Solveig Nordlund (born June 9, 1943) is a
Swedish-
Portuguese filmmaker.
Biography
Nordlund grew up in Stockholm and has a BA degree in
Art History
Art history is the study of Work of art, artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history.
Tradit ...
from the
Stockholm University
Stockholm University (SU) () is a public university, public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, social ...
. In 1962, she met
Alberto Seixas Santos, whom she married, and her interest in cinema grew. In 1970, this interest transformed into a profession when she became an assistant on several films: ''Quem Espera por Sapatos de Defunto Morre Descalço'' by
João César Monteiro (1969–1970), ''O Recado'' by
José Fonseca e Costa (1970–1971), ''Pedro Só'' by
Alfredo Tropa (1970–1971), and ''Fragmentos de Um Filme-Esmola'' by
João César Monteiro (1972). With ''
Brandos Costumes'', by
Alberto Seixas Santos (1973–1974), her name began to enter the credits as editor. She worked on editing the films of many directors, such as
Manoel de Oliveira
Manoel Cândido Pinto de Oliveira (; 11 December 1908 – 2 April 2015) was a Portuguese film director and screenwriter born in Cedofeita, Porto. He first began making films in 1927, when he and some friends attempted to make a film about Wor ...
,
João Botelho,
Alberto Seixas Santos, and
Thomas Harlan, as well as political documentaries.
In 1973-1974 she received a scholarship from the
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (), commonly referred to simply as the Gulbenkian Foundation, is a Portuguese institution dedicated to the promotion of the arts, philanthropy, science, and education. One of the wealthiest charitable founda ...
and completed internships in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
under the guidance of, among others,
Jean Rouch
Jean Rouch (; 31 May 1917 – 18 February 2004) was a French Filmmaking, filmmaker and anthropologist.
He is considered one of the founders of cinéma vérité in France. Rouch's practice as a filmmaker, for over 60 years in Africa, was char ...
. In 1974, she was in ''Cinequipa'' and, in 1975, ''Cinequanon'', where she worked as an editor on TV series. As the founder of the ''
Grupo Zero'', Solveig participated in some films that were directed by multiple filmmakers, such as ''
A Lei da Terra'' (1976). In 1978, she made her debut as an individual director in fiction films with ''Nem Pássaro, Nem Peixe''.
She directed several films in collaboration with the Cornucopia Theater that were based on the plays of
Franz Xaver Kroetz (''Música Para Si'', ''Viagem Para a Felicidade'', both in 1978 and ''Outras Perspectivas'' in 1980) and
Karl Valentin
Karl Valentin (, born Valentin Ludwig Fey; 4 June 1882 – 9 February 1948) was a Bavarian comedian. He had significant influence on German Weimar culture. Valentin starred in many silent films in the 1920s, and was sometimes called the "Cha ...
(''E Não se Pode Exterminá-lo?'' - 1979). Her first feature film was ''Dina e Django'' (1983), followed by ''Até Amanhã, Mário'' (1994), ''
Comédia Infantil'' (1998), ''
Aparelho Voador a Baixa Altitude
''Low-Flying Aircraft'' (original title ''Aparelho Voador a Baixa Altitude'', literally "Flying machines at low altitude") is a 2002 Portuguese film from Swedish director Solveig Nordlund. Its main actors are Miguel Guilherme and Margarida Marin ...
'' (2002) and ''
A Filha'' (2003). She also directed short films and documentaries about writers, such as
Marguerite Duras
Marguerite Germaine Marie Donnadieu (, 4 April 1914 – 3 March 1996), known as Marguerite Duras (), was a French novelist, playwright, screenwriter, essayist, and experimental filmmaker. Her script for the film ''Hiroshima mon amour'' (1959) ea ...
,
J. G. Ballard and
António Lobo Antunes. She is the founder of the independent film production company ''Ambar Filmes''.
In 1998, she made her debut as a theater director with ''A Noite é Mãe do Dia'', by
Lars Norén, while working for
Belém Cultural Center and
Teatro da Malaposta. She currently collaborates with
Artistas Unidos, where she has directed the plays ''Vai Vir Alguém (Someone Is Going To Come)'', ''Sonho de Outono (Autumn Dream)'' by
Jon Fosse
Jon Olav Fosse (; born 29 September 1959) is a Norwegian author, translator, and playwright. In 2023, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature "for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable."
Fosse's work spans over se ...
, ''
Traições (Betrayal)'', ''
Há Tanto Tempo'' by
Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A List of Nobel laureates in Literature, Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramat ...
and ''
Scenes from a Marriage'' by
Ingmar Bergman
Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film and theatre director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential film directors of all time, his films have been described as "profoun ...
.
Filmography
As director
*''Conversas no Cabeleireiro, documentary series about:
Sofia Areal
Sofia Areal (born in Lisbon, 4 June 1960) is a Portuguese abstract painter, whose works adhere mostly to organic non-geometrical forms and a strong chromatic focus. Besides painting and drawing, Areal's work involves collage, textile design, and s ...
, Purificação Araujo, Leonor Keil,
Isabel do Carmo
Isabel do Carmo ComL is a former founder and leader of the Portuguese terrorist organization, Brigadas Revolucionárias (BR), which took part in an armed struggle against the Portuguese government, both before and after the overthrow of the rep ...
an
Ana Bacalhau (2013)''
*''Amanhã'' (2003)
*''
A Filha'' (2003)
*''
Aparelho Voador a Baixa Altitude
''Low-Flying Aircraft'' (original title ''Aparelho Voador a Baixa Altitude'', literally "Flying machines at low altitude") is a 2002 Portuguese film from Swedish director Solveig Nordlund. Its main actors are Miguel Guilherme and Margarida Marin ...
'' (2002)
*''Spärrvakten'' (1999)
*''Uma Voz na Noite'' (1998)
*''
Comédia Infantil'' (1998)
*''António Lobo Antunes'' (1997)
*''I morgon, Mario'' (''Até amanhã, Mário'') (1994)
*''Bergtagen'' (1994)
*''Vad hände katten i råttans år?'' (1985)
*''Dina e Django'' (1983)
*''Música Para Si'' (1979)
*''Nem Pássaro Nem Peixe'' (1978)
*''
A Lei da Terra'' (1976) - ''Grupo Zero''
As Editor (major works)
*''I morgon, Mario'' (''Até amanhã, Mário'') (1994)
*''A Casa de Bebel'', by Jonas Cornell, Swedish TV series (1981)
*''Passagem ou a Meio Caminho'', by Jorge Silva Melo (1980)
*''Alexandre e Rosa'', short by
João Botelho and Jorge Alves da Silva (1977–1978)
*''Amor de Perdição'', by
Manoel de Oliveira
Manoel Cândido Pinto de Oliveira (; 11 December 1908 – 2 April 2015) was a Portuguese film director and screenwriter born in Cedofeita, Porto. He first began making films in 1927, when he and some friends attempted to make a film about Wor ...
(1976–1978)
*''
A Lei da Terra''(1976) - ''Grupo Zero''
*''Moçambique – Um Programa Comemorativo da Independência'' (1975)
*''Um Jornal Regional em Autogestão – “O Setubalense”'', short by Amílcar Lyra (1975)
*''Greve na Construção Civil'', shor ''Cinequanon'' (1975)
*''
Brandos Costumes'', by
Alberto Seixas Santos (1975)
*''Desapareceu'', TV series, ''Cinequipa'' (1974)
See also
Cinema of Portugal
Cinema Novo
Bibliographical References
"RAMOS, Jorge Leitão". ''Dicionário do Cinema Português (1962–1988)''. Editorial Caminho, SA,
Lisbon
Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
, 1989
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nordlund, Solveig
1943 births
Living people
Artists from Stockholm
Portuguese women film directors
Swedish women film directors
Portuguese people of Swedish descent