SWEDISH FILM NO.1/08 BERLIN PREMIERES:HEAVEN’S HEART LEO CIAO BELLA SPENDING THE NIGHT TOMMY MY UNCLE LOVED THE COLOUR YELLOW www.swedishfi lm.orgXX XX XX SWEDISH FILM NO. 1 2008 FOREWORD A NEW SPRING FOR SWEDISH FILM Director International Pia Lundberg On one of last summer’s sunniest days we received the news that Ingmar Bergman Department Phone +46 70 692 79 80 pia.lundberg@sfi .se had passed away at his home on Fårö at the age of 89. The stream of condolences that Festivals, features Gunnar Almér poured in from all over the world reminded us Swedes just how great Bergman truly was. Im- Phone +46 70 640 46 56 gunnar.almer@sfi .se mediately the question was being asked as to who would inherit Bergman’s mantle. The answer Features, special Petter Mattsson projects Phone +46 70 607 11 34 is nobody. Or lots of people. Because in the new Swedish fi lms that are emerging, one can de- petter.mattsson@sfi .se tect a strong measure of personal expression and the re-emergence of the auteur tradition. Festivals, Sara Yamashita Rüster documentaries Phone +46 76 117 26 78 An impressive year of Swedish fi lms awaits us. Many of our most successful, award- sara.ruster@sfi .se winning and internationally-acclaimed directors will be presenting new fi lms this year. They Festivals, short fi lms Andreas Fock Phone +46 70 519 59 66 include Lukas Moodysson (Show Me Love, Together, Lilya 4-ever) whose fi rst major interna- andreas.fock@sfi .se tional collaboration, Mammoth, will star Gael Garcia Bernal and Michelle Williams in the Press Offi cer Jan Göransson Phone +46 70 603 03 62 leading roles. We also have Jan Troell (The Emigrants, As White as in Snow) in a long-awaited jan.goransson@sfi .se comeback with the Swedish-Danish co-production Maria Larsson’s Everlasting Moment. Swedish Film Institute When Pia Lundberg joined us last year as the new head of the International depart- International Department P.O. Box 27126 ment at the Swedish Film Institute, we set as our goal to have Swedish fi lms at the festivals in SE-102 52 Stockholm Berlin, Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Clermont-Ferrand and Amsterdam (IDFA). We achieved that Sweden Phone +46 8 665 11 00 goal straight away! And this year’s prospects look even better. 2008 has begun strongly, with Fax +46 8 666 36 98 Swedish fi lms at Sundance and in Rotterdam. www.sfi .se All about Swedish Film In Berlin, we are delighted to present no fewer than six fi lms. In Heaven’s Heart, www.swedishfi lm.org Simon Staho has gathered together some of Sweden’s leading stars, including Mikael Pers- brandt and celebrated Bergman actress Lena Endre. Josef Fares (Kops, Jalla! Jalla!, Zozo) SWEDISH FILM NO.1 2008 returns with Leo, a violent fi lm about revenge. And as usual, Sweden is represented in the section for children and young people, this year by Mani Maserrat-Agah’s highly-acclaimed Issued by The Swedish Film Institute Publisher Pia Lundberg Ciao Bella, with its screenplay by Jens Jonsson. Editors Mattias Dahlström And so to the original short fi lms: Spending the Night by Amanda Adolfsson, Tommy Elin Larsson Design Jesper Örtegren by Tora Mårtens and Mats Olof Olsson’s My Uncle Loved the Colour Yellow. Contributing Editors Anders Dahlbom Henrik Emilson We look forward to meeting you in Berlin to talk about Swedish fi lms. Martin Frostberg Emma Gray Munthe Jan Lumholdt Lisa Norrevik Hynek Pallas Karin Svensson Cover photo Mikael Persbrandt by Knut Koivisto Photography Knut Koivisto Leif Erik Nygårds Translation Derek Jones Print Fagerblads Print & Packaging Saltängsvägen 18 721 32 Västerås The Swedish Film Institute’s aims include the promotion, support and develoment of Swedish fi lms, CISSI ELWIN the allocation of grants, and the CEO, SWEDISH FILM INSTITUTE promotion of Swedish cinema internationally. (www.sfi .se) ISSN 1654-0050 SWEDISH FILM NO. 1 2008 N° I/ MMVIII SWEDISH FILM NO. 1 2008 CONTENTS 8 Arn – The Knight Templar Sofi a Helin about playing the lead female part in the biggest Swedish production so far. 10 News The latest news from the Swedish fi lm industry 12 5 Talents to Watch The future of Swedish cinema. 14 The King of Ping Pong His fi rst feature fi lm just picked up two awards in Sundance. The future looks bright for short fi lm maestro Jens Jonsson. 18 Heaven’s Heart Is three really the magic number? Yes, if you ask cover star Mikael Persbrandt, Sweden’s biggest national fi lm star. Back in front of Danish director Simon Staho’s camera for the third time. 24 The Guldbagge Awards And the winner is… A quick report from the Swedish National Film Award. 26 Four Wives - One Man A documentary about a very special and large family told by award-winning director Nahid Persson. 28 Let the Right One in A bite to remember - director Tomas Alfredson and writer John Ajvide Lindqvist in a conversation about the chilling vampire- drama Let the Right One in. 34 Spending the Night Young hearts run free? Short fi lm director Amanda Adolfsson tells a story about teen sexuality. 36 Leo Boy becomes man. He’s turned 30, but Josef Fares will forever be the golden boy of Swedish fi lm. Now he’s back with Leo – a dark thriller about masculinity and violence. 40 Downloading Nancy Johan Renck has taken a break from making music videos for the likes of Madonna and Kylie Minogue to fi nish his debut feature. A dark love story about an unhappy woman and the man she has hired to kill her. 42 Ciao Bella With the youth football tournament Gothia Cup as a backdrop Mani Maserrat-Agah tells a story of identity and young love. 45 New Films Loads and loads of fresh Swedish fi lms. No less than 28 of them. SWEDISH FILM NO. 1 2008 THE SLIGHTEST TWITCH TELLS A STORY — P. 18 SWEDISH FILM KINGSOFIA OF HELIN PING PONG NO. 1 2008 WordsPhotography ANDERS JOHANMAGNUS DAHLBOM BERGMARK LAUPA JENS12—138—9 JONSSON Looking forward to Arn Sofi a Helin as Cecilia Algotsdotter in Arn – The Knight Templar. SWEDISH FILM ARN - THE KNIGHT TEMPLAR NO. 1 2008 Words KARIN SVENSSON Since it’s premiere over 800,000 Swedes have seen Arn – The Knight Templar, Sweden’s biggest movie production. Now the time has come for the international fi lm audience. Sofi a Helin plays the female lead. And she seems to be pretty cool about it. FACTS AND FIGURES: Sofi a Helin This winter there hardly seemed to be a mag- Director Maria Blom has said she likes work- azine in Sweden that didn’t have Sofi a Helin’s ing with you because you stick up for what you FULL NAME: Sofi a Margareta face on the cover. One of them went so far as believe, whereas many actors are simply eager Götschenhjelm Helin to proclaim her “Sweden’s new Greta Garbo”. to please. Did you have to stick up for yourself BORN: “That was nice, but it’s just their opinion,” she much during the shooting of Arn? 25 April 1972 coolly observes. “I tried as best I could to make Cecilia a more LIVES: Dressed in black, her shoulder-length hair active person. Fortunately, that’s what the di- in Stockholm is a somewhat more sober shade of blonde than rector wanted, too, so we were on the same MOST RECENT FAVOURITE FILM: The Lives of Others the fl owing golden locks of her latest fi lm char- wavelength. It meant I didn’t need to argue too acter, Cecilia Algotsdotter. In fact, Sofi a Helin’s much! It’s a fi lm with so many male characters, FILMOGRAPHY: At Point Blank (Rånarna) (2003), entire approach to the screen phenomenon she and I tried to make her a decisive person with Four Shades of Brown (2004), Dalecarlians (2004), suddenly fi nds herself is a rather sober one. her own story to tell.” Blood Brothers (Blodsbröder) (2005), In the space of a few short years she’s be- Sökarna - Återkomsten (2006), Nina Frisk (2007). come one of Sweden’s most in-demand actress- What’s the main difference between women’s es. In 2004 Helin played a victim of incest in lives then and now, do you think? CURRENTLY: Features in the leading female Four Shades of Brown (Fyra nyanser av brunt), “The fact that we have the right to determine role in Arn – The Knight Templar and Arn - The Kingdom at the and a city girl returning to her country roots in our own lives today, the right to be political be- End of the Road. Dalecarlians (Masjävlar), the two most highly ings. But you might well ask yourself: Is it free- acclaimed fi lms of that year. Now aged 35, So- dom to live in a world in which love has been fi a Helin has been living out the typical girl’s commercialised? Is it freedom to be constantly princess fantasy as Arn Magnusson’s beloved seeking for the perfect love? I’m not so sure.” Cecilia Algotsdotter in the epic fi lm Arn – The Knight Templar (Arn – Tempelriddaren). Shot in Are there enough good parts for women in Sweden, Morocco and Scotland, the screen ver- Swedish fi lms? sion of Jan Guillou’s medieval tales represents “Personally I can’t complain, I’ve had more Sweden’s biggest-budget fi lm project of all time. than my fair share of different types of wom- “I hope that people who watch the fi lm will en to play.