This year’s Stockholm International Film Festival became a political focal point in the Scandinavian capital this week.
The theme was freedom, with 180 films reflecting that topic and a handful films from Asia.
One of the film jury members was artist and activist Ai Wei Wei.
He was prohibited by the Chinese government to attend the festival... but he was present: both in spirit and on screen.
Outside the Chinese embassy in Stockholm, it’s raining... but the crowd of protesters is growing.
The crowd shouts their greetings.... “Wish you were here Ai Wei Wei.”
Chinese artist Ai Wei Wei sent a message to the film festival from his studio in Beijing.
“I feel sorry I cannot come that’s why I had to make somthing symbolic. I designed and built this chair and hope that it can give some humour. It’s a kind of formal statment on the condition authority can limit on freedom of speech.”
He also built and sent a chair that no one can sit on... with a bar across the seat.
The theme of this year’s film festival is freedom... a dominant topic for this year’s film festival says Git Sheynius the festival director.
“We’ve done a selection of 2000 films in total, squeezing that down to 180 films and we can see that this is a theme coming up all over the world.”
Among the fare of Asian films this year are a few that really stand out.
One of them is “Cutie and the Boxer” by Zack Henzerling, which won the Sundance award for best director.
It’s a documentary about 80-year-old Japanese artists Ushio Shinohara and his wife Noriko.
Freedom to make art is at the heart of the tale where the two fuss and fight as they make and sell their art.
Love and sacrifice pushes both to test the limits of personal freedom.
Moviegoer Chelsea came out with tears in her eyes:
“So honest. That this couple was so open about their relationship, yet there is so much love and passion. And how Noriko talks about how opposites attract. Like magnets.”
Director Arvin Chen brought his latest comedy ”Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?”
Set in Taipei, it’s a comical tale about the freedom to follow one ’s sexual preference.
It’s not easy in a society where marriage is the expected norm, parents exert enormous pressure and homosexuality is scorned.
The film is a reflection of street reality and opennesss in Taiwan today says Arvin Chen, who wrote and directed the film.
“It’s kind of nice, actually. You see women and women on the street, men and men on the street.”
But Taiwan society still has a long way to go, compared to the West.
“Politically I don’t think it’s nearly as progressive. There are no gay marriages, not a lot of domestic partnership rights. But what’s great about Taiwan is that, that’s always in debate.”
A romantic comedy, it ’s tender, but not cute.
After seeing her husband in the arms of a man... she’s hurt, but grants him the freedom to be himself.
When the film “Ilo Ilo” was debuted in Cannes, the film broke down three times. Everyone stayed. As the closing credits rolled up the audience stood and cheered for 15 minutes.
The story sprang from director Anthony Chen’s own experience... growing up in Singapore in the 90’s after his father lost his job.
“You’re tiyng yourself down, weighing yourself down because of the certain obligations you feel you need to meet. As a husband, as a father, a breadwinner. How to keep a family intact.”
We follow the family’s 12-year-old wild and hyperactive son brilliantly played by Koh Jia Ler and his Filippino nanny. Freedom was never further away for her, or so longed after.
The nanny is a migrant worker from Ilo Ilo, a Philippine island.
Migration and the quest for personal and economic freedom , says Chen, is becoming a common theme in Asian film.
“People crossing borders, working in other countries. Having to import cheap labour to take over low paying jobs. I think that is something that filmmakers in Asia are seeing and observing.”
In the main theatre is a glass case with Ai Wei Wei’s unsittable chair.
Festival director Git Scheynius says it will remain there permanently as a reminder that there are so many people whose freedom has been stolen.
