The Stockholm International Film Festival is the leading competitive film festival in northern Europe and continues to manifest itself as a groundbreaking event.

From the start our purpose has been to launch young filmmakers and broaden the forum for innovative quality films in Scandinavia. Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 1999 the festival has evolved from a dynamic newcomer to a full-grown supporter of the men and women that want to show us something new and different on the screen.

The Film Festival film sections give proof of a great width presenting films from a vast geographic spectra: from upcoming American independent stories to the visions of the Nordic and Baltics countries and the images of Asia. Even though the focus remains on first time filmmakers ­ not least manifested in the festival's scholarship 1 Kilometre Film supporting young Swedish directors we also care for the cinematic traditions tributing past masters such as Elia Kazan and Gena Rowlands with retrospectives whom both also has received The Stockholm Lifetime Achievement Award. Among other distinguished guests of the festival Dennis Hopper, Quentin Tarantino, Joel & Ethan Coen, Frances McDormand, Lars von Trier and Lauren Bacall can be mentioned.