Scandi was visited by a record 20,000 spectators last year. And it has been our most successful festival for 12 years. At the beginning of each year, we offer Czech and Slovak audiences a dozen genre-balanced, thematically topical, audience-engaging and expertly crafted films in nearly 100 selected partner cinemas. We discussed why our audience loves Nordic films so much, and found several defining certainties, such as the courage and ability not to be afraid of themes that are sensitive or even socially unacceptable, and the art of presenting them in a way that their ambiguity, almost social incorrectness, is finally accepted. That you accept them even though you may disagree. And most importantly, that you don't take offense, even if the topics are such that they give your opinions on morality, politics, and your own national or personal identity a hard time. Oh, how we miss this art of presenting an opinion in a way that does not offend your political opponents. Perhaps it is the courage to break down, but in the end, unite the broken in a cathartic and empathetic way – that’s what fascinates us about Nordic cinema, series, documentaries, literature, and society. We certainly idealise a lot of it. Under the pressure of war on our borders and horrified by the vulgarity of some politicians' public behaviour, we tend to cling to an ideal that may not be real. One feature of Nordic societies, however, has long been present, clearly recognisable and certain – it’s the emphasis on efficiency and practicality. Landscape and climate largely determine the manner and the limit of grandiosity. Architecture can be spectacular, but it must protect against the cold and let in as much light as possible. Film and literature can be beautiful, but they must have a good and commercially practical and identifiable genre. There are 64 000 bomb shelters in Sweden, able to protect 7 million civilians, and the whole of Helsinki stands on shelters for 900 000 people – an immediately usable and publicly known space not only for residents but also for visitors to the Finnish capital. We know exactly who is arguing with whom in parliament, but do we know where the nearest civilian shelter is? "Hope gently for the best, prepare for the worst," is probably the main thing we should take away from the northerners.

This year we are also emphasizing the diversity of genres. Scandi cannot be an overview of all film trends in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Iceland. We have 9 premieres, one reprise and one experiment. A tradition of Scandi is to test the audience's reaction to non-traditional festival forms – like silent films with live music or archival classics. This year we are presenting a series. Makta – or Power Play – is a twelve-part Norwegian series about a left-wing political party in the 1980s led by Gro Harlem Brundtland, who was Norway's Prime Minister three times. Power Play won the top prize at last year's Canneseries. Scandi's headliner is the animated and provocative Spermageddon. What you expect from the title is exactly what you get, but in a pleasantly sophisticated way. Quisling is a classic cinematic account of the last days of the founder of the Norwegian Fascist Party and leader of Norway during the Nazi occupation. An example of how we should deal honestly with figures of our history such as Emanuel Moravec or Jozef Tiso through film medium. The Tundra within Me is a Norwegian Sami love story. Beautiful nature, reindeers, colourful Sami hats and boots, authentic faces above an endless snowy landscape with a low-lying sun. Armand is a reprise, it had its festival premiere at Be2Can, but because of the intense performances which will completely sweep you away, we're bringing it back. It's a formally innovative debut that starts out as an uncomfortably intimate school drama and ends up almost like a musical. Denmark has two films at Scandi. Eternal is an unconventional combination of science fiction and romance. Boundless is a high-quality noir crime drama. During the film’s introduction to our audience, we will welcome Ulrich Thomsen, the lead male actor, as our guest. Finland has two films at Scandi. The Missile, starring the essence of Nordic womanhood, Oona Airola, who received the Dragon Award for Best Actress at last year's Gothenburg Film Festival. The theme is both humorous and topical: a Russian missile hits Finnish territory in the 1980s and a local newspaper journalist finally has something to write about. The Finnish foreign affairs and defence ministries don't think so, but she does. Once Upon a Time in a Forest is an activist documentary with the endearing young people who decided to save Finland's forests from the corporations. We should follow their lead, especially in Slovakia. Iceland is represented by Cold, a creepy horror-thriller that delivers huge things on a small budget. And from Sweden we have Hammarskjöld – Fight for Peace, a biopic fresco of the UN General Secretary serving during the turbulent 1950s.

Welcome to Scandi 2025!

Ivan Hronec