Gåsebäck Film Festival (GFF) is the only annual film festival celebrating creative, independent, international cinema in Helsingborg.
Presented in a pop up cinema in the historic, industrial zone of Gåsebäck, we are proud to be entering our 3rd year. GFF festival consists of a selection of seven feature and documentary films, along with two dedicated programs of short films by emerging directors from Sweden and internationally.
Through our submissions process we look films that display innovation in storytelling, express cinematic courage and share a unique perspective about the world we live in. We value daring films. We seek out original voices. We love to celebrate work by emerging directors from our region and from around the world. Through our programming we reflect the broad demographic of our audiences in the plurality of filmmakers we select.
Audience engagement is key. Wherever possible the festival includes a Q&A with the creators of the films to give our audiences a peek inside the creative process and to offer a taste of the passion needed to make a film. 2023's Q&A with director, Farah Nabulsi was a highlight as she shared the story of the creation of her film, its journey to distribution and the struggles she faces to get the story out to the world.
Themed programs emerge and are woven into the film program each year. 2023's climate change strand showcased a handpicked collection of nonfiction titles exploring our climate crises. A Q&A with climate activist and author James Marriott and director of The Oil Machine, Emma Davie, brought an engaged and impassion discussion around protest and how we can work collectively to take positive climate action.
In 2024 we presented two industry-focussed panels featuring producers and directors from Malmö and Copenhagen. Conversations around how to get an independent film off the ground, how to make films complete outside the system, sometimes in a war zone, were covered, in the hope of inspiring young creators and established practitioners to meet and collaborate.
Festival bonus: a work in progress exhibition of new works by Malmö based photographer illustrated a personal, playful but necessary conversation around queer spaces.
GFF endeavors to be a dynamic, responsive film event that shares humanist values through our festival selection. Everyone is welcome.
The festival honors three films with the Freddan Fredrik Olsson Award Award each year. An award to the best feature film, the best short film, and the best film from our themed strands are celebrated through a count of audience votes after each screening.
The award is named after one of Helsingborg's great cultural leaders, Freddan Olsson, who was instrumental in establishing the Gåsebäck Film Festival. After his loss in 2023, we did not want to see the hole left in Helsingborg's cultural landscape grow: we had to honor Fredrik's spirit and his 40 years of dedication to art, cultural and creative collaboration in the spirit of peace and friendship.