The 2023 Saxo Scandinavian Film Festival, now in its ninth year, showcases the best contemporary cinema from these countries, selected from international film festivals and markets such as Göteborg, Cannes and Berlin. In this article, we look at a somewhat religious themed film, Camino, screening during this festival.
Geographically, Scandinavia refers to the Northern European sub-region of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, but nearly a decade ago at the Cannes Film Festival the idea was born to incorporate more countries from the Nordic region into a festival for the Australian audience to experience.
Taking the lead from Scandinavian Films, the umbrella organisation representing all five Nordic Film Institutes, we felt this was a perfect way to present a curated selection from the region.
This year’s lineup includes a specially curated selection including recent award winners, exquisite dramas, thrillers for Scandi noir lovers and a collection of cult classics.
Camino
From internationally acclaimed director Birgitte Stærmose (Industry, The English Game, The Spanish Princess), Camino is a wryly humorous drama about family baggage and connections.
Deep down, Regitze (Danica Curcic, The Exception SCA21, also in Unruly) has never felt completely accepted at home for being who she truly is. Now in her early 30s, she finds herself with no job, no partner, no children and she is also no longer on speaking terms with her father Jan (Lars Brygmann, Riders of Justice, Borgen).
Yet when father and daughter discover that Regitze’s mother’s dying wish was for them to reconnect and follow the famous Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail together, the two set out on the 260-kilometre journey. Under the blistering Spanish sun, they find their complex relationship challenged in new ways.
Set against the spectacular backdrop of Spain’s Camino de Santiago, this poignant drama is an emotional story about our deepest bonds, and the struggles of feeling different from our family.
Director’s Note: “Processing and dealing with baggage from our upbringing is part of being alive. For this reason, I think that `Camino’ is a very universal story that will be relevant for many people.”
Screenings and Theaters are found on this page
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