Swedish nurse wins ticket to isolated island cinema

Swedish nurse Lisa Enroth was selected from more than 12,000 applicants to have a private screening of this year's Goteborg Film Festival.

For the next week, Enroth will watch film after film on the remote island of Pater Noster in what festival organizers have dubbed "The Isolated Cinema."

The film buff will stay by herself at a former lighthouse that has been turned into a boutique hotel with enough food to last the week. The only way to access the island off Sweden's west coast is by taking a small boat or a helicopter.

The emergency ward nurse said she was looking forward to the "time to reflect and be alone" after a year of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

"In healthcare, I seem to have spent ages listening, testing and consoling. I feel like I'm drained of energy," Enroth said.

'A totally different kind of reality'

She said she was particularly drawn to "the wind, the sea, the possibility of being part of a totally different kind of reality for a week."

Enroth will be able to watch the festival's films from the cozy comfort of a cabin or on a screen set up inside the lighthouse itself — surrounded by spectacular sea views.

She will also keep a daily video diary that will appear on the festival's website.

Mirja Wester, the festival's CEO said they were surprised by the number of applicants but were drawn to Enroth for her work on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic.

"It feels particularly right to be able to give this unique experience to one of the many heroes of the healthcare system who are all working so hard against COVID-19."

Turning to movies during the pandemic

Like many other cultural events, this year's Goteborg Film Festival is largely taking place online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Besides the remote island screenings, two cinemas in the city will also allow screenings — but just for one person at a time.

The festival's artistic director said that the unique, and extreme viewing experience could help audiences reflect on how the pandemic has impacted the world's relationship with films.

"During this pandemic, so many people have turned to cinema when in isolation,'' he said. "But the pandemic has also changed how we experience films.''

This year's Goteborg Film Festival, one of the largest in Scandinavia, runs from January 29 through February 8.

Sweden has implemented tougher restrictions in recent weeks as the country faces a stronger-than-expected second wave of the virus.

The country initially approached the pandemic with a "light touch" when the virus emerged last year, but the country's king said last month that the approach had "failed." More than 11,500 people in Sweden have died from COVID-19 so far.

rs/rc (AP, AFP, Reuters)