Swedish film in focus - Sweden.se

Facts about sweden | SwediSh film www.sweden.se
Lisa Ohlin’s Simon and the Oaks (Simon och ekarna, 2011) starring Helen Sjöholm and Jonatan S. Wächter.
Film:
Swedish film in focus
Swedish cinema is known for its intensely personal meditations on the human condition, but the
question has always been how to move from art house into the mainstream. Now a new generation
of Swedish directors are making their mark with everything from feature-length productions to
shorts and documentaries.
Tomas Alfredson directed the screen
version of John le Carré’s Tinker Tailor
Soldier Spy (2011). His vampire drama
Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte
komma in, 2008) won the prize for Best
Narrative Feature at the Tribeca Film
Festival in New York in 2008.
Pernilla August was an acclaimed
actress before making her debut as a
director of Beyond (Svinalängorna,
2010), a drama about a mother and
daughter set in a poor neighborhood.
It has won several awards at festivals
around the world.
Patrik Eklund, one of Sweden’s leading
short-film directors, stuck to comedy for
his first feature film Flicker (Flimmer,
2012). Eklund’s Seeds of the Fall (Slitage,
2009) won the Canal+ Award for Best
Short Film at Cannes in 2009 and he
received an Oscar nomination for
another short film, Instead of Abracadabra
(Istället för Abrakadabra) in 2010.
Daniel Espinosa’s breakthrough came
with the film version of Jens Lapidus’
crime novel Easy Money (Snabba cash,
2010). It aroused interest in Hollywood,
and Espinosa was commissioned to
direct the action thriller Safe House
(2012) with Ryan Reynolds and Denzel
Washington.
Josef Fares’ first feature film Jalla! Jalla!
(2000) is a comedy about love across cultural
boundaries. His later work includes
the police farce Kopps (2003), the semiautobiographical
movie Zozo (2005), the
revenge drama Leo (2007) and the
romantic comedy Balls (Farsan, 2010).
Lukas Moodysson’s breakthrough came
in 1998 with Show Me Love (Fucking
Åmål). Since then, he has directed a
number of films such as Together
(Tillsammans, 2000) set in a commune
in the 1970s, Lilya 4-ever (2002) about a
Russian girl forced into prostitution and
Mammoth (Mammut, 2009) with
Michelle Williams. His latest film We’re
the Best! (Vi är bäst!) is due out in 2012.
Babak Najafi’s eagerly awaited sequel
Easy Money 2 (Snabba cash 2) is due
out in 2012. Najafi has been widely
acclaimed for Sebbe (2010), about an isolated
15-year-old boy, which won the Best
First Feature Award at the 60th Berlin
International Film Festival in 2010.
Ruben Östlund’s latest film Play (2011)
is about some black boys who rob their
white middle-class peers. The controversial
film exploits each group’s prejudices
about the other. Östlund is also known
for Involuntary (De ofrivilliga, 2008), a
tragicomedy about group pressure. n
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Photo: daN lauSteN/NordiSk film

Facts about sweden | SwediSh film www.sweden.se
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SwediSh film feStivalS
there are about a dozen annual
Swedish film festivals. the
biggest are: Göteborg international
film festival (January/february);
the tempo documentary festival
(march); Buff, the international
Children and Young People’s film
festival (march); the Stockholm international
film festival (November);
and the uppsala international Short
film festival (october).
Max von Sydow in Extremely
Loud and Incredibly Close.
two oScar NomiNatioNS
the actor max von Sydow has combined
work in mainstream entertainment
with highly successful art films
for decades. at the 2012 academy
awards, he was nominated for his
role in Stephen daldry’s drama
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
(2011). he also received an oscar
nomination for his role as lassefar in
Pelle the Conqueror (1987).
GuldbaGGe awardS
the Swedish oscars, the Guldbagge
(Golden Beetle) awards,
have been presented annually since
1964. distributed by the Swedish
film institute, they are awarded in
recognition of each year’s achievements
in Swedish cinema.
aNimated filmS—
Not juSt for childreN
Sweden has many creative talents
producing both feature-length and
short animated films. Johannes
Nyholm had a recent hit on Youtube
with the trailer for Las Palmas
(2011). also known internationally
are magnus Carlsson and tarik
Saleh. Saleh’s adult-friendly cartoon
Metropia (2009) broke new ground
with a digital technique developed
by the Swedish production company
atmo media Network.
Photo: CaPital PiCtureS
/SCaNPix
funding for Swedish film
Swedish film policy is designed to support
the production, promotion and
distribution of worthwhile films, to
preserve and promote Sweden’s movie
heritage and to ensure that Swedish
film is represented internationally.
It also supports regional and local
film culture, and boosts working conditions
for female filmmakers. Filmpolicy
funds and other means of support
are allocated and administered by
Jens Assur’s drama The Last Dog in
Rwanda (Den sista hunden i Rwanda,
2005) was proclaimed Best Short Film
both at the Tribeca Film Festival in
New York and at the International
Short Film Festival in Clermont-
Ferrand, France, in 2007.
Fredrik Gertten was sued by the US
food giant Dole over his film Bananas!*
(2009) about the conflict between
Dole and the workers at the company’s
plantation in Nicaragua. The clash
between Gertten and Dole is depicted
in the director’s sequel, Big Boys Gone
Bananas!* (2011), which was screened
in the Swedish Parliament.
the Swedish Film Institute. In 2010,
contributions totaled about SEK 379
million (about EUR 42 million/USD
56 million).
Under the latest Swedish Film
Agreement, which comes into force on
January 1, 2013, Swedish cinema will
receive funding from the government,
film industry and television companies.
The agreement runs until
December 31, 2015. n
Regretters (Ångrarna, 2010) by Marcus Lindeen is about a pair of transsexuals who
regret their sex changes.
documentary makers
with a difference
Sweden continues to produce award-winning
feature-length and short documentaries.
Marcus Lindeen caused a major stir
with his documentary Regretters
(Ångrarna, 2010) about two transsexuals
who regret their sex changes.
He also co-directed Accidentes Gloriosos
(2012), which won the Venice Horizons
Award.
Nahid Persson Sarvestani’s film The
Queen and I (Drottningen och jag,
2009) is a portrait of the former Queen
and Empress of Iran, Farah Diba
Pahlavi. In her new film, Prisoners in
Hell (2012), Persson Sarvestani looks
up Iranian friends who, like her, were
forced to flee from Iran more than
30 years ago for political reasons.
Photo: atmo
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Facts about sweden | SwediSh film www.sweden.se
faceS to look out for
david dencik has had roles in
Steven Spielberg’s War Horse,
david fincher’s The Girl with the
Dragon Tattoo and tomas
alfredson’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
he also has a part in Susanne Bier’s
new film, Serena (due out in 2013).
lena endre, who was among
ingmar Bergman’s favorite actors,
has now embarked on a hollywood
career with a role in Paul thomas
anderson’s new film, The Master
(2012).
Joel Kinnaman appeared in the
much-acclaimed tV series The
Killing (2011) and also in his good
friend daniel espinosa’s first hollywood
film Safe House (2012), and
will soon be seen in the title role in
RoboCop (2013).
mikael Persbrandt, one of
Sweden’s most popular actors, had
the lead role in Susanne Bier’s
oscar-winning drama In a Better
World (hämnden, 2010). Persbrandt
also plays Beorn in Peter Jackson’s
films based on J.r.r. tolkien’s The
Hobbit.
Gustaf skarsgård was widely
praised for his perfor mance in Peter
weir’s drama The Way Back (2010)
and will play the Swedish explorer
Bengt danielsson in the Norwegian
movie Kon-Tiki (2012).
bill skarsgård is now playing a
recurring character in the tV horror
series Hemlock Grove (2012).
Alicia Vikander.
alicia Vikander landed a role in
Joe wright’s Anna Karenina (2012)
and will appear in the horror movie
The Seventh Son (2013), starring
Julianne moore and Jeff Bridges.
Photo: PoNtuS luNdahl/SCaNPix
Alexander Skarsgård has followed in his father’s, Stellan’s, footsteps, as have his two
younger brothers.
famous Swedes in hollywood
Lasse Hallström received two Oscar
nominations for My Life as a Dog (Mitt
liv som hund, 1985). In 1993, he
directed What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,
with Johnny Depp and Leonardo
DiCaprio, followed by blockbusters
such as Something To Talk About (1995),
Chocolat (2000), The Shipping News
(2001), An Unfinished Life (2005),
Casanova (2005), Dear John (2010) and
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011). In
2011, he returned home to make his first
Swedish film for more than 20 years:
The Hypnotist (Hypnotisören, 2012).
Mikael Håfström has directed a
number of commercially successful
horror films and thrillers, including
Derailed (2005), 1408 (2007) and
The Rite (Ritualen, 2011). His next film,
due out in 2013 is action thriller The
Tomb, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger
and Sylvester Stallone.
Lena Olin came to the world’s attention
in the film The Unbearable Lightness of
Being (1988). She has since worked with
directors including Ingmar Bergman,
Roman Polanski and Sydney Pollack.
She appeared in her husband Lasse Hallström’s
Chocolat and will star in his latest
thriller The Hypnotist.
Noomi Rapace played Lisbeth Salander
in the Millennium Trilogy. She has since
appeared in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of
Shadows (2011), Prometheus (2012) and
Passion (2013).
Stellan Skarsgård’s performance in
Lars von Trier’s film Breaking the Waves
(1996) captivated audiences worldwide.
Subsequently, he appeared in Good Will
Hunting (1997), King Arthur (2004),
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s
Chest (2006), Pirates of the Caribbean:
At World’s End (2007), Mamma Mia!
(2008), Thor (2011) and The Girl with
the Dragon Tattoo (2011).
Alexander Skarsgård, Stellan
Skarsgård’s son, made his acting debut
in Åke and His World (Åke och hans
värld, 1984) when he was eight years
old. Many know him for his role as a
vampire in True Blood (2008-).
His film credits include Straw Dogs
(2011), Lars von Trier’s Melancholia
(2011), and Battleship (2012).
Peter Stormare made international
breakthrough in the Coen brothers’
film Fargo (1996). Many remember
him as the scatterbrained Russian in
Armageddon (1998). He also appeared
in The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997),
Bad Company (2002), Minority
Report (2002), Constantine (2005) and
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
(2009). n
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Photo: miChael NelSoN/SCaNPix

Facts about sweden | SwediSh film www.sweden.se
learN more
factS aNd fiGureS
in 2011, Swedish cinemas sold
almost 16.4 million tickets, grossing
around Sek 1.5 billion (eur 169
million/uSd 223 million). most
Swedes (64.7 percent) prefer to
watch uS films, while 19.8 percent
favor Swedish, and 9.5 percent like
British movies best. the most popular
movie in 2011 in Sweden was
Harry Potter and the Deathly
Hallows: Part 2, with 870,000 cinemagoers.
the GraNd
maSter
ingmar Bergman
was one of
the all-time film
greats. his career
as a director
and scriptwriter
spanned almost
Ingmar Bergman.
60 years, and his work continues
to inspire and move audiences and
filmmakers alike. in 2002, Bergman
donated his archive – 45 cases
of manuscripts, notes, sketches,
photographs, and private film footage
– to the Swedish film institute.
the material is administered by the
ingmar Bergman foundation.
childreN’S movieS
the directors making Swedish films
for children and young people do
not shy away from difficult subjects.
The Ice Dragon (isdraken, 2012)
by martin högdahl and håkan
Bjerking is about 11-year-old mik
who is left with his aunt when his
alcoholic father, a hard-rock
musician, goes into rehab.
lisa Siwe’s Glowing Stars (i taket
lyser stjärnorna, 2009), based on
Johanna thydell’s award-winning
novel, is about a teenage girl torn
between taking care of her mother,
who has cancer, and her desire for
a normal life.
Published by the Swedish institute
may 2012 fS 7
more facts can be found on
www.sweden.se
Photo: aNderS wikluNd
/SCaNPix
Kidz in da Hood is about Amina who comes to Sweden, but is left to her own
devices when her grandfather dies.
must-watch Swedish films
Kidz in da Hood (Förortsungar), directors Catti Edfeldt and Ylva Gustavsson, 2006
Dalecarlians (Masjävlar), director Maria Blom, 2004
Together (Tillsammans), director Lukas Moodysson, 2000
House of Angels (Änglagård), director Colin Nutley, 1992
My Life as a Dog (Mitt liv som hund), director Lasse Hallström, 1985
Fanny and Alexander (Fanny och Alexander), director Ingmar Bergman, 1982
Package Tour (Sällskapsresan), director Lasse Åberg, 1980
A Swedish Love Story (En kärlekshistoria), director Roy Andersson, 1970
Elvira Madigan director Bo Widerberg, 1967
One Summer of Happiness (Hon dansade en sommar), director Arne Mattsson, 1951
useful links
www.buff.se international Children and Young People’s film festival
www.filmfestival.org Göteborg international film festival
www.filmiskane.se film i Skåne
www.filmivast.se film i Väst
www.filmpoolnord.se filmpool Nord
www.films.si.se discover Sweden through film
www.filmtvp.se trade organization for Swedish film producers
www.frsm.se filmregion Stockholm-mälardalen
www.ingmarbergman.se ingmar Bergman foundation
www.sf.se Sf cinemas
www.sfi.se Swedish film institute
www.shortfilmfestival.com uppsala international Short film festival
www.statensmedierad.se Swedish media Council
www.stockholmfilmfestival.se Stockholm international film festival
www.swedenfilmcommission.com Sweden film Commission
www.svt.se Swedish television (Sveriges television)
www.tempofestival.se tempo documentary festival
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