TIFF – a celebration of art cinema in the polar night

Tromsø International Film Festival (TIFF) takes place in the crossfire between the spectacular winter nature and the energetic urban nightlife. Between November 21 and January 21 the sun disappears below the horizon and we experience the Polar Night. TIFF takes place in mid January every year, when the Polar Night makes it possible for TIFF to screen films outdoor on a snow screen in the city center.

TIFF presents an international cutting edge program consisting of 90 feature films from all around the world. In 2008 films from more than 30 countries were screened at TIFF. These are primarily independent or “arthaus” productions from the past two years, most of them Scandinavian premieres.

The festival also has a regional program, “Films from the North”, constisting of 50 shorts and documentaries from the Barents region and other circumpolar areas, including Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia and Canada.

TIFF is an important industrial and political arena, with a stimulating seminar program for various interest groups.

TIFF is Norway’s most popular film festival with 48.000 admissions in 2008, more than 8.400 persons attended this year’s festival. During the festival week all cafés, clubs and bars are crowded with people eagerly discussing film and enjoying the local Mack beer.

www.tiff.no