Göteborg Film Festival launches original experiment

In an edition focused on the representation and manipulation of truth in cinema and contemporary society, the Göteborg Film Festival (January 23–February 1) is launching an original experiment: voluntary truth tests for the public, complete with a dedicated room and a polygraph expert. Anyone who is found to be truthful after a 10-minute series of questions will receive a free ticket to a screening.

With the introduction of “Truth Tickets” (which exist alongside regular ticket sales), “at the Göteborg Film Festival this year, we are turning truth into an alternative currency,” the festival explains on its official website, CE Report quotes ANSA.

“Truth is a democratic currency,” the statement adds, “one to which we all have equal access. But are you willing to pay the price?”

Those who wish to take part can choose from several days and time slots and may also book their test in advance. A “Truth Ticket” can be used to access regular festival screenings, subject to availability. Participants enter a specially designed interrogation room and undergo a test conducted by a polygraph specialist, whose name is also announced: Örjan Hesjedal, who will evaluate the results.

“Those who pass the test receive a Truth Ticket; those who fail receive nothing,” the festival specifies.

“We live in an era in which the very idea of truth is under severe pressure, where the boundaries between reality and fiction are often blurred—in news reporting, on social media, and in political rhetoric,” said Pia Lundberg, artistic director of the Göteborg Film Festival.

With its focus on truth, alongside the other sections of this 49th edition, “we want to explore how cinema can reflect and influence our understanding of reality,” she added. In today’s cinematic culture, “the boundary between reality and fiction continues to be questioned through true-crime narratives, autofiction, and metacinema, where filmmakers analyze their own stories. At the same time, artificial intelligence is raising new questions about authenticity, and politically engaged filmmakers are using truth as a weapon in the fight for justice.”

As reported by CE Report, the focus section features four films exploring these themes: The Voice of Hind Rajab by Kaouther Ben Hania; the political satire No Comment by Petter Næss; The Disappearance of Josef Mengele by Kirill Serebrennikov; and Re-Creation by Jim Sheridan.