Maria Blom and Kristina Humle: Debut Filmmakers On the Rise

Maria Blom has emerged as one of Sweden's brightest directors. Her debut feature Dalecarlians (Masjävlar) won three Swedish Guldbagge awards in 2004: Best Picture, Best Screenplay and Best Actress in a Leading Role (Kajsa Ernst).

The playfully derogatory title refers to people from a province in northern Sweden and carries the generic sense of "the provinces," that part of the country seemingly resistant to changes that have swept through the rest of the nation.  Returning to her roots and the province she left behind, the protagonist finds herself entangled once again in a web of family problems and tensions.  Blom creates an impressive set of characters, all with unexpected depths and surprises, and paints a provocative portrait of a family and a community.

Kristina Humle is another very talented filmmaker whose feature-length debut, Love & Happiness (Krama mig), has garnered massive acclaim in Sweden.  It is a heartfelt coming-of-age drama about first love and teenage angst, about a sensitive young woman taking her first steps into adulthood.  Humle claims it to be the kind of film she would have liked to see when she was 20.

The Swedish Film Institute has recently announced, in accordance with a December 2004 decision by the Swedish Government, a clearly stated goal of prioritizing support of women filmmakers in Sweden, both in terms of production assistance and project grants.

New Faces of Swedish Cinema
presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center
Walter Reade Theater
165 West 65th Street (Plaza Level)
New York City
April 1-7, 2005

For showtimes and more information, visit the website of the Film Society at Lincoln Center.

The film series is presented in collaboration with the Swedish Film Institute in Stockholm and with support from the Consulate General of Sweden in New York.

Photo: Dalecarlians, courtesy of the Swedish Film Institute