Swedish nurse Lisa Enroth has been selected from more than 12,000 candidates for private screening of this year’s Goteborg Film Festival.
For next week, Enroth will be watching film after film on the remote island of Pater Noster in which the festival organizers have dubbed “The Isolated Cinema.”
The film buff will stay alone at an old lighthouse that was converted into a boutique hotel with enough food to survive this week. The only way to get to the island off the west coast of Sweden is by taking a small boat or helicopter.
The emergency ward nurse said she was looking forward to the “time to reflect and be alone” after a year of dealing with the pandemic coronavirus infection.
“In health care, I seem to have spent ages listening, testing and consoleing. I feel like I’m full of energy,” Enroth said.
‘Very different reality’
She said she was particularly drawn to “the wind, the sea, the ability to be part of a completely different reality for a week.”
Festival organizers installed a screen and viewing area inside the lighthouse
Enroth will be able to view festival films from the comfort of a comfortable cabinet or on a screen set up inside the lighthouse itself – surrounded by stunning sea views.
It will also maintain a daily video diary which will appear on the festival website.
Mirja Wester, President of the festival, said she was surprised by the number of applicants but was drawn to Enroth for her work on the front line of pandemic coronavirus infection.
“It feels especially right to be able to impart this unique experience to one of the many heroes of the health care system who are all working so hard against COVID-19.”
Turning into films at the time of the pandemic
Like many other cultural events, this year’s Goteborg Film Festival is largely taking place online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to the remote island screens, two cinemas in the city will allow for viewing – but only for one person at a time.
While a cabin and lighthouse are transformed into screening rooms for Enroth, other festival participants will be flocking in from their homes
The festival’s artistic director said the unique experience, and real perspective, could help audiences reflect on how the pandemic has affected the world’s relationship with films.
“Through this pandemic, so many people have turned to the cinema when they are alone,” he said. “But the pandemic has also changed the way we experience films.” ‘
This year’s Goteborg Film Festival, one of the largest in Scandinavia, runs from 29 January through 8 February.
Sweden has implemented stricter restrictions in the last few weeks as the second wave of the virus is stronger than expected.
The country came close to the pandemic with a “mild rub” when the virus appeared last year, but the country’s king said last month that the procedure had “failed.” More than 11,500 people in Sweden have died from COVID-19 to date.
rs / rc (AP, AFP, Reuters)