Four years on and Australia’s love affair with Scandinavia shows no signs of slowing down. Next month, the annual Scandinavian Film Festival returns. We spoke to director, Elysia Zeccola, who gives us a taste of what audiences can expect. How has the Scandinavian Film Festival grown since it first began in...
Maxida Märak is someone who’s difficult to ignore. As an artist, she is uncompromising and has done much to expose the injustices and struggles of Sweden’s indigenous population. So much so that her activism informed the hit Nordic Noir series, Midnight Sun. But she’s not finished yet. Maxida very kindly took some time...
Hygge is usually inadequately translated as ‘cosiness’. But it is so much more than that. One of the most common questions we come across in Denmark is visitors asking, “what is hygge?” But hygge isn’t just a word; it’s a concept, and as such, there’s really no direct translation. The Danish word ‘hygge’ is...
The northern end of Helsinki’s Tennis Palace will brighten dramatically when Charles Sandison’s installation Language Is Dead fills the expanse of the building’s arched façade. The installation consists of a moving mass of words projected onto the surface of the wall. Produced by HAM Helsinki Art Museum, the temporary...
Mention the idea of a Scandinavian Film Festival to many Scandinavians and you’re likely to be met with a look of surprise. But to Australians, the idea of getting to see movies from the five Scandinavian countries is nothing if not tantalising. Next month, the Scandinavian Film Festival once more makes its way around...
Out of the depths: Interview with Owls of the Swamp
As the man behind Owls of the Swamp, Pete Uhlenbruch’s indie-folk sounds have managed to find their way from Australia all through Europe. Pete recently took some time out to talk to us about his music. When did you first begin performing, and how did Owls of the Swamp come about? I’ve been playing guitar in various...
My island homes: interview with Grant Nicol
Grant Nicol was celebrating his fortieth birthday in Reykjavik when he decided he wanted to make Iceland home. Some might think that the New Zealand writer had merely swapped one volcanic island for another but, after leaving his homeland 23 years ago to work in both Australia and the United Kingdom, Grant knew...
Burning to write: Davíð Rafn Kristjánsson
Davíð Rafn Kristjánsson was never one for writing. It took a move to another continent, on the other side of the world for the 34-year-old to start expressing his thoughts and ideas through the written word. The result is Burning Karma (Wild Pressed Books), which tells the story of Böddi, who wakes up in a hospital...
Good news for Kent fans
Australian writer, Hannah Kent, who put Iceland on the shelves of readers around the world with her debut novel, Burial Rites, is releasing a new book in October this year. Set in Ireland, 1825, The Good People also focuses on an outsider: a young boy, Michael, who cannot walk or speak and is rumoured to be a...
Tom of Finland gets musical
A musical about the life of Touko Laaksonen, the artist best known by his famous signature Tom of Finland, will premiere in Turku City Theatre in January 2017. The show will be a part of the official program of events that celebrate the 100th anniversary of Finland’s independence. The homoerotic drawings created by...
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