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Mirja Wester stands in front of a Gothenburg Film Festival sign, looking into the camera.
Mirja Wester has a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and a Master's degree in Film. She has been CEO of the Gothenburg Film Festival since 2016.
Photo: Isac Lundmark
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From volunteer to festival director

As a teenager, Mirja Wester volunteered at the Gothenburg Film Festival and fell in love with the event. After studying business administration and film, she is now the festival's CEO. She is now taking the next step in her leadership journey through the Executive MBA leadership programme at the School of Business, Economics and Law.

Mirja Wester


Born: 1982 in Gothenburg

Education: Three-year course in film production at University West, bachelor's degree in business administration from the School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg, and master's degree in film from HDK-Valand.

Employments: Freelance film producer, international department at the Swedish Film Institute, accountant at a recruitment agency. Before becoming CEO of the Gothenburg Film Festival in 2016, she worked as an event producer and head of the Nordic film programme at the festival.

Fun facts: Named Honourable Citizen of Gothenburg (årets göteborgare) in 2021

Mirja's film tip on leadership: The King's Speech by Tom Hooper. "Both because it highlights leadership in various unexpected ways, and because I always love films set in historical royal environments."

Göteborg Film Festival

The Göteborg Film Festival is run as a non-profit association with the public as its members. The festival began in 1979 and runs for eleven days at the end of January and beginning of February. During the festival, about 250 films from 80 countries are shown in about 700 screenings. It is one of Sweden's largest cultural events and attracts around 270,000 visitors each year, both in the cinemas and online.