Amateurs

Amatörer (Amateurs), the movie, directed by Gabriela Pichler, script by Pichler+Khemiri.

• Opened the Göteborg Film Festival 2018.
• Received the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film
• European premier: International Film Festival Rotterdam, streamed to 40 European countries as part of IFFR Live.
• In competition at Tribeca Film Festival, in New York.
• Raving reviews after the Swedish premier March 17, 2018.

When the German supermarket chain Superbilly reveals plans to open a new location in Sweden, the community board of Lafors devises a scheme to convince the business to set up shop in their quaint hamlet and, hopefully, revitalize the local economy. Their idea: to make a promotional video showcasing the best their town has to offer. Hoping for a fresh—and cost-effective—solution, the board puts video production duties in the hands of a few local high school students; when they receive hilariously amateurish results, they bring in a professional to finish the job.

But teenage friends Aida and Dana have taken the challenge of broadcasting their town’s image to heart. Equipped with cell phone cameras and selfie sticks, they set out to capture their community as they see it and to give a voice to the town’s underrepresented members. With wryly observed wit and abundant compassion for her characters, director Gabriela Pichler follows up her debut Eat Sleep Die with this irresistible, charming social comedy that channels the infectious energy of her cast—a mix of professional and non-professional actors—into a multi-layered portrait of a modernizing Sweden.