21/01/2020 - The sci-fi epic Aniara has scooped four gongs, with a low yield for main contenders Roy Andersson and Mikael Håfström

Producers Ketie Danelia and Mathilde Dedye (second and third from left), actors Bachi Valishvili and Levan Gelbakhiani (fourth and fifth from left) and director Levan Akin (far right) picking up one of their Guldbagge Awards

In what has been called a lacklustre Swedish film year, the clearest beacon of light in 2019 was surely provided by Levan Akin (Certain People, The Circle [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) in his heartfelt tale of a forbidden romance between two male dancers in the conservative Georgian dance community, And Then We Danced [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Levan Akin
interview: Levan Gelbakhiani
film profile]. It opened in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, became Sweden’s submission for the 92nd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film and has now been sold to nearly 40 territories. The co-production between Sweden’s Mathilde Dedye and Georgia’s Ketie Danelia, with additional co-production by Julien Féret, picked up the Guldbagge Awards for Best Film, Best Lead Actor (for Levan Gelbakhiani), Best Script (Akin) and Best Cinematography (Lisabi Fridell). Last week, it was awarded the Greta, the annual award handed out by the Swedish Film Critic Association.

Another four prizes were, perhaps more surprisingly, won by Aniara [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja’s adaptation of Swedish Nobel Prize laureate Harry Martinson’s poetic science-fiction epic from 1956, which was awarded Best Director, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress (Emelie Garbers and Bianca Cruziero), plus Best Visual Effects (Andreas Wicklund, Per Jonsson and Arild Andersson).

Somewhat short-changed in the process were main contenders Mikael Håfström’s true-crime drama The Perfect Patient [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Roy Andersson’s Venice-awarded About Endlessness [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Roy Andersson
film profile]; the former did receive a predicted Best Supporting Actor Award for David Dencik in the title role, while there was never any doubt that the Andersson posse would get the Best Set Design Award, shared by Anders Hellström, Frida Ekstrand Elmström and Nicklas Nilsson.

Another successful prediction was the Best Documentary Award for Anna Eborn’s gorgeous, 16mm-shot Transnistra [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], while two 2019 festival favourites, John Skoog’s Ridge [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] and Johannes Nyholm’s Koko-di Koko-da [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Johannes Nyholm
film profile], were both entirely and curiously overlooked.

Here is the full list of winners:

Best Film
And Then We Danced [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Levan Akin
interview: Levan Gelbakhiani
film profile] - Levan Akin (Sweden/Georgia/France)

Best Director
Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja - Aniara [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Emelie Garbers - Aniara

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Levan Gelbakhiani - And Then We Danced

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Bianca Cruzeiro - Aniara

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
David Dencik - The Perfect Patient [+see also:
trailer
film profile]

Best Screenplay
Levan Akin - And Then We Danced

Best Cinematography
Lisabi Fridell - And Then We Danced

Best Editing
Erika Gonzales, Kristin Grundström, Karolina Bengtsson - Josefin & Florin

Best Costumes
Margrét Einarsdóttir - Swoon [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein
film profile]

Best Sound/Sound Design
Andreas Franck, Fredrik Dalenfjäll - 438 Days [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]

Best Make-up
AnnaCarin Lock - The Perfect Patient

Best Original Score
Nathaniel Méchaly - Swoon

Best Set Design
Anders Hellström, Frida Ekstrand Elmström, Nicklas Nilsson - About Endlessness [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Roy Andersson
film profile] (Sweden/Denmark/Norway)

Best Visual Effects
Andreas Wicklund, Per Jonsson, Arild Andersson - Aniara

Best Foreign-language Film
Parasite - Bong Joon-ho (South Korea)

Best Documentary Film
Transnistra [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Anna Eborn (Sweden/Denmark/Belgium)

Best Short Film
Excess Will Save Us - Morgane Dziurla-Petit

Best Newcomer
Emily Norling (director) – All We Own

Lifetime Achievement Award
Lasse Åberg (actor/director)

The Gullspira (for achievements in children’s film)
Christian Ryltenius (director/animator)

Guldbagge Audience Award
I'll Be Home for Christmas [+see also:
trailer
film profile] – Ella Lemhagen