Göteborg Film Festival Turns 50 With 'Forever Young' Focus

The Göteborg Film Festival will mark its 50th anniversary in 2027 with a Focus strand titled Forever Young, built around society's fascination with youth and the dream of immortality. The Nordic region's biggest film-TV event runs January 20 to February 6, 2027, the festival announced Thursday in a press release.

Three titles anchor the first wave of programming: Joshua Oppenheimer's "The Revolution Against Death," María Martínez Bayona's "The End of It" and William Greaves and David Greaves' "Once Upon a Time in Harlem."

What is on screen?

Oppenheimer, a double Oscar nominee for "The Look of Silence" and "The Act of Killing," directs the 23-minute short "The Revolution Against Death." The film, acquired by The New York Times' Op-Docs platform, observes the eccentric efforts of an annual longevity gathering, the Revolution Against Aging and Death Festival. Mubi will release the film alongside Op-Docs in December.

Martínez Bayona's debut feature "The End of It" stars Rebecca Hall, Gael García Bernal and Beanie Feldstein. The sci-fi comedy-drama premiered in Cannes' Première section and imagines a world where death, at least for the rich, is a choice. Hall plays Claire, a 250-year-old artist who seeks inspiration by choosing to die.

"Once Upon a Time in Harlem," described by Variety as "a documentary brimming with the wry and the wise, the thought-provoking and the deeply entertaining," stages legendary 1920s Harlem Renaissance figures at a 1970 cocktail party in Duke Ellington's townhouse. "While you're living it, it is the now," guest Bruce Richard Nugent remembers in the film, as Variety notes in its review.

Why the theme now?

"We live in a time when everyone is expected to want to be young, no matter how old we actually are. But what happens when we're never really allowed to grow old?" said Göteborg Artistic Director Pia Lundberg. "With Focus: Forever Young we want to explore this era's fixation with youth and ask questions about identity, life choices and what it means to become older."

Lundberg added: "As Göteborg Film Festival celebrates its 50th anniversary, Forever Young feels like a particularly suitable theme. We have grown older as a festival, but our curiosity about cinema and the world around us is as strong as it's ever been. There's something beautiful about that paradox: turning 50 by examining what it really means to be young."

The strand will combine screenings and discussions. Past Focus strands have staged memorable events, including a lie detector introduced at the 2026 edition, which centered on current concepts of truth.

Who is leaving, and what does this change for the industry side?

The programming reveal came two days after news that Josef Kullengård, Göteborg's Head of Industry since 2022, will join Copenhagen's CPH:DOX, one of Europe's preeminent documentary festivals, as its new head of Industry & Training.

"On a personal level, my family and I have been wanting to move closer to friends and family in southern Scandinavia, so that has certainly been an important part of it. Professionally, I also feel ready for a new and exciting challenge," Kullengård told Variety.

"I've always had a deep love for documentary cinema, particularly its ability to engage with social issues and the world around us, so the opportunity to join CPH:DOX felt incredibly meaningful," he added.

Kullengård previously served as Göteborg's Industry Producer of the Nordic Film Market from 2017 to 2021. He leaves on a high note. The 2026 edition drew 2,600 accredited industry and press participants, with 1,370 attendees from 47 countries at the Nordic Film Market and TV Drama Vision — a 50% increase on 2023.

The 2026 event generated strong newsflow from Banijay, Fremantle, broadcaster networks New8 and Scandi Alliance, and sales outfits including Charades and Dramanation. Ruben Östlund, Erik Poppe, Dag Johan Haugerud, Milad Alami and Amanda Kernell presented new projects. Two Variety-flagged works in progress, Alex Schulman's "Adult Supervision" and Eivind Landsvik's "Low Expectations," have since premiered at Fantastic Fest and Cannes' Directors' Fortnight respectively.

"I'm so proud of what we've achieved together in Göteborg over the past years. We've seen great development and growth, and I feel we're at a point where the festival's industry platform is in a really strong position. In many ways, that makes this feel like the right moment for someone new to take over, bring in new perspectives, and build on what we've accomplished," Kullengård said.

Kristina Colliander, CEO of the Göteborg Film Festival, said: "We would like to extend our warmest thanks to Josef Kullengård for his dedication, creativity and invaluable contributions over the years, and wish him all the best in his next chapter."

Kullengård's Facebook announcement drew 455 likes and 157 congratulatory comments. He stays on through the 50th anniversary edition, handing over an industry platform at peak strength just as the festival turns its gaze to youth.