Göteborg Film Festival 2027 to Explore Society’s Obsession With Youth Through ‘Forever Young’ Theme

Sweden’s Göteborg Film Festival is preparing to mark its 50th anniversary in 2027 with a special programme examining society’s growing fascination with youth, ageing and the pursuit of immortality.

The festival has announced its first major programming theme for next year’s edition, titled Focus: Forever Young, which will explore how modern society views ageing, personal identity and the desire to remain young indefinitely.

The 2027 edition of the Göteborg Film Festival, recognized as the largest film and television event in the Nordic countries, will take place from January 20 to February 6.

The special programme will feature films, screenings and discussions designed to encourage audiences to reconsider society’s expectations surrounding youth and growing older.

Among the announced film selections are Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Revolution Against Death, Maria Martínez Bayona’s The End of It and William Greaves and David Greaves’ documentary Once Upon a Time in Harlem.

These productions approach the subject of ageing and immortality from different perspectives, combining documentary storytelling, science fiction and historical reflection.

Three Films Explore Youth and the Pursuit of Immortality

Joshua Oppenheimer’s 23-minute documentary The Revolution Against Death examines the unusual world of people seeking to overcome ageing and ultimately achieve immortality.

The film takes viewers inside an annual longevity gathering known as the Revolution Against Aging and Death Festival, where participants explore ideas and ambitions surrounding the possibility of defeating death.

The documentary has been acquired by The New York Times’ Op-Docs platform and is scheduled for release alongside the platform in December.

Another major selection is The End of It, a science fiction comedy-drama directed by Catalan filmmaker Maria Martínez Bayona.

The film stars Rebecca Hall, Gael García Bernal and Beanie Feldstein and presents a future in which wealthy individuals have the ability to choose when they die.

Hall portrays Claire, a 250-year-old artist who decides to end her life in search of inspiration, raising questions about the meaning of existence, personal freedom and the relationship between creativity and mortality.

The film made its debut in the Premiere section of the Cannes Film Festival.

The third selection, Once Upon a Time in Harlem, directed by William Greaves and David Greaves, offers a historical perspective through a remarkable gathering of prominent figures associated with the Harlem Renaissance.

The documentary revisits a 1970 cocktail party hosted at Duke Ellington’s townhouse, bringing together influential personalities from the cultural and artistic movement of the 1920s.

Through archival material and reflections on the gathering, the film captures an important moment in African American cultural history and explores how memories, experiences and historical periods shape collective identity.

Festival Director Highlights the Meaning of Growing Older

Göteborg Film Festival Artistic Director Pia Lundberg said the Forever Young programme aims to examine society’s increasing expectation that people should remain young regardless of their actual age.

She explained that the programme would encourage discussions about identity, life choices and the experience of growing older in a culture increasingly focused on youth.

Lundberg also described the theme as particularly appropriate for the festival’s 50th anniversary.

She noted that although the festival has reached an important milestone in its history, its curiosity about cinema and the world remains as strong as ever.

The programme will use cinema as a platform to explore the contradiction between celebrating the passage of time and living in a society that frequently treats ageing as something to resist.

Previous Göteborg festival themes have also included special interactive experiences. The 2026 edition, for example, explored contemporary understandings of truth and featured a lie detector installation as part of its programme.

Josef Kullengård to Leave Göteborg Film Festival for CPH

Alongside its 2027 programming announcement, the festival has also confirmed an important leadership change.

Josef Kullengård, who has served as Head of Industry at Göteborg Film Festival since 2022, will leave his position following the festival’s 50th anniversary edition to join Denmark’s CPH as its new Head of Industry and Training.

Kullengård explained that the decision was influenced by both professional ambitions and personal circumstances, including his family’s desire to move closer to friends and relatives in southern Scandinavia.

He also expressed enthusiasm about joining CPH, highlighting his longstanding interest in documentary filmmaking and its ability to address important social issues and global developments.

Before becoming Head of Industry, Kullengård worked as Industry Producer of the Nordic Film Market between 2017 and 2021.

His departure comes after several years of growth for Göteborg’s industry platform, which has developed into one of the Nordic region’s important meeting places for filmmakers, producers, broadcasters, distributors and international film professionals.

Göteborg Strengthens Its Position in International Film Industry

The 2026 edition demonstrated the growing international reach of the festival’s industry programme.

Approximately 2,600 accredited industry professionals and media representatives participated in the event, while the Nordic Film Market and TV Drama Vision attracted around 1,370 participants from 47 countries.

The industry attendance represented a 50 per cent increase compared with 2023, reflecting the festival’s expanding international profile.

Major production companies, broadcasters and international distributors participated in the event, while established filmmakers and emerging talents presented new projects.

Among the prominent filmmakers who showcased their work were Ruben Östlund, Erik Poppe, Dag Johan Haugerud, Milad Alami and Amanda Kernell.

Kullengård said he was proud of the progress achieved during his time at Göteborg, adding that the festival’s industry platform had reached a strong position.

He described the transition as an opportunity for new leadership to introduce fresh perspectives while building on the achievements of recent years.

Göteborg Film Festival CEO Kristina Colliander also praised Kullengård’s contribution, thanking him for his dedication, creativity and work in strengthening the festival’s industry activities.

Kullengård will remain with Göteborg through its 50th anniversary edition before beginning his next professional chapter at CPH.

As the festival prepares for its landmark anniversary, the Forever Young programme promises to bring together cinema, culture and social discussion around one of modern society’s enduring questions: why does the desire to remain young continue to shape the way people understand life, identity and the passage of time?

Courtesy: variety