Aniara, a film screened inside coffins during the Göteborg Film Festival in January this year, has generated worldwide media attention. This unconventional film experience challenged the traditional way of viewing movies and reached 500 million people through various media.

“We’re delighted with the worldwide impact of the World’s Most Claustrophobic Cinema, not least in the USA where several hundred articles have been published about the screenings. It’s great to know that articles about Gothenburg and the screenings have appeared in 140 countries. Having our completely self-produced event spotlighted by the likes of Perez Hilton, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and The Times is extremely encouraging and bodes well for the festival’s future development,” says Andreas Degerhammar, Communications Manager, Göteborg Film Festival.

During the Göteborg Film Festival, an expectant public was challenged with an extraordinary movie experience. Each viewer watched the movie in isolation while enclosed in a coffin. The unusual movie concept generated huge international media interest and was publicised on TV, radio, in newspapers and in social media. The claustrophobic screening was mentioned in over 500 articles and social media posts and shared in more than 100 countries There were frequent tweets on the launch day, and on the first day one tweet was aired every three seconds. There is no doubt about the huge interest generated by the movie experience, and all 28 screenings quickly sold out.

The partnership between the Göteborg Film Festival and Göteborg & Co’s Trade and Industry Group resulted in a larger international press following, which included The New Yorker, Variety, Cineuropa and the Telegraph.

The Göteborg Film Festival is a non-profit association. Their annual film festival runs for ten days starting in the third week of January, showing films from all over the world at cinemas around Gothenburg. This year the Göteborg Film Festival was nominated for Guldägget (The Golden Egg Award), The One Show and The Webby Awards. See more information here about the Göteborg Film Festival.