‘Paradise Is Burning’ Wins Best Film at Swedish Film Awards

Mika Gustafson’s social drama Paris Is Burning has won the top prize for best film at the Guldbagge Awards, Sweden’s top film honors.

The feature, which premiered in Venice’s Horizons section this year, follows three sisters who left to their own devices by their absent mother, live a life of anarchic freedom. But when social services come calling, the oldest has to find someone to impersonate their mum to avoid being shipped off to foster care. It was picked as the best Swedish film of the past year at the Guldbagge Awards ceremony in Stockholm on Monday night. Paris is Burning also scooped the Guldbagge for best set design for Catharina Nyqvist Ehrnrooth.

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But the night’s big winner was Axel Petersén’s Shame on Dry Land. The neo-noir set in the world of online gamblers picked up 7 Guldbagge awards, including for best director and best actor for lead Joel Spira, as well as taking most of the technical honors. The feature, which premiered in Toronto, was not nominated in the best film category.

Best actress honors went to Marall Nasiri for her starring role in Opponent, Milad Alami’s drama about a family who flee Iran for Northern Sweden. Lukas Moodysson picked up the best screenplay prize for his script to Together 99, a sequel to his 2000 crossover hit Together about life in a Swedish commune. Together 99 also won best supporting actress for co-star Anja Lundqvist.

Full list of the 2023 Guldbagge Awards below.

BEST FILM
Paradise is Burning
Producer: Nima Yousefi

BEST DIRECTOR
Axel Petersén
for Shame On Dry Land

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Marall Nasiri
for Maryam in Opponent

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Joel Spira
for Dimman in Shame On Dry Land

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Anja Lundqvist
for Lena in Together 99

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Christopher Wagelin
for Fredrik in Shame On Dry Land

BEST SCREENPLAY
Lukas Moodysson
for Together 99

BEST EDITING
Robert Krantz
for Shame On Dry Land

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Josua Enblom
for Shame On Dry Land

BEST SOUND DESIGN
Andreas Franck
for Shame On Dry Land

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Baba Stiltz
for Shame On Dry Land

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Nora Berecoechea and Stefan Rycken
for The Abyss

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Karen Fabritius Gram and Pierre Vienings
for Hammarskjöld

BEST SET DESIGN
Catharina Nyqvist Ehrnrooth
for Paradise is Burning

BEST MAKEUP
Tove Jansson, Eva von Bahr and Love Larson
for The Conference

BEST SHORT FILM
Leila
Directed by Fariba Haidari

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
The Gullspång Miracle
Directed by Maria Fredriksson

THE GULDBAGGE AUDIENCE AWARD
Beck – Inferno
Produced by Francy Suntinger

GULLSPIRA – for extraordinary contributions in films for children
Inger Nilsson, actress

THE AWARD OF HONOUR (HEDERSGULDBAGGEN)
Marie Göranzon, actress

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