There’s a misconception about Swedish films, especially in the US. The same goes for all European films; a ‘propaganda’ made by the industry that Hollywood is the best. Yes, Hollywood is highly important, but there are many countries worldwide that have excellent cinema. One of them is Sweden.
Many great Swedish directors conquered the world with their authenticity and creativity. Before we address the most famous Swedish directors, let’s give you a perspective on Swedish movies.
Is There A Swedish Film Industry?
One of the most ignorant questions you’ll ever hear. Almost every country worldwide produces excellent movies, even extremely small ones like Macedonia. The fact that many English-native speakers don’t want to read translations is another issue. By the way, that’s how they miss many masterpieces; however, that’s their choice.
Swedish cinema has been the best in Scandinavia during the 20th century. It’s still successful worldwide. Old Swedish films are an inspiration to many young film students. Let’s check some statistics that will easily provide you with a sense of how active Swedish directors are.
An analysis was made back in 2011. According to it, Sweden had 830 projection screens, which means 9.9 per 100,000 per capita. It produced 23 fictional films and 15 documentaries. The number of cinema tickets sold was 16,269,803 in total, and 3,110,407 were bought for national films. The complete gross box office was around 154.6 million euros and 26.3 million euros for national films.
For a country of only 10 million people, the numbers are impressive. So, it looks like Sweden does have a film industry, doesn’t it?
The Most Important Swedish Directors
Since there are too many filmmakers to address, I won’t get into specific details. However, I will provide you with a list of famous Swedish directors. In addition, below you’ll see a list of the top Swedish movies.
Here’s a list of some of the best Swedish directors:
- Ingmar Bergman
- Victor Sjöström
- Mauritz Stiller – Finnish but worked in Sweden
- Ruben Östlund
- Roy Andersson
- Lukas Moodysson
- Tomas Alfredson
- Jan Troell
- Lasse Hallström
- Bo Widerberg
- Hannes Holm
- Mai Zetterling
These are some of the best Swedish directors. Some of them made Swedish cinema recognizable worldwide, while the younger ones continue to attract audiences.
Best Swedish Movies
Of course, it’s impossible to list all Swedish movies that deserve attention. However, here are some of the best Swedish movies of all time:
- The Seventh Seal (Det sjunde inseglet) – Ingmar Bergman
- Wild Strawberries (Smultronstället) – Ingmar Bergman
- Persona – Ingmar Bergman
- The Phantom Carriage (Körkarlen) – Victor Sjöström
- Sir Arne’s Treasure (Herr Arnes pengar) – Mauritz Stiller
- Force Majeure (Turist) – Ruben Östlund
- Triangle of Sadness – Ruben Östlund
- Play – Ruben Östlund
- My Life as a Dog (Mitt liv som hund) – Lasse Hallström
- Together (Tillsammans) – Lukas Moodysson
- Show Me Love (Fucking Åmål) – Lukas Moodysson
- A Love Story (En kärlekshistoria) – Roy Andersson
- Songs from the Second Floor (Sånger från andra våningen) – Roy Andersson
- Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in) – Tomas Alfredson
- The Emigrants (Utvandrarna) – Jan Troell
- A Man Called Ove (En man som heter Ove) – Hannes Holm
- Raven’s End (Kvarteret Korpen) – Bo Widerberg
Final Thoughts on Swedish Directors and Their Films
Swedish directors continue to dominate worldwide cinema. Many of their films have been avant-garde and introduced new filming styles and storytelling. They’ve also been one of the pioneers of the sexual revolution in film. No wonder it was convenient for Dusan Makavejev to make a movie with a Swedish production.
Since you now know how important Swedish cinema is, it’s time to watch some of the Swedish movies from the list above!
framebyframecritic 
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