Cinema in the old fire station

From Pippi Longstocking to Ronja the Robber's Daughter and Michel from Lönneberga: no other name is as inextricably linked with so many fascinating children's books as that of Astrid Lindgren. Her stories have shaped the childhoods of millions of people around the world. In addition, the "Swede of the Century" and Peace Prize winner of the German Book Trade campaigned tirelessly for children's rights. Her own childhood, however, ended early when Astrid became pregnant out of wedlock at the age of 18 - a scandal in Sweden in the 1920s. The film sensitively tells the story of how the young Astrid finds the courage to overcome the hostility of her environment and lead a free, self-determined life as a modern woman. ASTRID also traces how these experiences shaped the author's later works and commitment. The film was directed by multiple Berlinale award-winner Pernille Fischer Christensen, who wrote the screenplay together with children's book author Kim Fupz Aakeson: "My film about Astrid Lindgren's youth is a personal homage to one of Scandinavia's greatest artists. A declaration of love to a woman whose strong personality shattered the prevailing norms of gender and religion in her society."