Scandinavia's biggest film festival is offering spectators the opportunity to watch shows under the influence of hypnosis.
People spend 20 minutes in the "hypnotic cinema" of the Gothenburg Film Festival in Sweden before watching "Land of Dreams" by Iranian-American director Shirin Neshat.
The session takes place under the supervision of hypnotist Fredrik Praesto and sensations have been reported ranging from increased concentration to a state of confusion.
The hypnotist starts with physical exercises. A hypnotic spiral appears on the stage which spins rapidly and the participants are instructed to close their eyes. After a count of 20 seconds, everyone opens their eyes again and the movie begins.
"We are entering a very pleasant mood," said musician Fredrik Sandsten. "It's hard to explain." "We removed all the noise and distractions and with the voice we really got into the movie," explained Jonna Blumborg, who was present at the first hypnosis.
"We designed this hypnotic cinema to experiment with how the film is viewed, to challenge our ideas of how to see a film and to see how the experience is affected when watching a different film," Jonas Holmberg, director of Gothenburg Film Festival.
