Director and writer Jesper Ganslandt (b. 1978) has since his dynamic debut work, the much acclaimed Falkenberg Farewell (2006), established himself as one of the most fearless voices in Scandinavian filmmaking.
Falkenberg Farewell was nominated for the prestigious Nordic Council’s Film Prize, chosen as Sweden’s submission for the Academy Awards, and nominated in several categories at the 2007 Guldbagge Awards, including ‘Best Film’, ‘Best Direction’ and ‘Best Screenplay’.
2009 saw the premiere of his second feature, The Ape, which received great reviews, among else in The Guardian where he was declared “a new star director.” In 2018, Ganslandt opened the International Film Festival Rotterdam with Jimmie, a cutting-edge film that shows his unique, psychologically intense and experimental style. Jimmie, which tells the tale of a young refugee boy on the run with his father, was lauded by the press and nominated for ‘Best Nordic Film’ at the Gothenburg Film Festival. 2018 also marked the release of Ganslandt’s first English-language feature film Beast of Burden starring Daniel Radcliffe.
Ganslandt recently finished shooting the drama 438 Days, an extraordinary true story about two Swedish journalists who illegally crossed the border between Somalia and Ethiopia. 438 Days is based on the award-winning novel of the same name by Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye, and will premiere in 2019.
Awards
Gothenburg Film Festival Nominee (Best Nordic Film) Sweden – Jimmie 2018
Warsaw International Film Festival Nominee (Grand Prix) Poland – Blondie 2012
Miami Film Festival Nominee (Grand Jury Prize) US – Apan 2010
Venice Film Festival Nominee (Queer Lion) Italy – Apan 2009
Nordic Council’s Film Prize Nominee – Farväl Falkenberg 2007
Guldbagge Awards Nominee (Best Film) Sweden – Farväl Falkenberg 2007
Guldbagge Awards Nominee (Best Direction) Sweden – Farväl Falkenberg 2007
Guldbagge Awards Nominee (Best Screenplay) Sweden – Farväl Falkenberg 2007
Noordelijk Film Festival (Matad’Or) Netherlands – Farväl Falkenberg 2007
IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival (FIPRESCI Award) Portugal – Farväl Falkenberg 2007
Bratislava International Film Festival Nominee (Grand Prix) Slovakia – Farväl Falkenberg 2006
Athens International Film Festival (Golden Athena Award) Greece – Farväl Falkenberg 2006
Salomonsson Agency (Sweden)
TorinoFilmLab (Italy)
