Palme

2012, Maud Nycander and Kristina Lindström, 103 minutes, Sweden

It has been 25 years since the February night when Olof Palme was shot dead on the streets of Stockholm, changing Sweden forever overnight. Palme depicts the former prime minister’s life and the Sweden he helped create.

Maud Nycander is a documentary filmmaker who lives in Stockholm. Her previous films include the highly acclaimed Kärlekochfiskpinnar (Love and Fishsticks), 2006, and The Latin Kings, 2004.

Kristina Lindström was born in 1957 in Sundbyberg. She is a Swedish writer, journalist, and filmmaker. Lindström was trained at the School of Journalism in Gothenburg from 1977 to 1979. Between 2000 and 2010, she was the director of cultural programming for Swedish television channel SVT. Lindström has also made documentaries for radio and television.

Olof Palme was a pivotal, renowned, and polarizing figure domestically as well as internationally since the 1960s. As two-term prime minister of Sweden, Palme was steadfast in his non-alignment policy towards the superpowers, frequently criticized U.S. and Soviet foreign policy, and supported numerous third world liberation movements. His major reform policies within Sweden promoted democratization, boosted economic growth, and built a complete social welfare system.

In 1986, Palme was assassinated on the street of Stockholm, and the identity of the killer is still unknown. Though Palme was a controversial figure during his career, he is remembered fondly by citizens around the world.

Guldbagge Award, Best Documentary (nominated) & Best Original Score (winner), 2013