Nordic film and entertainment in the U.S.

From Palm Springs, LA, Seattle and San Francisco, to New York and Washington, this year begins Nordic.

Alicia Wikander and Mads Mikkelsen in "A Royal Affair" Photo: Jiri Hanzl. Now playing in select theaters: www.magpictures.com/aroyalaffair/
Nordic Cool, the month-long celebration of Nordic culture at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC is still six weeks away, Nordic Cool but the interest in Nordic entertainment overall has never been greater so expect a lot of Nordic film and events at every venue this year. Right now, Scandinavia House www.scandinaviahouse.org in New York is screening Nordic Oscar contenders throughout January and three festivals out west highlight or specialize in Nordic.
Danish contender for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars “A Royal Affair”—featuring two amazing actors in the lead, Dane Mads Mikkelsen and Swedish Alicia Wikander—is screened in both Palm Springs and at the SFFLA
While the Palm Springs Film Festival kicked off already January 3 and runs until January 14, the 14th Annual Scandinavian Film Festival L.A. (SFFLA) opens on January 12, www.scandinavianfilmfestivalla.com Full schedule: Scandinavian Film Festival LA
Location: Writers Guild Theater, 135 South Doheny, Beverly Hills. Individual screenings are $10, a festival pass $125. You’ll watch close to thirty recently released Nordic films; Troell’s latest movie along with Danish “A Royal Affair” with gifted Mads Mikkelsen along with Swedish star Alicia Wikander or the Norwegian production “Kon-Tiki.”
..as is Kon-Tiki, Norway’s contender for the same prize.
If you’re near Palm Springs, there’s still time to catch four major Swedish films: Lasse Hallström’s first Swedish produced film since his return to Sweden, “The Hypnotist”; Jan Troell’s “The Last Sentence” and “Eat, Sleep, Die” along with “Call Girl” – you’d have to hurry though, they’re all screened prior to the coming weekend. Full schedule at www.psfilmfest.org Location: Varies but most Swedish films at Palm Springs Regal 9, 789 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA
The 14th Annual Scandinavian Film Festival L.A. (SFFLA) opens on January 12, www.scandinavianfilmfestivalla.com
In Seattle, Nordic Lights Film Festival, which runs from January 18 – 20 and is organized by the Nordic Heritage Museum, will screen films from all five Nordic countries. The festival kicks off on January 18 with a reception at SIFF beginning at 6:00 p.m., hosted by the local SWEA (Swedish Women’s Educational Association), followed at 7:00 p.m. by the feature film "Beyond" - Pernilla August's directing debut and Sweden’s contender for best foreign film at the 2012 Oscars. Location: SIFF Film Center located at Seattle Center. Museum members have a discount for individual screenings. To watch it all – all screenings throughout the weekend is a mere $55. More info: www.siff.net or see the full program at Nordic Lights Film Festival at SIFF Film Center More info also through the Nordic Heritage Museum at www.nordicmuseum.org or 206.789.5707
The Midwest will get its share of Nordic Lights as well; the Nordic Lights Film Festival of the Twin Cities will take place from Feb. 8-14: http://nordiclightsfilmfestival.org A schedule is yet to be released.
Nordic Spirit Symposium covering the Nobel Peace Prize's relevance in today's world... Scandinavian Peacemakers and Humanitarians - Folke Bernadotte, Dag Hammarskjöld, Nathan Söderblom, Fridtjof Nansen and many more.
Prior to kick off of this year’s Tribeca Film Festival in April – bound to screen several Nordic films – you’ll have ample opportunity to enjoy Nordic, even Swedish entertainment in other forms. While much of Swedish House Mafia’s final “One Last Tour” may be sold out, in New York, at a somewhat smaller venue you can enjoy Magnus Mårtensson (www.MaestroMartensson.com), the only blonde Swedish pianist to have performed at Carnegie Hall, Caroline’s on Broadway and The United Nations and sharing initials with Marilyn Monroe (in his own words) at Don’t Tell Mama at the end of February. Prior to that, on January 17, you can enjoy some of New York’s finest young Scandinavian musicians at the Harriet Nilsen Winter Concert organized by the American Scandinavian Society
Alicia Wikander in "A Royal Affair"
Don't miss another event - and, don't miss listing your own upcoming events - at North America's most populated and visited website for Swedish and Scandinavian events, The Nordstjernan Events Calendar (Listings are FREE)
If you're more inclined to culture, history and politics, Scandinavian American Cultural and Historical Foundation in Thousand Oaks, Cal. is organizing the Nordic Spirit Symposium for the weekend of Feb. 1 & 2 this year covering Scandinavian Peacemakers and Humanitarians - www.scandinaviancenter.org - featuring talks and lectures, discussions on Folke Bernadotte, Dag Hammarskjöld, Nathan Söderblom, Fridtjof Nansen and many more. As for us, we have set our sights on Professor Olav Njølstad's talk about the relevance of the Nobel Peace Prize today, in a world so different from the late 19th Century world of Alfred Nobel.