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.
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
