The Guy in the Grave Next Door and other Swedes

Irish film take note: Swedish film is booming! Edwina Hogan meets Kjell Sundvall, director of last year's most popular Swedish releases, to try to work out why so many Swedes have flocked to see so much of their native cinema in recent years.

Going to the cinema can still be quite an event in Sweden. Multiplex cinemas exist of course but there really are still a lot of the cinemas of the lovely old-fashioned red velvet and gilt balustrade variety. And Swedes have come back to the cinemas in recent times. Sweden has a population of eight million people and last year more than 18 million cinema visits were recorded. And even better for the industry is that 17% of these visits were to see Swedish films. Just looking at cinema listings and posters gives an impression that Swedish film is alive and very well and that impression does not lie. Compared to ten years ago when attendances at Swedish films were at a low of about 5% of the total, these are exciting times for the industry. Gross box-office income increased last year to almost €150 million with the share attributable to Swedish films standing at 16% (€24) of this total. 2000 was a recent high point for Swedish films when their market share in Sweden reached almost 26%, but average market share over the last three years has still been 22%.

The full article is printed in Film Ireland 93