Jörn Johan Donner (5 February 1933 – 30 January 2020) was a
Finnish writer,
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, ...
, actor,
producer
Producer or producers may refer to:
Occupations
*Producer (agriculture), a farm operator
*A stakeholder of economic production
*Film producer, supervises the making of films
**Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...
,
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
and founder of
Finnish Film Archive
National Audiovisual Institute ( fi, Kansallinen audiovisuaalinen instituutti; sv, Nationella audiovisuella institutet or ') is a governmental bureau under the Finnish Ministry of Education responsible for supervising the distribution of audiovis ...
.
Biography
Born into the
Donner family
The Donner family is one of the renowned and wealthy Finland-Swedish families that grew in importance during the times of the Grand Duchy of Finland. Family members have been influential in Finnish politics and culture.
* Jürgen Donner (died c. 1 ...
of German descent, Jörn Donner was the son of the linguist
Kai Donner
Karl (Kai) Reinhold Donner (1 April 1888 in Helsinki – 12 February 1935) was a Finnish linguist, ethnographer and politician. He carried out expeditions to the Ugric and Samodeic peoples in Siberia 1911–1914 and was docent
The ti ...
and the grandson of linguist and politician
Otto Donner.
He lived and worked for long periods in Sweden, and served as director 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 ...
. In 1979, he was a member of the jury at the
29th Berlin International Film Festival.
Internationally Jörn Donner was best known as the producer of
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 ...
's film ''
Fanny and Alexander
''Fanny and Alexander'' ( sv, Fanny och Alexander) is a 1982 period drama film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. The plot focuses on two siblings and their large family in Uppsala, Sweden during the first decade of the twentieth century. ...
'' (, 1982). In 1984 the movie won a total of four
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
including the award for
best foreign language film, making him to date the only Finn to receive an Oscar. His novel (''Father and Son'') won the
Finlandia Prize
The Finlandia Prize ( fi, Finlandia-palkinto; sv, Finlandiaprisen) is a set of Finnish literary prizes awarded by the Finnish Book Foundation to "celebrate reading and highlight new Finnish first-rate literature." Considered the most prestigious ...
in 1985.
Donner was associated with several different political parties, such as
SDP and
RKP, and was at different times a member both of the
Finnish parliament and the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adop ...
. he was again a member of the Finnish parliament for a short while, after
Eva Biaudet resigned to take a position at the
OSCE
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, prom ...
.
Donner suffered from
prostate
The prostate is both an accessory gland of the male reproductive system and a muscle-driven mechanical switch between urination and ejaculation. It is found only in some mammals. It differs between species anatomically, chemically, and phys ...
and
lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...
s. He died of lung disease at
Meilahti hospital in Helsinki on 30 January 2020, six days before his 87th birthday.
Filmography
* (''
A Sunday in September
''A Sunday in September'' ( sv, En söndag i september) is a 1963 Swedish drama film directed by Jörn Donner. It is the first feature-length film directed by Donner.
The film follows a man named Stig (played by Thommy Berggren) and a woman named ...
'', 1963)
*, (''
To Love'', 1964)
*', (''Adventure Starts Here'', 1965)
* (''
Rooftree'', 1967)
*''
Stimulantia
''Stimulantia'' is a 1967 Swedish anthology film directed by Hans Abramson, Hans Alfredson, Arne Arnbom, Tage Danielsson, Lars Görling, Ingmar Bergman, Jörn Donner, Gustaf Molander, and Vilgot Sjöman.
Cast
* Hans Abramson as Interviewer and ...
'' (1967)
*, (''
Black on White'', 1968)
*' (1969)
*''
Anna'' (1970)
*' (1970)
* (1971)
* (1972)
*' (1973)
*''
Near and Far Away
''Near and Far Away'' ( sv, Långt borta och nära) is a 1976 Swedish drama film directed by Marianne Ahrne. Ahrne won the award for Best Director at the 13th Guldbagge Awards.
Cast
* Lilga Kovanko as Mania
* Robert Farrant as Mutist
* Jan-Er ...
'' (1976)
*' (1978)
*''
Men Can't Be Raped
''Men Can't Be Raped'' (also known as ''Manrape''; sv, Män kan inte våldtas) is a 1978 Finnish-Swedish " rape and revenge" drama film directed by Jörn Donner, based on the novel ''Manrape'' by Märta Tikkanen. It tells the story of a woman ( ...
'' (1978)
*''Bergman File, The'' (1978)
*' (1982)
*''Dirty Story'' (1984)
*''/'' (1988)
* (1998)
* (2000)
*''
The Border'' (''Raja 1918'', 2007)
*''
Kuulustelu
''The Interrogation'' ( fi, Kuulustelu) is a 2009 Finnish war drama film directed by Jörn Donner.
The plot focuses on the interrogation of Kerttu Nuorteva (played by Minna Haapkylä, who won the Jussi Award for best lead actress for her perfor ...
'' (2009)
*''
Armi elää!'' (2015)
Bibliography
* 1951 – .
Söderström.
* 1952 –
* 1954 – . Söderström.
* 1955 – . Söderström.
* 1957 – . Söderström.
* 1958 – .
Schildts.
* 1960 – . Söderström.
* 1961 – . Söderström.
* 1962 – . Söderström.
* 1962 – . Söderström.
* 1967 – . Söderström.
* 1968 – . Söderström.
* 1968 –
* 1971 – . Söderström.
* 1972 – . Söderström.
* 1973 – .
Wahlström & Widstrand
Wahlström & Widstrand is a Swedish book publishing company.
Wahlström & Widstrand was established in 1885 by two book sellers in Stockholm, Per Karl Wahlström and Wilhelm Widstrand. The company started publishing fiction in the 1890s and late ...
.
* 1974 – . Söderström.
* 1976 – . Wahlström & Widstrand.
* 1976 – . Söderström.
* 1978 – . Söderström.
* 1980 – . Söderström.
* 1981 – . Söderström.
* 1982 – . Söderström.
* 1982 – .
* 1984 – . Wahlström & Widstrand.
* 1985 – . Söderström.
* 1985 – . .
* 1986 – . Söderström.
* 1986 – . Söderström.
* 1989 – . Söderström.
* 1990 – . Söderström.
* 1991 – ''Fazer 100''. Söderström.
* 1992 – . Söderström.
* 1993 – . Söderström.
* 1993 –
* 1994 – . Söderström.
* 1998 – Söderström.
* 2001 – . Söderström.
* 2002 – . Söderström.
* 2004 – . Söderström.
* 2004 – . Söderström.
* 2005 – .
Aamulehti
(Finnish for "morning newspaper") is a Finnish-language daily newspaper published in Tampere, Finland.
History and profile
''Aamulehti'' was founded in 1881 to "improve the position of the Finnish people and the Finnish language" during Russi ...
.
* 2006 – . Söderström.
* 2006 – . Söderström.
* 2007 – . Schildts.
* 2009 – . Ekerlid.
* 2011 – . Söderström.
* 2013 – .
Schildts & Söderströms.
* 2015 – . Schildts & Söderströms.
* 2015 – .
Albert Bonniers Förlag
Albert Bonniers Förlag is a publishing company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Albert Bonniers Förlag is part of the book publishing house Bonnierförlagen, which also includes Wahlström & Widstrand and Bonnier Carlsen.
History
Albert Bonni ...
.
* 2019 – . .
See also
*
Donner family
The Donner family is one of the renowned and wealthy Finland-Swedish families that grew in importance during the times of the Grand Duchy of Finland. Family members have been influential in Finnish politics and culture.
* Jürgen Donner (died c. 1 ...
References
External links
*
*
Jörn Donner in 375 Humanists Faculty of Arts, University of Helsinki. 28.7.2015.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Donner, Jorn
1933 births
2020 deaths
Writers from Helsinki
Finnish people of German descent
Finnish People's Democratic League politicians
Swedish People's Party of Finland politicians
Social Democratic Party of Finland politicians
Members of the Parliament of Finland (1987–91)
Members of the Parliament of Finland (1991–95)
Members of the Parliament of Finland (2003–07)
Members of the Parliament of Finland (2011–15)
Social Democratic Party of Finland MEPs
MEPs for Finland 1996–1999
Finnish writers in Swedish
Finnish film producers
Finnish film directors
Finlandia Prize winners
Producers who won the Best Film Guldbagge Award
Finnish film critics
Male actors from Helsinki
Finnish expatriates in Sweden
Donner family
Deaths from lung disease