Sweden’s Göteborg Film Festival to Debate the Fascination With Youth in a ‘Forever Young’ Focus

Joshua Oppenheimer’s “The Revolution Against Death,” Maria Martínez Bayona’s “The End of It” and William Greaves and David Greaves “Once Upon a Time in Harlem” will screen at a Gôteborg Film Festival 2027 Focus on the fascination of youth and the dream of immortality.

News of the Focus comes as Sweden’s Göteborg Festival, the biggest film-TV event in the Nordic countries, is set to celebrate its 50th anniversary at its 2027 edition, which runs Jan. 20-Feb. 6.

From double Oscar-nominee Oppenheimer (“The Look of Silence,” “The Art of Killing”) and acquired by The New York Times’ Op-Docs platform, “The Revolution Against Death,” a 23-minute short, is set at an annual longevity conference, the Revolution Against Aging and Death Festival, observing its eccentric efforts to achieve immortality. Mubi will release alongside Op-Docs in December.

Starring Rebecca Hall, Gael García Bernal and Beanie Feldstein, sci-fi comedy-drama “The End of It” is set in a world where, at least for the rich, death is a choice. Claire, a 250-year-old artist played by Hall, seeks inspiration by choosing to die. Catalan Maria Martinez Bayona’s debut, “The End of It” bowed at the Cannes Festival’s Premiere section.

Described by Variety as “a documentary brimming with the wry and the wise, the thought-provoking and the deeply entertaining,” “Once Upon a Time in Harlem” sees legendary 1920s Harlem Renaissance figures convene at a cocktail party in Duke Ellington’s townhouse in 1970. A “cultural time-capsule doc,” it is a portrait of a once-in-a lifetime party and the excitement of an all-consuming moment which become an epoch. “While you’re living it, it is the now,” remembers guest Bruce Richard Nugent, Variety notes in its review.

Past Göteborg Focus strands have been accompanied by a memorable event such as introducing a lie detector at the 2026 Göteborg, which focused on current concepts of truth.

Through film screenings and discussions, Focus: Forever Young will offer new perspectives on youth, aging, and society’s quest for immortality, the Göteborg Film Festival promised Thursday in a press release.

“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? 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,” said Göteborg Artistic Director Pia Lundberg,

She 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,”

Josef Kullengård Steps Down From Göteborg to Join CPH:DOX

Göteborg’s first programming unveil for its 2027 edition came just two days after news that Josef Kullengård, Göteborg’s highly successful Head of Industry from 2022, will be joining 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 over 2017-21 as Göteborg’s Industry Producer of the Nordic Film Market. He leaves Göteborg on a high-note. That was seen in a powerhouse 2026 edition which underscored how Göteborg under Kullengård, with Cecilie Edström heading up TV Drama Vision, has over the last decade consolidated as the Nordics’ premier film-TV market and industry forum.

This year’s edition saw a strong newsflow led by not only Europe’s superindies Banijay and Fremantle but also broadcaster networks New8 and Scandi Alliance and Charades and Dramanation, to name just a few. 2026’s event saw 2,600 accredited industry and press participants, 1,370 hailing from 47 countries attending the Nordic Film Market and TV Drama Vision, 50% up on 2023, as Göteborg remains a potential goldmine for tapping financing, even during ia bigger-picture Nordic market downturn.

Major talent – from Ruben Östlund to Erik Poppe, Dag Johan Haugerud, Milad Alami and Amanda Kernell – presented new projects. Two of the buzziest works in progress identified by Variety at the Nordic Film Market, Alex Schulman’s “Adult Supervision” and Eivind Landsvik’s “Low Expectations,” have now bowed, at Fantastic Fest and Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight respectively, ranking among the most exciting first features from Europe in 2026.

“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 told Variety.

Upon the announcement of his CPH: DOX appointment, Kullengård’s Facebook account received 455 thumbs up and 157 comments, with people congratulating him on his new job and CPH:DOX for attracting him. Kullengård will stay on at Göteborg until the end of next year’s 50th anniversary edition.

“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,” said Kristina Colliander, CEO of the Göteborg Film Festival.