Re-cap of the 65th Nordic Film Days Lübeck
Lübeck, 10 November 2023. Europe’s largest festival for Nordic and Baltic film, the 65th Nordic Film Days Lübeck, wrapped up triumphantly on Sunday, November 5, 2023. Altogether, the festival attracted an audience of over 30,000 people, with almost 25,000 cinema seats sold, including the opening night at CineStar Stadthalle Lübeck’s largest cinema and the sold-out prize gala at Theater Lübeck. Around 6,500 viewers watched on our VOD platform – assuming a low estimate of two people for each film streamed. These numbers match our 2019 high, when almost 30,000 people also visited the Nordic Film Days Lübeck — over six days rather than the five days of our 65th festival. Almost 200 filmmakers and actors representing all of the Nordic and Baltic countries and Germany presented their work to the public in person during moderated Q&As.
This year, the Nordic Film Days Lübeck increased efforts to break down barriers and make cinemas more accessible. Numerous films screenings included audio descriptions for blind and visually impaired visitors and SDH subtitles for the deaf or hard of hearing, which include not only dialogue, but also descriptions of background sounds. Some film talks were also accompanied by a German sign language interpreter, and the feature film Dancing Queen in our Young Audience section had sign language interpretation throughout.
The Lübeck Meetings, the annual film industry event at the Nordic Film Days Lübeck, which this year also included events at the European Hansemuseum, also drew large crowds. Over 200 industry visitors took part in the discussions, presentations, and pitches, almost 100 of them on our new talent platform FUTURE NORTH, in which seven young directors from less-represented northern European areas were invited to discuss their ongoing projects with producers, industry experts, and the public.
Over 600 accredited guests attended this year’s festival, including more than 200 industry visitors, almost 200 film guests, 43 jury members, and over 70 members of the press.
The Lübeck cinemas CineStar Stadthalle, Kino Koki, the Kolosseum, and the Infinity Dome screened over 180 films, series episodes, and other audiovisual works at almost 250 public screenings. Almost half of these works could be streamed on the festival’s own VOD platform. Including the opening night honorary award presented on November 1st at CineStar and the Film Prize Night gala on November 4th in Theater Lübeck, eleven film prizes with a total endowment of 65,000 euros were awarded.
Artistic director Thomas Hailer was more than satisfied: “In each of the festivals sections there were wonderful films to discover that we will be seeing and hearing more of in the future. These films were presented by inspiring guests who were thrilled by their interaction with the audience. A highlight was of course the chance to host Liv Ullmann, whose generosity and warmth delighted all.”
“We are excited to have had such a large audience and even happier about the brilliant feedback from our guests; the festival’s atmosphere was passionate. Not only did the festival attract pre-crisis numbers of visitors, but it also set benchmarks for the future with new events and projects,” said managing director, Susanne Kasimir. “That’s why we’re extremely grateful for the support of so many partners: Institutions, companies, especially our sponsors and prize sponsors, the Friends of the Nordic Film Days Lübeck, and our media partners. We appreciate their loyalty. Once again, the Nordic Film Days were the talk of the town, in and far beyond the Hanseatic City of Lübeck.”
The 66th Nordic Film Days Lübeck will run from November 6 to 10, 2024.
We would like to thank our partners Finnlines, CineStar, STAWAG, Stadtwerke Lübeck, Teschke & Collegen, Moinsener, skanbo, Grundstücks-Gesellschaft TRAVE, Convotis, avt plus Mediaservice, and SG Medientechnik, as well as our media partners, the broadcaster NDR and the daily newspaper Lübecker Nachrichten for their support.
Press contact Nordic Film Days Lübeck
Dr. Kathrin Steinbrenner & Kristian Müller,
SteinbrennerMüller Kommunikation
Email: presse@nordische-filmtage.de
Telefon: +49 30 4737 2192
