Director Jesper Ganslandt is only on his third feature film and he's already being hailed as one of the "strongest names in the new Swedish wave of young directors." Colour us impressed; we haven't even put on pants or had breakfast yet. Whatever they're putting in the water over there in Sweden: please, keep it up.
Ganslandt grew up in a small town called Falkenberg before moving to Stockholm. There, he started a production company called Fasad, which has been responsible for producing all of his films. In 2006, Ganslandt's first feature film, Falkenberg Farewell, premiered at the Venice Film Festival and then the Toronto International Film Festival. The film was a love song to his hometown--a means to say "goodbye". He wrote and co-starred in the film along with his actual friends. A nostalgic, bittersweet coming of age story, the film was said to be "less a narrative movie than an immersion in somebody else's time and place." The film went on to be nominated for four Guldbagge Awards (including Best Film). We've posted the trailer below, which will be most enjoyed by those of you who can either listen in Swedish or read in French. (Or maybe you're a keener and can do both. But who asked you.)
The Ape is Ganslandt's second feature film, premiering at the 2009 Venice Film Festival and then shown as part of the Vanguard programme (AKA, the best programme, ahem) at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. The film follows a character as he wakes up covered in blood and then goes about his day as usual. Huh, makes sense--wouldn't want to be late for work, right? Part minimalist thriller, part puzzle, the audience follows the man throughout the movie trying to figure out what terrible thing has occurred. Of the film, the Guardian proclaimed, "…in Jesper Ganslandt, Sweden has a new star director."
This year, the Toronto International Film Festival is thrilled to welcome Ganslandt back with the premier of his third feature film, Blondie. The film follows three sisters reunited at their mother's home for her seventieth birthday. But don't expect any happy-fun-time balloons and confetti at this party; Ganslandt weaves together an anxious, melodramatic weekend, with family secrets exposed and old wounds ripped open. The trailer is below, along with the screening times.
BLONDIE Screening Times:
Mon., Sept. 10th, 9:45 PM SCOTIABANK 2
Wed., Sept. 12th, 12:00 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Fri., Sept. 14th, 6:15 PM SCOTIABANK 3
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