2121 – Top directors invited to share their vision of the future in biggest ever Swedish short film initiative

Art © Simon Stålenhag (all rights reserved)

What will the world look like in 100 years? This very question is being posed by the Swedish Film Institute and Sveriges Television's new short film initiative "2121", in which six of Sweden’s most inspiring directors and creatives will be granted an opportunity to offer their image of the future. The films will have their global premiere at the 2021 Göteborg Film Festival, and will then be screened on SVT.

What does our world look like in 2021? Has artificial intelligence gained the upper hand over humanity, or has technology brought us that much closer to utopia? Have we destroyed the planet, or learned to live in harmony with nature? These questions will be addressed in 2121, the biggest short-film initiative in Swedish film history.

Following the recent collaboration Bergman Revisited, where six Swedish directors each made a short film in the spirit of Ingmar Bergman for the centenary 2018, The Swedish Film Institute and Sveriges Television are now on the hunt for Sweden’s leading scriptwriters, directors and producers to offer their vision of the year 2121. Projects should have a strong manuscript, but also place a great deal of attention on set and costume design, in addition to visually compelling cinematography. Perhaps an impassioned love story or the spark that ignites a planet-consuming catastrophe will fill the screen. Regardless, the year is 2121.

"Each film will be secured 1.4 million SEK in financing, designed to enable directors to pull out all the stops. Large-scale films in a short format, with grandiose visual ambitions, is what we’re after. The crux of each film, however, should contain a captivating story. What is the world like that humanity inhabits – what are the tough challenges and joyful celebrations? Perhaps solutions have been found for all our present-day worries – the polar bears live in paradise and war is a distant memory," states Ami Ekström, film commissioner of short films and new formats at the Swedish Film Institute.

"If we look back around 100 years, the Second World War had not yet taken place, we had absolutely no idea how computers would redefine our existence, and married women were just being granted the right to vote in Sweden. Where will we be 100 years from now? Our hope is that directors and producers will allow a sense of magic to fuel their work, piercing the future head on. It is incredibly inspiring to follow up the success of Bergman Revisited with a large-scale short film initiative," Helena Ingelsten, Project Manager of SVT Documentary & Short Films, explains.

Swedish production agencies and producers may apply for the grant. The result will be six short films, a maximum duration of eight minutes each. The financial support per film is 1.4 million SEK, the Swedish Film Institute and SVT each financing half.

The application process opens on August 30th and closes on the 14th of October, 2019. All winning projects will be publicly announced in November 2019. The films will be in production throughout 2020 and have their global premieres at the 2021 Göteborg Film Festival. All films will then be screened on SVT and SVT Play over the course of 2021.

For further questions, please contact:
Ami Ekström, Film Commissioner Short film and other formats, ami.ekstrom@filminstitutet.se, +46 8 665 11 39
Helena Ingelsten, Project Manager of SVT Documentary & Short Films, helena.ingelsten@svt.se, +46 8 7847869