Cinema for me is…
Agnes in 11 frames
1. What film made you fall in love with cinema?
The first film that made me fall in love with cinema was probably The Imitation Game (Morten Tyldum, US, 2014). I remember how the whole experience of seeing it at the cinema with my parents really impacted me and the emotions stayed with me for a long time.
2. What are the 3 best European films you have seen in the last year?
It’s hard to pick out only three but :
Aftersun (Charlotte Wells, GB, 2022)
Triangle of Sadness (Ruben Östlund, SE, 2022)
The Emigrants (Erik Poppe, SE, 2021)
3. What does Europe mean to you?
Europe to me means connectivity. I think of the borders between countries in Europe to be more permeable in a sense. As much as every country is their own state with its own traditions we are all part of a bigger entity where we all learn and share our cultures.
4. In 2024, I think it is important to vote in the European elections because:
I think it’s important to vote in the European elections so that we can keep nations in Europe connected as I mentioned above. It is important to vote so that more cultural and educational exchanges can continue to create opportunities for all people living within the EU.
5. What do you like the most about your country that makes it unique?
Sweden has so many good attributes that it’s hard to just pick one thing so I believe it’s more a mixture of things. However, a perfect example of these different attributes can be symbolized by the Kebabpizza. The different cultures and customs that Sweden has come to adopt through the integration of people who have moved to Sweden have introduced so much good food and created unique fusions that are simply unbeatable.
6. Your favorite film theatre? What do you like about it?
My favourite film theatre used to be and still is The Edinburgh Filmhouse (even though it was forced to close earlier last year). The community the Filmhouse created through its festival, events and campaigns really widened my understanding of cinemas’ function and importance not only for the film industry but for the everyday cinema goer.
7. What is your dream job in the film industry?
I believe I still have all aspects of the film industry to explore but my dream job would be to write and direct my own films.
8. Which film director would you like to be?
Again, tough question and hard to only pick one but I have recently garnered a fascination for how Celine Sciamma (Tomboy, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, …) directs as well as Ruben Östlund so maybe a mix of the two?
9. Which film character do you most identify with?
It’s really hard to narrow it down to one character as I often find myself relating to certain aspects of most characters I see on screen, but perhaps Sophie from Aftersun.
10. Your favorite soundtrack or song?
There are many, but a constant favourite of mine is the soundtrack of Pawel Pawlikowski’s Cold War (PL) from 2018 where my favourite song is Dwa Serduszka.
11. If you had to live in a movie, which one would you like it to be?
Again, very hard to answer but I think it would be so cool to live in one of Wes Anderson’s cinematic worlds such as The Grand Budapest Hotel (US, 2014) or Fantastic Mr. Fox (US, 2009).
Agnes Athley is the Ambassador of Biografen Zita. Find out more about the cinema here.
