Here is what you can expect from ISFiT 2019

The newly elected ISFiT president Tyler Stewart wants to use the festival’s cultural programme and balanced debates to reach out to a broader audience, and avoid political correctness in polarizing issues.

– The two main things are that I want the festival to be both challenging and fun. We want to engage the participants and reach out to the public in Trondheim and Norway, he says.

But before we will notice ISFiTs presence in Trondheim, he wants to make sure he has elected the right team to work with.

– Before I can reach out to Trondheim, I have to recruit the board. This is not just my festival, and I’m excited to see how the rest of the team will shape it.

Does not want a politically correct festival

After a previous exchange to Svalbard, Stewart decided that he wanted to move to Norway and complete his entire degree at NTNU, and is now studying geology and natural resource management. His own experience with migrating to a different country played a part in why he chose "Migration - The Global Puzzle" as the theme for the festival.

– Migration can be polarizing and it is personal to me. My migrant experience is very different to many others. You cannot generalize.

With issues about migration dominating the news, the theme of the festival can be expected to attract a lot of attention. He wants to use this to his advantage.

– Because migration is not a challenge with only one solution, it requires open, balanced dialogue. I don’t want ISFiT to push one ideology or political agenda. I don't want political correctness to suffocate debate, he says.

– Topics like migration tend to be torn between extremes. Either you are a racist, or a part of the liberal elite. I think ISFiT can challenge the status quo and tackle this topic head on

Cultural programme can be used to reach out

Stewart believes that ISFiT needs to step outside the box to create informative debate.

– Balanced debate requires a carefully selected panel and opening up for questions from the public that might be sceptical. We have to invite people not just from each end of the extreme, but the whole spectrum of perspectives.

It is very important for Stewart that the cultural programme stays in touch with the theme of the festival.

– The cultural programme is an opportunity to engage people outside students and volunteers. If I didn’t have a theme that had that potential, I wouldn't be doing this. I want to make sure that we do not compromise the thematic aspect of the cultural programme

As of now, he has not planned which specific speakers or artists he wants to invite.

But you did mention Karpe Diem during the questioning of the candidates?

– I think they'd be excellent! They are from a migrant background talking about the challenges they face. Call me any time, Magdi and Chirag. But I also think it is important to balance local and international talent and to make a cultural programme inclusive of international participation.

Wants input from Trondheim

The new ISFiT president wants to get input from different groups in Trondheim, and he also wants to listen to the ideas of the other candidates that ran for the presidency.

– I’m keen to meet the decision makers of Trondheim, the leaders at Samfundet and NTNUs board. They're familiar with the social and political scene, and I want to know their vision for Trondheim. I think there's great potential to work together, especially by engaging organizations that deal directly with migration.

He was pleased with the questioning of the candidates Wednesday evening, and believes that many important topics were brought up. The candidates were made to wear headphones with music when each of the other candidates answered the questions.

– The sound guys have a reputation for playing terrible music over the headphones, but yesterday they were rocking Tame Impala, one of my favourite Australian bands, he notes.