Tempo is Sweden’s largest documentary festival. Since our founding in 1998, we have showcased hundreds of documentaries from around the world, presenting exciting documentary works in the forms of audio, photography, performing arts, and experimental art.
It all began when Gustaf Forsberg had an idea to create a festival that collectively presents documentary works regardless of artistic form. After Agneta Mogren and Claes Herrlander joined, it quickly went from nothing to eleven days of total success! Tempo has since become a much-anticipated tradition in the first week of March. Over seven days, we present documentary experiences in Stockholm’s cinemas, theaters, galleries, bars, clubs, and pop up in the most unexpected places.
The festival program spans from acclaimed international feature films to experimental documentary works, from pieces by international directors to emerging talents. As Sweden’s largest documentary festival, we are committed to presenting a diversity of voices and perspectives. In our curated international program, we showcase the best international documentary films—a unique opportunity to see valuable films that might not otherwise reach a Swedish audience.
A Place for Encounters
We are convinced that the documentary expression has a strong, inherent potential to serve as a unifying force in society. Documentary storytelling touches and facilitates conversations about complex issues in an intimate, reflective, and profound manner. By anchoring our documentaries in social contexts such as discussions, director visits, and events, we aim to contribute new perspectives and counteract polarization. The increasing importance of documentaries in our contemporary society is reflected in a growing number of festival attendees year after year. In 2023, we increased our audience by 45%, and now we continue to grow together with you! For documentary storytelling is more crucial than ever.
We develop the Swedish documentary industry
Tempo is a meeting place for both the audience and the industry. Through seminars, masterclasses, and workshops, we develop and stimulate the documentary industry in an innovative and artistic direction. This work has contributed to giving Swedish documentary filmmaking a strong position internationally. Many of today’s leading filmmakers began their careers with us. We are the hub of the Swedish documentary industry. Tempo Documentary Festival is a non-profit, non-partisan, and non-religious association. In addition to Tempo Documentary Festival in March, we also organize the Tiny Tempo documentary festival for children and young people every October.