Nordisk Panorama 2026: A Place in the Ring (dir. Anne Svejgård Lund) | Review

Read this article in French.

In A Place in the Ring, Danish director Anne Svejgård Lund offers a beautiful portrait of Katja Schumann, a major figure in traditional circus. Heir to the Schumann family’s centuries-old equestrian tradition, Katja has performed from a very young age, first across Europe and later in the United States, before retiring a few years ago. As the only descendant still keeping this art form alive, she now questions her ability to pass this precious legacy on to future generations.

“Horses are still considered magical animals to many people. In the front row, you can feel the gusts of air when the horses run past. Their snorts and the rustling, it really moves people. And I want to give them that experience. So, I feel an obligation to keep doing it.”

The film, presented at Nordisk Panorama 2026 in the Best Nordic Documentary competition, captures and conveys with great sensitivity the challenges facing its protagonist, inviting us to accompany her as she works through these questions. Visually, the film unfolds through direct cinema scenes, at times delicately enhanced by Katja’s narration, alongside archival footage of her performances.

Katja attempts to train a young apprentice, but finds herself confronted with the difficulties of teaching her craft to someone who did not grow up within this world. Anne Svejgård Lund’s camera follows her to Florida and Switzerland, where she visits former colleagues who are now passing their knowledge on to young students, helping her find her own way towards a more pedagogical approach.

Katja’s story teaches us that it is ultimately passion and wonder—two universal emotional states—that open the way for knowledge and traditions to be passed from one generation to the next.

The 37th edition of Nordisk Panorama is running on September 17-22, 2026, in Malmö, Sweden.