On October 7, the opening of the “Swedish Film Days” was held at the “Azerbaijan” CineMastercard. The event was inaugurated with a welcoming speech by the moderator, film critic Sevda Sultanova. She noted that within the framework of a joint collaboration between the Azerbaijan Union of Filmmakers and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Sweden in Azerbaijan, four films will be screened throughout October.
“This is already the third joint event organized by the Azerbaijan Union of Filmmakers in collaboration with the Swedish Embassy. At the first event, four films by one of the great masters of world cinema, Ingmar Bergman, were screened. It was gratifying to see the hall filled for each screening, and the audience actively engaging in the discussions. The second event showcased films by representatives of contemporary Swedish cinema.”
We thank the Embassy of Sweden and the Union of Filmmakers for giving us the opportunity to discover such remarkable authors as Sanna Lenken and Tarik Saleh through these screenings. This time as well, a selection of contemporary Swedish films will be presented to you. In fact, the film you will watch today—Frida Kempff’s Swedish Torpedo—is still in the midst of its festival run. Afterwards, the moderator invited the Ambassador of Sweden to our country, Tobias Lorentzson, and the secretary of the Union of Filmmakers, director Oleg Safaraliyev, to the stage.
Oleg Safaraliyev expressed his pleasure at the restart of screenings after a long break:
“Today, we are opening ‘Swedish Film Days.’ First and foremost, we would like to extend our gratitude to the Ambassador of Sweden in our country, thanks to whom we will have the opportunity to watch these beautiful and remarkable films. They are truly engaging, and I hope our audience will once again attend and participate actively.”
Tobias Lorentzson began his speech by thanking Oleg Safaraliyev and the Union of Filmmakers: “Dear friends, cinema enthusiasts! I am delighted to welcome you to the third Swedish Film Days. For us at the Embassy, it is a great pleasure that we began this collaboration back in 2022. At that time, we screened the classic films of Ingmar Bergman. Our cooperation continued in 2023, and now, in 2025, we are once again with you. By showcasing Bergman’s films, we began strengthening our cultural ties, and in 2023, during the second edition of Swedish Film Days, we introduced contemporary Swedish cinema to the audience.” Now, in 2025, at the next stage of our collaboration, we present to you the richness, creativity, and thematic diversity of Swedish storytelling and Swedish cinematic language. This month, every Tuesday of the week, we will screen four selected films at the Azerbaijan cinema, each available with Azerbaijani subtitles. As you know, today you will watch Frida Kempff’s Swedish Torpedo together. In the following weeks, Per Fly’s Hammarskjöld, Viktor Danell’s UFO Sweden, and Jens Sjögren’s I Am Zlatan will be screened.
The Azerbaijan Union of Filmmakers has stated that the screenings of European films are being held as part of an initiative to acquaint audiences with world cinema. To this end, the Union is actively collaborating not only with representatives from Sweden but also with counterparts from Poland and France.
aki.az