Nordic Film Series

We show the most recent and popular classic Nordic Films during our Film Series. All of the films are shown in their original language(s) with English subtitles.

Films are shown in the Nordic Hall at the Scandinavian Living Center (SLC). The SLC is wheelchair accessible. Masks must be worn while inside the SLC. No food or beverage may be consumed.

For e-mail updates about the film series, please subscribe to the Nordic Films Mailing List.

Saturday, April 16th, 2022 1:30pm
Persona Non Grata – 2021
The Scandinavian Library presents black comedy Persona Non Grata, the meticulously structured life of hip young Danish author Laura or Irina as she now calls herself, (the superb Rosalinde Mynster) is rocked when she returns to her rural family after a long absence.

For several years she has distanced herself from her family in the countryside and established herself as a writer in Copenhagen, living a bohemian lifestyle. When she is forced to return to her childhood home for her brother’s wedding, she discovers that he is about to marry her childhood bully, Catrine.

Laura realizes that Catrine has taken over her place in the family and now she feels a strong need to get it back. It doesn’t take long for conflicts to arise, fed by the seemingly insurmountable differences and a painful history, prompting a series of unexpected events as the two struggle for the family’s approval.

Using elements from her own life, Danish debut director Lisa Jespersen delivers a nuanced and entertaining tale of uncomfortable family relations.

In Danish with English subtitles; 91 minutes

Tickets are $10 ($8 for Library and SCC Members) Click here for tickets

Saturday, May 21st, 2022 1:30pm
To Be Announced

Saturday, June 18th, 2022 1:30pm
To Be Announced

Films shown previously this season

Saturday, March 19th, 2022 1:30pm
Helene – 2020
Year 1915. Helene Schjerfbeck is a forgotten artist living in the countryside with her elderly mother. Years have passed since her last exhibition, and Helene has continued to paint only for her own passion. Everything changes when an art dealer discovers Helene and her 159 amazing paintings and wants to organize a large solo exhibition. However, the most important moment in Helene’s life is brought on by her encounter with amateur painter Einar Reuter, who is a passionate admirer of Helene’s art. He becomes Helene’s confidante and the unfulfilled love of her life.

Inspired by true events, HELENE describes the life of Finland’s most acclaimed painter Helene Schjerfbeck between 1915-1923. 122 minutes. In Finnish with English subtitles. Presented in conjunction with the Scandinavian Cultural Center.

Saturday, February 15th, 2022 1:30pm
The Pact – 2021
It’s 1948 and sixty-three year-old OUT OF AFRICA author Karen Blixen (pen name: Isak Dinesen) is a lonely literary sensation devastated by syphilis and mourning her lost love, until she meets talented thirty year-old poet Thorkild Bjørnvig. She offers him a Faustian bargain and promises him stardom if he will obey her unconditionally. As her demands become more and more pernicious, Thorkild much choose between Blixen’s promise of fame or his wife and young son. 115 minutes. In Danish with English subtitles. Presented in conjunction with the Scandinavian Cultural Center.

Saturday, January 15th, 2022 1:30pm
Sonja – The White Swan – 2018
Sonja – The White Swan is a film about one of the world’s greatest athletes and the inventor of modern figure skating, Sonja Henie, who decides to go to Hollywood in 1936 to become a movie star. And she does, but everything has a price. Her first film breaks the box office by selling the most tickets in the world in 1937. It is the story of a remarkable, iconic person who sacrificed everything to stay in the spotlight. 110 minutes. In Norwegian and English with English subtitles.

Saturday, December 18th, 2021 1:30pm
Sound of Noise – 2010
Police officer Amadeus Warnebring was born into a musical family with a long history of famous musicians. Ironically, he hates music. His life is thrown into chaos when a band of renegade musicians decide to perform a musical apocalypse using the city as their orchestra. Reluctantly, Warnebring embarks on his first musical investigation… 102 minutes. In English and Swedish with English subtitles.

Saturday, November 20th, 2021 1:30pm
Backyard Village – 2021
When Brynja finishes her stay in a health clinic in the village of Hveragerdi, she’s reluctant to return to her life in the capital, so she checks into a small guesthouse. There she meets Mark, a tourist who is also reluctant to leave this nurturing community. 92 minutes. In English and Icelandic with English subtitles.

Saturday, October 16th, 2021 1:30pm
Rett Vest (Going West) – 2017
An unemployed music teacher takes his estranged transgender father on a road trip to the west coast of Norway, to honor his late mother’s excellent quilting skills. Going West is a warm and touching story about life, loss, and love. 78 minutes. In Norwegian with English subtitles.