The Ingmar Bergman Award was a Swedish
film award, distributed between 1978 and 2007. It was instituted by legendary Swedish
film director
A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, ...
Ingmar Bergman
Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film director, screenwriter, producer and playwright. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time, his films are known as "profoundly ...
, as a complement to the
Guldbagge Awards
The Guldbagge Awards ( sv, Guldbaggen, en, Gold scarab) is an official and annual Swedish film awards ceremony honoring achievements in the Swedish film industry. Winners are awarded a statuette depicting a rose chafer, better known by the name ...
.
The jury consisted of Ingmar Bergman and the CEO of the
Swedish Film Institute
The Swedish Film Institute ( sv, Svenska Filminstitutet) was founded in 1963 to support and develop the Swedish film industry. The institute is housed in the ''Filmhuset'' building located in Gärdet, Östermalm in Stockholm. The building, c ...
.
The recipients were awarded a bronze plaque, depicting Bergman's face, and a sum of money.
The award was first presented at the
14th Guldbagge Awards
The 14th Guldbagge Awards ceremony, presented by the Swedish Film Institute, honored the best Swedish films of 1977 and 1978, and took place on 18 September 1978. ''The Adventures of Picasso'' directed by Tage Danielsson was presented with the a ...
, and continued until Bergman's death in 2007.
History

The award was primarily intended to honour achievements in Swedish film which had not otherwise been considered when the
Guldbagge Awards
The Guldbagge Awards ( sv, Guldbaggen, en, Gold scarab) is an official and annual Swedish film awards ceremony honoring achievements in the Swedish film industry. Winners are awarded a statuette depicting a rose chafer, better known by the name ...
were handed out.
As a filmmaker with extensive experience,
Ingmar Bergman
Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film director, screenwriter, producer and playwright. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time, his films are known as "profoundly ...
was aware of how filmmaking requires delicate cooperation between many different people.
He knew how important each specialty is to the finished result, and that a film is never better than the weakest link in that complex teamwork.
Bergman never forgot the often overlooked categories of film workers.
The goal of the award was to pay attention to all the professions which rarely received attention.
The jury was comprised Ingmar Bergman himself and the CEO of the Swedish Film Institute.
It was first awarded at the
14th Guldbagge Awards
The 14th Guldbagge Awards ceremony, presented by the Swedish Film Institute, honored the best Swedish films of 1977 and 1978, and took place on 18 September 1978. ''The Adventures of Picasso'' directed by Tage Danielsson was presented with the a ...
, and was handed out to the film editor
Wic Kjellin, by the departing CEO of the Swedish Film Institute,
Harry Schein
Harry Leo Schein (13 October 1924 – 11 February 2006) was an Austrian-born Swedish chemical engineer, writer and a major figure in Swedish culture. Born in Vienna, Schein was a founder of the Swedish Film Institute and acted as its first Managi ...
.
From this ceremony through the 42nd Guldbagge Awards, the award was presented annually, except for the years
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast As ...
,
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker ru ...
and
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
. The Award soon covered the entire filmmaking process, as the prize has gone to everything from script students at the
Swedish Institute of Dramatic Art, to the legendary projectionist,
Henry Nyberg
Henry may refer to:
People
*Henry (given name)
*Henry (surname)
* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
** Henry, Count of Portugal ...
, in
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
**Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal enter ...
.
The award has also been presented to other types of filmmakers: screenwriters, costume designers, makeup artists, script girls, studio managers, production managers, lighting directors and cameramen.
Only five performers won the award; among them are
Lena Olin
Lena Maria Jonna Olin (; born 22 March 1955) is a Swedish actress. She has received nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award.
Mentored by filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, she made her screen d ...
,
Gunnar Björnstrand
Knut Gunnar Johanson (13 November 1909 – 24 May 1986) was a Swedish actor known for his frequent work with writer and director Ingmar Bergman.
Biography
Björnstrand was born Knut Gunnar Johanson in Stockholm as son of actor Oscar Johanson an ...
and
Mikael Persbrandt
Mikael Åke Persbrandt (; born 25 September 1963) is a Swedish actor. In Swedish films, he is perhaps best known for playing Gunvald Larsson in the '' Beck'' series of movies. He is internationally known for his starring role in the Academy Awa ...
.
The award
The award consisted of a sum of money (SEK 60,000 at the end) and a bronze plaque with the Bergmans face in relief, made by the Finnish sculptor
Eila Hiltunen
Eila Vilhelmina Hiltunen (22 November 1922, Sortavala – 10 October 2003, Helsinki) was a Finnish sculptor. She is most famous for the Sibelius Monument (1967). A statue by Hiltunen resembling a smaller version of the Sibelius Monument stands ...
.
The plaque shows Bergman shyly lowering the gaze.
Bergman's vote was the decisive vote when selecting the winner, and he also wrote the often very spiritual justification; the CEO of the Swedish Film Institute presented the award at the ceremony.
Recipients
* * (Posthumous)
References
External links
*
{{Guldbagge Awards
1978 establishments in Sweden
2007 disestablishments in Sweden
Awards disestablished in 2007
Awards established in 1978
Ingmar Bergman
Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film director, screenwriter, producer and playwright. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time, his films are known as "profoundly ...
Ingmar Bergman
Swedish film awards