GÖTEBORG, SWEDEN – Earlier in January, the news that Göteborg Film Festival planned to isolate a person on a remote island spread like wildfire in both Swedish and international media. After reviewing more than 12,000 applications, the festival organisers now reveals the person selected for The Isolated Cinema on Pater Noster: a film enthusiast who over the past year has worked at the very forefront of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The public will now be able to follow her via a daily video diary during her seven days on the island.
The opportunity to be entirely isolated on Pater Noster without family, friends or mobile phone turned out to be immensely appealing. In less than two weeks, the festival committee received more than 12,000 applications from more than 45 countries. After a comprehensive process involving interviews and tests, one person has finally been selected for the coveted place. The choice was emergency nurse and film enthusiast Lisa Enroth from Skövde, Sweden. When the opportunity to apply arose and she was sure everything else would fall into place, Lisa didn’t hesitate for a second.
“My God, this is going to be so much fun! Through my work in healthcare I seem to have spent ages listening, testing and consoling. I feel like I’m drained of energy. The wind, the sea, the possibility of being part of a totally different kind of reality for a week – all this is really attractive”, comments Lisa as she sets out for Hamneskär and the lighthouse island of Pater Noster.
Lisa is immensely interested in film and as a member of the local film club in her hometown, she tries to adjust her work schedule to take in as many films as possible. She will now experience a marked contrast between her work in the hectic healthcare system and the quiet and seclusion of Pater Noster.
The psychological stress that comes with total isolation was an important concern in the selection process, and the Göteborg Film Festival organizers spent a lot of time closely reviewing the applications. The massive number of applicants meant they had to assign additional resources to complete the selection in time.
“We’re overwhelmed and really delighted by the considerable interest and the huge number of applications from all over the world. Choosing one single person out of 12,000 was not an easy task, but Lisa made a strong impression on us in her letter. The interviews and tests she subsequently undertook strengthened our impression of her as the right candidate. And in these troubled times 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,” says Mirja Wester, CEO of Göteborg Film Festival.
Audiences from all over the world are now invited to follow Lisa’s experiences via a video diary that will be published daily on the festival website during the festival week.
