One of cinema’s most revered artists, Roy Andersson has created a singular body of work, most notably with his “Living Trilogy” (Songs from the Second Floor; You, the Living; and A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence) and his recent feature About Endlessness. Utilizing a trompe-l’œil technique, a static camera, and non-professional performers (who often deliver disarming confessions directly to the camera), he constructs his films as a series of eerie, comically absurd vignettes. All of his films since the 1990s were shot in his shop, Studio 24, and their unique aesthetic was pioneered in the commercials he produced there. Andersson’s films have a haunting atmosphere, punctuated by unexpected grace notes. This programme includes two key, rarely seen early features — A Swedish Love Story and Giliap.
The Films of Roy Andersson is the first of three retrospectives in a year-long series celebrating the best of Nordic cinema and filmmakers, made possible as part of NORDIC BRIDGES 2022 in collaboration with Harbourfront Centre, Toronto. The Andersson retrospective will also stop at the Winnipeg Cinematheque (January 14-30), The Cinematheque in Vancouver (February 12- 27), and La Cinémathèque québécoise in Montreal (February 6-17).
The Films of Roy Andersson was made possible as part of Nordic Bridges 2022 in collaboration with Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, and TIFF.
Program text by Steve Gravestock, TIFF
“Andersson has earned our lasting gratitude. Few living directors beget work that carries so clear and so immediate a signature.” – Anthony Lane, The New Yorker
About Endlessness
Fri, Jan 14 / 7pm
Sun, Jan 16 / 3:30pm
Sun, Jan 23 / 4:30pm
Tue, Jan 25 / 9:45pm
Sat, Jan 29 / 7pm
A Swedish Love Story
Fri, Jan 14 / 9pm
Sat, Jan 29 / 2pm
Songs from the Second Floor
Sat, Jan 15 / 6:40pm
Sun, Jan 30 / 5:45pm
Giliap
Tue, Jan 18 / 9:10pm
Thu, Jan 20 / 9pm
Sun, Jan 30 / 2:45pm
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflection on Existence
Fri, Jan 21 / 7pm
Sat, Jan 22 / 9:10pm
Wed, Jan 26 / 7pm
Thu, Jan 27 / 9:45pm