linnea Larsdotter and Johan Matton devised a hybrid in-person and online experience where festival goers could attend drive-in screenings being held at The Brooklyn Army Terminal in New York City, as well as view films online.
The festival aims to foster a mutual connection between the Nordic region and the international film community, while also keeping topics like gender-equality and environmental sustainability at the forefront of their mission. For the 2020 festival, NIFF will be donating 50% of all online ticket sales to organizations supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.
Of this year’s edition and the challenges posed by the Coronavirus pandemic, Linnea Larsdotter and Johan Matton said, “We are extremely pleased to be able to pull off a safe event this year both online and with a drive-in cinema, thanks to the help from A24 and Rooftop Films. It’s been a challenging year for many and we are so impressed that so many incredible filmmakers have submitted and showcased that art and films are more important now than ever.”
New York Film Academy has partnered with NIFF for the second year in a row to award this year’s Aurora Borealis winner a scholarship to one of NYFA’s four week online programs. NYFA President Michael Young expressed his congratulations to NYFA alumni Johan Matton and Linnea Larsdotter for this year’s festival. “I’d like to congratulate our alumni Johan and Linnea on putting together another wonderful festival and working so hard to make it safe and accessible to everyone,”
The Aurora Borealis category is dedicated to up-and-coming filmmakers and this year’s winner is Nicolas Kolovos, who wrote and directed the short, Index. The film, which is filmed in a single shot, tells of a family preparing to flee to Europe by boat when their young son’s finger gets stuck in the trailer of the truck transporting them. As time for the boat’s departure nears, the family has a terrifying decision to make.
New York Film Academy congratulates NYFA alumni Johan Matton and Linnea Larsdotter on this year’s successful edition of NIFF as well as Aurora Borealis winner Nicolas Kolovos.