Killing Gävle
Global Cultures
•
20m
In the city of Gävle, Sweden, there is an annual fight between local custodians and mischievous pagans for the spirit of Christmas. Each year since 1966, local business owners have paid for a 40ft straw goat to be made and displayed in the main square for the Holiday season. In 37 of those years, the goat has been burned down or damaged by shadowy outsiders. These goat-burners are pagans who see the giant statue as an accidental effigy to the ancient Norse gods, which must be sacrificed before the end of the year to ensure the return of the sun. In this film, residents from both sides of the goat conflict explain their hopes and motivations as Advent ticks down to Christmas...
Up Next in Global Cultures
-
The Chinese Mayor
The Chinese Mayor tells the story of the controversial Chinese Mayor of Datong, Geng Yanbo and his radical attempts at reform, demolishing 140,000 households and relocating half a million people to restore the city's ancient walls. Believing that clean economic growth from tourism and culture wil...
-
Japan: Story Of Love And Hate
Naoki, 56, lived a life of luxury in Japan's bubble economy days. But when Japan's economy crashed in the early 1990s he lost everything, ending up divorced and penniless. He was saved from homelessness by his new girlfriend, 29-year-old Yoshie, who took him in despite living in a tiny one-room a...
-
Pink Saris
Sampat Pal Devi had had enough of the violence and lack of freedom in Indian women's lives and decided to take matters into her own hands. She gathered like-minded women together and, wearing pink, they started storming the offices of corrupt officials, hectoring and beating abusive husbands and ...
