The film festival where only one person is allowed to attend

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Sweden’s 2021 Göteborg Film Festival is set to take place on a remote island – find out more details right here.

The organisers of the Swedish Göteborg Film Festival have decided to lean into the rather topical subject of social distancing this year. Not only will film entries to the festival contain the theme of isolation, but the viewing experience could be pretty lonely too… considering you’d be the only person at the film festival. That, and the fact that you’d be watching it on a remote, uninhabited island.

Sound like fun? Just to ensure that the lucky attendee abides with the principles of this social experiment, they won’t be allowed to take a phone, a computer or even a book with them. Just an island, a film fan and 60 films.

Oh, and a lighthouse to watch them in (which thankfully, is now a boutique hotel).

According to Göteborg festival artistic director Jonas Holmberg (via The Hollywood Reporter) “you have everything you need — great food, great drink, a nice bed — this isn’t about survival. But you can’t bring anything with you: no phone, no computer, not even a book, you can watch the waves and you can watch the films.”

As for the perfect applicant to be the sole attendee, Holmberg says “they have to be a film enthusiast; they have to agree to record a daily video blog about the experiment; and they have to be emotionally and psychologically suited to spend a week in this kind of isolation.”

So there you go. If you haven’t had your fill of social distancing yet, perhaps Göteborg is the festival for you. Applications to partake can be made at the festival website.

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