The One Festival Film and Music Lovers Should Have on Their Radar This Summer
For fans of both cinema and music, summer sometimes means choosing between film festivals and music festivals, but what if you didn’t have to? Way Out West, the three-day music festival held in Gothenburg, Sweden, has a film program with screenings free for everyone with a festival ticket.
It doesn’t stop there either! The festival has a club concept, Stay Out West, that features after-hours gigs at various venues around the city. Get the chance to catch big-name artists up close, in a setting that feels totally one-of-a-kind.
Artists I would add to my Way Out West schedule
Fontaines DC, NoName, ODUMODUBLVCK, Cyamide, Kneecap, Yung Lean & Bladee, Hermanos Gulierrez, Pa Salieu, PinkPantheress, Mk.Gee, Amaarae , Deki Allen, Bambii., Little Simz, Montell Fish, Jeshi, Arp Frique & the Perpetual Singers, Venus Anon, Annie & The Caldwells, John Glacier, The Joy, Real Lies, Lola Young, Charli XCX, Waterbaby, Junior Simba, Moonchild Sanelly.
Films showing at Way Out West on my Watchlist
Leva Lite (Dir. Fanny Ovesen)
Sentimental Value (Dir. Joachim Trier)
Together (Dir. Michael Shanks)
The Ugly Stepsister (Dir. Emilie Blichfeldt)
Documentaries showing at Way Out West on my Watchlist
Legacy (Dir. Manal Masri)
The incredible, hardboppin’ story of when Scandinavia became the creative haven for black American jazz stars – told by their children who, for better or worse, still live with their fathers’ life choices.
Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story (Dir. Alison Duke)
A powerful and long-overdue portrait of Sister Nancy, the first female dancehall deejay to rise to international fame. Her iconic track “Bam Bam” has become one of the most sampled reggae songs in history—yet for decades, she saw little recognition or compensation.
You die when you're young (Dir. Pontus Hjorthén)
Set in Biskopsgården, one of Sweden’s most stigmatized urban areas, You Die When You’re Young is a powerful and deeply human documentary that follows the lives of three teenagers over four years.
Teater är den nya hiphopen (Dir. Amiin Madar)
Theater the New Hip-Hop depicts the life of Sharmarke Elmi. In a world where hip-hop has been the primary creative expression, he challenges himself and his surroundings.
Is this on your radar now?