The leading center for Nordic culture in the U.S., Scandinavia House offers a wide range of programs and is the home of ASF.
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Support ASF here: https://go.amscan.org/Donations Established in 1911 by Danish-American industrialist Niels Poulson and a group of other forward-thinking leaders from business and education, the American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) was the first international non-governmental society to have as its sole purpose the development of goodwill through educational and cultural exchange. It was design
ed to meet the needs of its time through fellowships, scholarly exchange, exhibitions, and publications. These programs have grown over the years, and along with the cultural programs at Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America, have provided a comprehensive platform for ongoing international exchange between the United States and the Nordic countries. This international work is at the heart of the Foundation’s mission. Each year, ASF awards over $800,000 in fellowships and grants to individual students, scholars, professionals, and artists for study and research in the United States and abroad. To date, some 30,000 Americans and Scandinavians have participated in these and other ASF programs of study, research, or practical training. In October 2000, ASF opened Scandinavia House as a showplace for Nordic culture and life. Since its founding, it has welcomed over 1.5 million visitors, who have come to enjoy exhibitions, performances, lectures, and more. Scandinavia House was financed by the generosity of more than 300 donors from the U.S. and abroad, including individuals, corporations, and foundations, as well as the Nordic governments and the Nordic Council of Ministers. Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America, the leading center for Nordic culture in the United States, offers a wide range of programs that illuminate the culture and vitality of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Scandinavia House offerings include diverse exhibitions and film series, as well as concerts and other performances, readings, lectures, symposia, language courses, and children’s activities. Designed by the internationally renowned Polshek Partnership Architects (now Ennead Architects) and inaugurated in October 2000, Scandinavia House is the headquarters of the American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) and the site of ASF’s cultural and educational programming.
Coming up this Fall, join us on October 29 for a discussion with Craig Dykers and Elaine Molinar of Snøhetta! In this program, Dykers and Molinar will discuss the work of their world-renowned integrated architecture, landscape architecture and design company.
Join us on October 29 for a discussion with Craig Dykers and Elaine Molinar of the rewnowned architecture and design firm Snøhetta!
On September 7, bestselling authors Ragnar Jónasson and Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, known as the Queen and King of Icelandic crime fiction, will be joined for a conversation moderated by Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi, a former NYC homicide prosecutor and creator of the “Anatomy of Murder” podcast.
Join us for a talk with the King and Queen of Icelandic crime fiction, Ragnar Jónasson and Yrsa Sigurðardóttir!
Join us for A Taste of Iceland New York this September, organized by Inspired by Iceland! On September 5 at Scandinavia House, Blue Lagoon Iceland will present a discussion about emergency design and its role during times of seismic activity, held in collaboration with Iceland Design and Architecture and DesignMarch.
Learn more:
Join us for A Taste of Iceland New York! On September 5, Blue Lagoon Iceland will discuss emergency design during times of seismic activity.
Mark your calendars! Book club is back on September 10 with a discussion of 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, a work from Icelandic poet-historian Kristín Svava Tómasdóttir composed from the memoirs and biographies of 100 Icelandic midwives
Learn more at:
Read and discuss Scandinavian literature in translation as part of our Nordic Book Club. Each month we select a novel from some of the best Nordic literary voices. Discussions typically take place the last Tuesday of the month in the Halldór Laxness Library at Scandinavia House and online in our Go...
It's summertime, and the bugs are out to play! In this Wednesday Workshop from the Heimbold Family Children's Playing & Learning Center, kids can use recycled materials to create their own paper bugs and insects!
It's summertime, and the bugs are out to play! In this Wednesday Workshop from the Heimbold Family Children's Playing & Learning Center, kids can use recycle...
The 7th Annual New York Baltic Film Festival (NYBFF) presented by Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America returns this November continuing its tradition of bringing the best new films from the Baltic region to New York audiences. The leading Baltic film festival in the U.S. will take place November 6-17, 2024, offering both in-person and virtual screenings. In-person screenings and events will take place November 6-10 at Scandinavia House in New York. The online version will once again be available to viewers across the U.S. via the Elevent streaming platform from November 8–17.
This year’s festival will feature films exploring Baltic connections to other cultures as well as the many worlds that exist within Baltic societies; the full festival lineup will be announced in late September.
Early Bird Passes are on sale now through August 31. Check the link in bio to get yours today and join us this fall to see the word through Baltic eyes! 🇱🇹🇱🇻🇪🇪
On Thursdays and Saturdays, our Children's Center is open to members and the public! There will be two 2-hour play sessions per day: Play Session I: 10 AM-12 PM
and Play Session II: 2:30 PM-4:30 PM. Learn more here:
Young children have fun while learning about the culture of Scandinavia through books, toys, art workshops, and interactive programs.
Read and discuss Scandinavian literature in translation as part of our Nordic Book Club. Each month we select a novel from some of the best Nordic literary voices. Discussions typically take place the last Tuesday of the month in the Halldór Laxness Library at Scandinavia House and online in our Goodreads group during the last week of the month.
Book club returns on September 10 with a discussion of 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 by Kristín Svava Tómasdóttir, then continues through October with discussions of Fine Gråbøl's 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮 and Antti Tuomainen's 𝘙𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 Book Series. Learn more at: https://www.scandinaviahouse.org/series/literary-series/nordic-book-club/
With recent hits like FALLEN LEAVES and GIRL PICTURE, Finnish cinema has been something to keep up with! See our past webinar on gender and equality within the Finnish film industry with directors, researchers and industry professionals from both Finland and the U.S.
Watch:
See a special webinar on gender and equality within the Finnish film industry with directors, researchers and industry professionals from both Finland and th...
See a virtual studio visit with Norwegian artist Ole Brodersen! Brodersen’s photographic practice focuses on landscapes and how they are affected by the forces of nature. A 12th-generation native of Lyngør — a car-free island off the coast of southeastern Norway — Ole's heritage and experiences are deeply entangled with the sea. Watch:
Premiering on Tuesday at 2 PM, see a virtual studio visit with Norwegian artist Ole Brodersen! Brodersen’s photographic practice focuses on landscapes and ho...
Keyboard Conversations® with internationally acclaimed pianist Jeffrey Siegel returns to Scandinavia House this fall! Each evening is comprised of informal commentary on the music and its composers, a full performance of each work, and a short Q&A session.
Upcoming performances will feature compositions by Beethoven, Schubert, Grieg, Rachmaninoff, Debussy, Chopin and others! The accessible format of Siegel’s programs welcomes the newcomer and seasoned listener of classical music alike.
For more info, see the link in bio! 🎹🎼
The summer is still sizzling! Cool off with a cocktail or "Solero" (a Swedish tropical dessert) at Björk Cafe & Bistro at Scandinavia House! Located on our ground-floor space, there are afterwork specials Tuesday through Friday, 3-6 pm!
Join us for beloved Scandinavian classics, American favorites with a Nordic twist, and seasonal specials at Björk at Scandinavia House.
Scandinavia House art programming is accessible to everyone! Check out our virtual studio visits and exhibition tours below!
Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America is the leading center for Nordic culture in the United States. It offers a wide range of programs that illuminate the culture and vitality of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Scandinavia House offerings include diverse exhibitions and fil...
Back to school season is right around the corner! Surprise your little one or favorite teacher with a gift from The Shop at Scandinavia House! Our Nordic lifestyle shop features a curated and rotating collection of accessories, children’s books, gifts and iconic candy. From the recognizable classics and renowned brand names to emerging artists, a journey through Scandinavia awaits!
The Shop at Scandinavia House offers a range of contemporary and classic modern Nordic design, including fashion, accessories and more.
Take part in fun children's crafts online! On our website and youtube channel, find plenty of crafts and read alouds to keep the little ones busy during those hot, summer days!
The Heimbold Family Children’s Playing and Learning Center integrates the best of Scandinavian design while emphasizing early childhood sensory perception. Admission is open to ASF Family Members for children ages 1 through 5 (parent or caregiver must be present) during two daily sessions from Tue...
ASF’s magazine, Scandinavian Review, covers all aspects of life in contemporary Scandinavia with emphasis on areas in which Scandinavian achievement is renowned. A subscription to the full magazine is included as a benefit for ASF members, who receive print copies as well as digital subscriptions. But you can also read select articles from each issue online at ASF’s website. This week, we are reading “The Art of Gustaf Tenggren”, published in Summer 2017, about the Swedish-American illustrator and his wonderful world of fantasy literature. Check it out at the link in bio! 📰🎨🇸🇪
Need a summer activity that the whole family will enjoy? Check out our premier indoor learning and play space in New York at the Heimbold Family Children’s Playing and Learning Center! This space integrates the best of Scandinavian design while emphasizing early childhood sensory perception. This magical interior landscape transports children from Park Avenue all the way to Scandinavia and back again, without the need for an airplane ticket!
Learn more:
Young children have fun while learning about the culture of Scandinavia through books, toys, art workshops, and interactive programs.
See the grand opening of the new Far Rockaway Library, designed by Norwegian-American architecture firm Snøhetta! The new 18,000-square-foot library doubles the area of the original building and features a circulation and information center, meeting rooms, a business center, plus individual children, teen, and adult sections. Serving as a community gathering place and resource for knowledge, the library symbolizes resilience and provides a platform for shaping Far Rockaway’s future.
The grand opening will feature a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:30 AM with the library opening to the public at 1 PM. For more information on Tuesday's event, visit https://www.queenslibrary.org/node/far-rockaway-staff
Enjoy a summer post-work cocktail at Björk Cafe & Bistro at Scandinavia House! Located on our ground-floor space and operated by renowned chef Ulrika Bengtsson and Sabina Lindmark, Björk features beloved Scandinavian classics, American favorites with a Nordic twist, and seasonal favorites.
Join us for beloved Scandinavian classics, American favorites with a Nordic twist, and seasonal specials at Björk at Scandinavia House.
Meet Michael Monzon. An ASF American Fellow, Michael recently spent a year at Umeå University researching the impact of climate change on insect biodiversity in northern Sweden. Now, he’s analyzing the data he collected abroad at Rutgers University’s School of Graduate Studies, where he is pursuing his MS in the school’s Entomology Program. “The support I have received as an ASF Fellow has allowed me to truly expand my horizons,” he says.
At Umeå’s Environmental Archaeology Lab, Michael’s fieldwork consisted of three discrete stages: a study involving the extraction of peat core from an inland subarctic lake; a survey of ground insects at the Arctic Research Station in Abisko, Sweden; and a survey involving blowflies, which are used in forensic science to study decomposition timelines.
ASF’s award program for study and research abroad has been the Foundation’s most long-standing commitment to educational exchange. During the past 100 years, over 4,000 fellowships and grants have been given to Americans in the Nordic region (Denmark, Greenland, Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sápmi, and Sweden) and Scandinavians in the US engaged in study, research, or creative arts projects. In 2024, 24 American Fellows were granted over $269,705 in total funding.
For more information about applying to ASF’s Fellowships for Americans in the Nordic Countries, head to https://www.amscan.org/fellowships-grants/grants-and-awards-for-americans/
Tomorrow is the kick-off the Summer olympics! An iconic event that celebrates the sharing of global cultures, much like our own mission! Who will you be cheering for? Which sport are you most excited to watch? We will, of course, be rooting for the U.S. and the Nordic countries!
In case you missed it, watch a recording of last month’s lecture on the state of Faroese contemporary art with Dagmar Malena Winther, Acting Director of the National Gallery of the Faroe Islands. Alongside the exhibition Fog Swept Cargo, Winther discussed Faroese cultural identity within the national arts landscape. Link in bio!
Did you miss “Fog Swept Islands: Faroe Islands Culture Days” a major celebration of the North Atlantic archipelago? While you are enjoying a lazy summer day, check out some of our recorded programs exploring the contemporary Faroese arts for this exhibition.
See recorded events from the April/May 2024 series "Fog Swept Islands: Faroe Islands Culture Days" at Scandinavia House.
The Heimbold Children’s Center is one of Scandinavia House’s most beloved institutions. Since its opening in October 2000, the Center has enriched the lives of countless young New Yorkers through Nordic-style play-based learning. Read more about this special place and its unique pedagogy in the Spring/Summer 2020 edition of 𝘚𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 at the link in bio!
ASF’s magazine, 𝘚𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸, covers all aspects of life in contemporary Scandinavia with emphasis on areas in which Scandinavian achievement is renowned. A subscription to the full magazine is included as a benefit for ASF members, who receive print copies as well as digital subscriptions. But you can also read select articles from each issue online at ASF’s website.
Our next Nordic Book Club is on September 10 in coordination with the Taste of Iceland festival. We’ll be discussing Herostories, a work from Icelandic poet-historian Kristín Svava Tómasdóttir composed from the memoirs and biographies of 100 Icelandic midwives.
Read and discuss literature with our Nordic Book Club Online! On September 10 in Taste of Iceland, we'll be discussing HEROSTORIES.
Our Swedish classes are starting up next week! Don't miss your chance to expand your vocabulary and learn the basics! Learn more about the courses offered here: https://www.scandinaviahouse.org/upcoming/language-courses/
The American-Scandinavian Foundation is still accepting applications for its 44th annual competition for outstanding translations of poetry, fiction, drama, or literary prose written by a 20th- or 21st-century author from the Nordic region (Denmark, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Sápmi) through 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭! Four prizes will be awarded this year: the Nadia Christensen Prize, the Leif and Inger Sjöberg Prize, the Wigeland Prize, and the Inger and Jens Bruun Translation Prize supported by Scan Design Foundation. All four prize recipients receive a financial award and a commemorative bronze medallion, and will also have an excerpt of their translations published in Scandinavian Review (ASF’s illustrated journal).
To begin an application or to learn more, see the link in our bio! 🇦🇽🇩🇰🇫🇴🇫🇮🇮🇸🇬🇱🇳🇴🇸🇪
The American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF)'s eighth annual competition for Scandinavian Folk Arts & Cultural Traditions in the Upper Midwest (North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan) is accepting applications through 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏! Through these fellowships and grants, ASF extends its reach beyond New York to foster the perpetuation of Scandinavian traditional arts and skills in the Upper Midwest, while also promoting cultural exchange between the U.S. and Scandinavia.
Two kinds of awards are available: fellowships for artists and grants for public programs and community projects. All of our grants encourage both the practice of folk arts and cultures and the presentation of these arts to public audiences.
For more info or to begin an application, visit: https://www.amscan.org/fellowships-grants/grants-for-folk-arts/
Image: Wooden Ale Bowls by Gary H. Paulsen
It is already well into summertime at the Shop at Scandinavia House! The Shop has become the only and premiere destination for Scandinavian sweets in New York City's Midtown area. The familiar and classic range of sweets on offer such as luxe milk chocolate from Freia of Norway, Marabou of Sweden, and Fazer of Finland, will soon expand as treats from the Nordics continue to rise in visibility and trend-making in the US. Organically-made candy fish in sour and assorted vibrant flavors from Kolsvart of Malmo, Sweden, and NYC's own BonBon continue to swim off our shelves. And the Shop as usual has a range of design-forward kitchenware and Birch veneer trays pressed with unique and playful art reflecting Scandinavian nature and culture, and favorite products in many other categories.
Highlights this season include Nordic fashion from brands including Ritva Falla (Finland), Marimekko (Finland) and Noen (Denmark); Scandinavian home textiles and design from Finlayson and Lapuan Kankurit; the whimsical Eva flowerpots by Bjørn Wiinblad; and artisan goods including treats from award-winning Danish master chocolatier Fritz Knipschildt.
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Catch the New York premiere of the new Swedish–Georgian co-production 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨, followed by a Q&A with Guldbagge-winning director Levan Akin (𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘞𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥), this Friday at Angelika Film Center! Lia, a retired teacher, has made a promise to find out what happened to her long-lost niece, Tekla. When Lia learns from a neighbour, Achi, that Tekla might have left their Georgian homeland and be living in Turkey, Lia and Achi set off together to find her. Arriving in Istanbul, they discover a beautiful city full of connections and possibilities. But searching for someone who never intended to be found is harder than they expected—until they meet Evrim, a lawyer fighting for trans rights. As Lia and Achi weave their way through the city’s backstreets, Tekla starts to feel closer than ever. For tickets and more info, head to https://www.angelikafilmcenter.com/nyc/movies/details/crossing.
See Exodus (dir. Abbe Hassan, Sweden, 2022), a gripping new drama about the global migration crisis as seen through the eyes of a shifty smuggler and the innocent young girl he takes under his wing, on May 15! At the Istanbul international airport, Amal, a 12-year-old refugee from Syria, breaks free from the people holding her captive and collides with 40-year-old Sam, a professional human smuggler whose operation has just gone wrong. Though Sam is initially reluctant to save her, they soon find themselves speeding away from airport together in a taxi, where Sam learns of Amal’s hopes to be reunited with her sisters in Romania. As the pair join forces on a harrowing journey first by inflatable boat across the Black Sea, and on from Greece to Sweden, an unexpectedly warm friendship develops between the quick-witted young girl and her jaded traveling partner. And amid the peril of their surroundings, the journey becomes both their survival and their awakening. A warm-hearted story of survival and friendship inspired by Abbe Hassan’s experience leaving war-torn Beirut for Sweden as a child, Exodus has been hailed as a “tender thriller” (Deadline) exploring the joy of human connection amid the heartbreaking circumstances of the Syrian Refugee Crisis. Learn more: https://fb.me/e/6JUIncR7X
Through May 5, see virtual screenings of some of the best contemporary film from the Faroe Islands in “Fog-Swept Cinema”! Included in this film package is 𝘚𝘬á𝘭 (Faroe Islands/Denmark, 2021), a coming-of-age documentary about self-expression, religion, and young love. “A welcome lightness of touch” (𝘚𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘋𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘺) Twenty-one-year old Dania, who grew up in a Christian town in the Faroe Islands’ Bible belt, has just moved to Tórshavn where she is seeing Trygvi, a hip-hop artist and poet locally known as Silvurdrongur (Silver Kid). He comes from a secular family, and writes poems and texts about the shadow sides of humanity. Dania herself sings in a Christian band, but is fascinated by Trygvi’s courage to write brutally honest lyrics. As she tries to find her place in the world and understand herself, she starts to write more personal texts, which develop into a collection of critical poems called Skál (Cheers) about the double life that she and other youths must live in their religious community: a community she does not want to abandon, but to change. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.goelevent.com/ScandinaviaHouse/Pass/Sale/FogSweptCinema.
On Wednesday, April 24, catch an Earth Day screening of 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 (dir. Laurens Pérol, Norway, 2023), a coming-of-age film about an 18-year-old musician whose environmentalist values are tested when her refusal to fly jeopardizes an audition that will make or break her career, at Scandinavia House! Like Greta Thunberg, the talented but stubborn trumpet player Trine refuses to fly. Idealism threatens the climate activist's promising musical career when she lands a last-minute audition in Oslo—1500 kilometers south of her home in Northern Norway. Rather than abandon her morals, Trine decides to hitchhike her way to the capital. 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 is an unlikely road movie about passion, righteousness and youth, and a tender exploration of what it means to listen to ourselves. 🌎🎺🚘 Buy tickets at https://www.goelevent.com/ScandinaviaHouse/e/Practice.
In celebration of the opening of Fog Swept Cargo, an exhibition on view in coordination with Faroe Island Culture Days, join us on April 13 for a presentation of 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵, a new documentary exploring the life and work of contemporary Faroese artist Sigrun Gunnarsdóttir. The screening will be followed by a film panel and Q&A with directors Marianna Mørkøre & Beinta á Torkilsheyggi and producers Jón Hammer & Rógvi Rasmussen! One of the most important contemporary painters on the Faroe Islands, Sigrun Gunnarsdóttir and the colorful simplicity of her style have resonated with the art world, resulting in local and international recognition. With an aesthetically pleasing and carefully composed imagery inspired by Sigrun’s own approach, Mørkøre and Torkilsheyggi’s documentary delves into the artist’s vision, her life journey, personal challenges and quirks. Ticket prices for this event also include the Artist Panel at 1 PM. Get yours here: https://www.scandinaviahouse.org/event/heartist-screening-director-producer-talk/. 🩷🎨🎬🇫
"Intimate camerawork, inventive in its use of available light, reactive in its continual focus adjustments, mirrors the improvisational quality of the music" (𝘚𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘋𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘺). See 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘗𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘴 on Monday, March 25 at Scandinavia House! Shooting in the time-honored improvisational mode of “letting the tape roll”, this new Danish documentary is as improvisational as the artmaking process it sheds light on. Moving between hallowed recording spaces of the experimental music world in New York, Copenhagen, and Lugano, the film includes interviews with fixtures of the scene like jazz saxophonist Mark Turner, double bassist Thomas Morgan, avant-garde jazz drummers Joey Baron and Andrew Cyrille, trumpet player Palle Mikkelborg and many more. For tickets and more info, visit https://www.scandinaviahouse.org/sh/films/music-for-black-pigeons/ 🎷🎬🥁🎟🍿
Easter is in full swing at the Shop at Scandinavia House! Celebrate the season with luxurious Nordic chocolates, hand-painted Easter eggs, and whimsical Bjørn Wiinblad Eva vases. And also browse your favorite Scandinavian-designed and produced home accessories: organic throws; kitchen and table linens; pillows, birch trays, and more! Holiday specials include artisan chocolates from House of Knipschildt (@fritzknipschildt), the studio of award-winning master chocolatier Fritz Knipschildt, whose career began at age 13 in Odense and has since spanned Copenhagen to the French Alps. Fashion highlights include garments from Ritva Falla, Noen, and Marimekko. Other new arrivals include items from Lapuan Kankurit of Finland, Spira of Sweden, and Koustrup of Denmark! ASF members receive 15 percent off year-round. For more info and shop hours, visit https://www.scandinaviahouse.org/shop!
Don't miss 100 Seasons this Tuesday at Scandinavia House! Inspired by 30-year-old video diaries of his first love affair, Swedish director Giovanni Bucchieri's 100 Seasons blends fiction and real footage to explore a passionate relationship between two artists who saw each other as soulmates, in an inspiring and heartfelt film about dreams, failure and enduring love.
There's just one week left until we kick off the 2024 Sámi Film Festival with director Katja Gauriloff’s critically acclaimed feature film Je'Vida! Presented in coordination with the National Nordic Museum, this year’s program will include in-person screenings on Friday, February 9 and Saturday, February 10 and virtual screenings from February 8 through 11. Je’vida is a reserved old woman who, after her sister’s death, returns to her childhood home in Lapland with her niece, Sanna, to empty the house before it is to be torn down. Upon finding the traditional headdress of an indigenous Skolt Sámi wife, a šaamšiǩ, the house starts to speak to her, and Je’vida's suppressed memories begin to return.
Danish epic The Promised Land, recently shortlisted for the 2024 Academy Award for Best International Feature, returns to Scandinavia House on Sunday, January 14! In 18th-century Denmark, Captain Ludvig Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen) — a proud, ambitious, but impoverished war hero — sets out to tame a vast, uninhabitable land on which seemingly nothing can grow. He seeks to start farming crops, build a colony in the name of the King, and gain a noble title for himself. This beautiful but forbidding area also happens to be under the rule of the merciless Frederik De Schinkel, a preening nobleman who realizes the threat Kahlen represents to his power. Struggling against the elements and local brigands, Kahlen is joined by a couple who has fled the clutches of the rapacious De Schinkel. As this group of misfits begins to build a small community in this inhospitable place, De Schinkel swears vengeance, and the confrontation between him and Kahlen promises to be as violent and intense as these two men. An official selection at Venice International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, and others, Nikolaj Arcel's (Oscar®-nominated for A Royal Affair) sweeping film has been hailed as "the kind of ravishing, rousing epic we don’t really get much of anymore” (Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine). "Mads Mikkelsen smolders magnificently. He brings magnetic stoicism, imposing physicality and soulful introspection to a character who might have been at home in a John Ford saga"—(David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter) "End-to-end entertaining. A kind of Nordic western with old-fashioned pleasures: romance, villainy, adventure, heroism, a bloody, gripping climax, and loads of gorgeous widescreen vistas along the way"—(Taylor Antrim, Vogue) Tickets: https://www.goelevent.com/ScandinaviaHouse/e/ThePromisedLand
Holiday shopping returns this winter season to the Shop at Scandinavia House! Highlights this year include a capsule collection of Nordic designer clothing, accessories and jewelry featuring one-of-a-kind artisan works such as original beadwork, fiber art and jewelry by Roz Singer, Norwegian rosemaling boxes and candlestick holders by Rosemarie Hittmeyer, reflective-glass jewelry by Lara Knutson and canvas photo cards by Urban Karlsson. Imported Scandinavian favorites include handmade tomte and nisse, ornaments, angel chimes and candles, glögg, pepparkakor, lingonberries, fine chocolates, and more. Shoppers can also choose from many home accents of blankets, Swedish votives, candles and soaps. And for the children, the many classics of Astrid Lindgren, Elsa Beskow, Tove Jansson, and H.C. Andersen are available with related collectible characters and tableware! (Music credit: "Christmas" by Tim Taj) #holidays #holidayshopping2023 #holidayshopping #holidayshop #nordicdesign #nordic #nordicware #scandinaviandesign #scandinavianstyle #scandinavianhome #scandinavianhomedecor #nordicware #rosemaling
On December 5, join us for a screening of Songs of Earth (dir. Margreth Olin, Norway, 2023) in the Nordic & Baltic Oscar Contenders series at Scandinavia House! “A remarkable, poetic meditation” (Vox) — a stunning documentary about life, mortality, and humanity’s place within nature, Songs of Earth was made over the course of a year that director Margreth Olin spent with her elderly father in his ancestral home of Oldedalen. Olin’s father becomes our guide to the majestic fjord-carved river valley — having lived in Oldedalen for most of his 85 years, he shares his deeply felt connection to a landscape that we learn to be both bountiful and unforgiving. Executive produced by Liv Ullmann and Wim Wenders, Olin’s breathtaking footage of primordial elements — wild mountains, calving glaciers, and bustling wildlife — propels profound, existential conversations between parent and child.
It’s #givingtuesday season! During this time of charitable donations, what better way to show your commitment to American-Scandinavian Foundation’s mission to build international understanding than by donating! Since 1910, ASF has been the leading bridge of education and culture between the US and the Nordic countries. None of ASF’s work would be possible without the contributions of our members, Fellows, and donors. Please join the friends of ASF this #givingtuesday and make a gift that will ensure we have the funds necessary to continue fostering international friendship and understanding!
Our annual holiday concert is just around the corner! Join us on Sunday, December 10 at 5 PM for Scandinavian and American carols as well as a traditional Saint Lucia procession, replete with traditional gowns and glowing candles. Learn about the history of Lucia, one of the most popular holidays in Sweden, while enjoying music from members of the Swedish community in New York, led by Ingrid Kullberg-Bendz. Tickets, which are selling fast, must be purchased in advance online.
Next Thursday, November 30 at 7:30 PM, don't miss TWICE COLONIZED, a Greenlandic-Danish-Canadian contender for Best Documentary Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards! TWICE COLONIZED is a documentary profile of renowned Inuk lawyer Aaju Peter, a champion for indigenous rights. Peter was raised in Denmark, the land of her colonizers, where her parents sent her to receive a Western education when she was only a child. This traumatic separation from her home, family, and culture at a young age profoundly influenced Peter, inspiring her to devote her life to the pursuit of justice for Inuit people across Canada and Greenland. While launching an effort to establish an Indigenous Forum at the EU, Peter finds herself facing a difficult and deeply personal journey to mend her own wounds after the unexpected passing of her youngest son. Lin Alluna's incisive and necessary film “begins with a childhood lost but expands into something much much more, where specters of an individual’s past bleed into the collective horrors of the present" (The Film Verdict). Aaju Peter will present a film talk following the screening. . . . . . . . #indigenoushistory #nativeamericanheritageday #firstnations #greenland #denmark #canada #colonialism #nordicandbalticoscarcontenders #indigenouswomen #documentaryfilm #internationalcinema #filmlovers #filmstills #climatejustice #internationallaw
Join us for a screening of MY FREEDOM (dir. Ilze Kunga-Melgaile, Latvia, 2023) on Friday, December 1 at 7 PM in the Nordic & Baltic Oscar Contenders series at Scandinavia House! The series returns this year with screenings of films chosen by the Nordic & Baltic countries to compete for the Oscar nomination for the Best International Feature Film, including this year’s candidate for Latvia. Based on historical events, MY FREEDOM takes place in perestroika-era Latvia, a time when the winds of change are blowing. The freethinking and charismatic Alicija, a Latvian of Polish extraction, is blissfully married to Ilgvars, a conservatively minded professor of mathematics. Despite her husband’s concerns, Alicija becomes active in the anti-Soviet Popular Front, a movement still relegated to the underground. When her friends and peers encourage her to run for a seat in the Latvian Supreme Council, Alicija receives an anonymous letter threatening to upend her life and her marriage. Unsure of who to trust, she must consider the question: love or independence? . . . . . . . #latvianfilm #europeancinema #perestroika #latvia #cinema #filmlovers #filmstill #oscars #bestforeignfeature #selfdetermination #poland #ussr #films #cinemalovers
Back this November and December, the Nordic & Baltic Oscar Contenders series features films chosen for Oscar nominations at the 96th Annual Academy Awards. Upcoming films include include APOLONIA, APOLONIA (Danish contender for Best International Feature Film), TWICE COLONIZED (Greenlandic, Canadian + Danish nominee for Best Documentary Feature Film), MY FREEDOM (Latvian contender for Best International Feature Film) and SONG OF EARTH (Norwegian contender for Best International Feature Film). . . . . . . . #oscars2024 #foreignfilm #indiefilms #nordic #baltic #opponent #apolonia #godland #songofearth #twicecolonized #myfreedom #nycfilm #filmlovers #filmstill #scandistyle #cinephile #europeancinema #sweden #norway #denmark #iceland #finland #latvia #estonia #lithuania
"An impressively idiosyncratic, far-reaching work..." (Variety) — see Danish filmmaker Lea Glob's fascinating portrait of an artist as a young woman, Apolonia, Apolonia (Denmark/Poland, 2023), on Wednesday, November 29! Returning this November and December, the Nordic & Baltic Oscar Contenders series features films chosen for Oscar nominations at the 96th Annual Academy Awards. The director will be present for a talk about her film, which has been selected as a contender for Best Documentary Feature Film. When Lea Glob first met (and filmed) Apolonia Sokol in 2009, she appeared to be leading a storybook life. The talented young painter was born in an underground theater in Paris and grew up in an artists’ community — the ultimate bohemian existence — later studying in her 20s at the Beaux-Arts de Paris, one of the most prestigious art academies in Europe. Over the next 13 years, Glob continued to film the charismatic Apolonia, as a special bond developed between the two young women. In the resulting documentary, we see a young woman trying to find her place in the art world: one who is confident in her talent, but does not always find herself on an easy path. Apolonia soon learns that women painters have to make more sacrifices and overcome greater obstacles than their male counterparts do, a lesson that applies both herself and her longtime friend Oksana Shachko, one of the founders of the feminist action group Femen. "It may seem like an ambitious prospect for a filmmaker to take 'life' and 'art' as her stated subject, but that is precisely the feat Lea Glob has pulled off with her tender new documentary... The viewer is getting to know Apolonia deeply – and what a pleasure" (Payton McCarty-Simas, Film Inquiry) . . . . . . . #apolonia #director #filmtalk #films #cinemalovers #oscars #internationalfilm #denmark #danishfilm #france #poland #filmstill #documentaryfilm #nycfilm #womeninart #figurativepainting #artworld #painters #feministart
Join us this Saturday at 2PM for a special screening of Echoes of the Universe – The Music of Kaija Saariaho (dir. Riitta Rask, Finland 2023), a documentary honoring the late Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, followed by a Q&A with Saariaho’s family, director Riita Rask and moderated by Richard Kessler, Executive Dean of the College of Performing Arts at the New School. Echoes of the Universe is a tribute to the life and work of the beloved Finnish contemporary composer Kaija Saariaho, who passed away this summer in the fifth decade of her career. This intimate documentary traces Saariaho’s full life story, from her childhood in Helsinki, to her education at Finland’s Sibelius Academy and the Freiburg Conservatory of Music, to her esteemed career in Paris. Echoes of the Universe includes never-before-seen footage from several 2022 rehearsals of Saariaho’s masterpiece, Innocence, before its performance at the Finnish National Opera in October of that year. Innocence, the conductor’s harrowing work based on a school shooting that reverberates physically as well as sonically, premiered in summer 2021 at the Aix-en-Provence Festival to critical acclaim. In addition to Helsinki and Tampere, the documentary was filmed in Denmark’s Ebeltoft, Paris, Venice, and Barcelona. During her career, Saariaho has received 24 international awards and recognitions, including a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 2021 Venice Biennale. The New York Times has called Saariaho the most important contemporary composer of 2021. Echoes of the Universe was made to thank the composer for her impressive gifts to Finnish and international music. . . . . . . . #echoesoftheuniverse #filmtalk #film #finland #finnishfilm #documentary #france #nyc #contemporarymusic #musicdocumentary #documentary #filmlovers #filmstill #newschool #opera #kaijasaariaho #riittarask #innocence
“A gripping story about masculinity and family values” (Collider) — join us for a special screening of the Swedish social thriller Opponent (Motståndaren) with director Milad Alami on November 14! Returning this November and December, the Nordic & Baltic Oscar Contenders series features screenings of films chosen by the Nordic & Baltic countries to compete for the Oscar nomination for the Best International Feature Film, including this year’s candidate for Sweden. A film talk and Q&A with director Milad Alami will follow the screening. Opponent is an intense psychological drama about a wrestler forced to leave Iran with his family when a destructive rumor starts circulating, and a gripping story about family values. Don’t miss out on the Q&A post screening where writer Milad Alami will be present. For more information: www.scandinaviahouse.org/sh/films/opponent/
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
5th Avenue
Formerly Elisa Tucci Contemporary Art, Now El
Mosholu Avenue
Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial
Battery Place
Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art
Eastern Pkwy
Baxter St at The Camera Club of New York
Baxter Street
