The Swedish Torpedo to world premiere in Toronto

Josefin Neldén in The Swedsih Torpedo. Photo: Hannes Krantz

Frida Kempff’s epic film The Swedish Torpedo has been selected for the Toronto International Film Festival. The drama, starring Josefin Neldén as swimmer Sally Bauer, will have its world premiere at the festival which runs from 5 September.

“The Swedish Torpedo is by far the toughest project I’ve ever taken on. There have been so many challenges – storms, hailstones, Lyme disease, stomach flu, Covid – but it’s also the most amazing project I’ve ever been involved in. I’ve had a brilliant team both behind and in front of the camera, and world premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival is a dream come true. It’s one of the world’s biggest film festivals, and it’s great for the film to reach an international audience in this way,” says Frida Kempff.

Summer of 1939. The outbreak of war in Europe is drawing ever closer, but Sally Bauer, a 30-year-old single mother, can’t tear herself away from the sea and her longing to swim the English Channel. To achieve her dream she must defy her family, society's expectations, and risk losing her young son.

Sally Bauer is played by Josefin Neldén, and other cast members include Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, Lisa Carlehed and Cecilia Milocco.

Director Frida Kempff’s previous feature, the psychological thriller Knocking/Knackningar (2021) screened at a host of international film festivals (including Sundance, Sitges and FrightFest) and was nominated for three Guldbagge Awards. Prior to that she made short films such as Bathing Micky/Micky badar (which won the Jury Prize in Cannes), Dear Kid/Älskade unge (winner of 1 km of film at the Stockholm Film Festival) and the documentary Winter Buoy/Vinterboj, which was nominated for the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Documentary at the Gothenburg Film Festival. The Swedish Torpedo is her second feature-length feature film, and it will be world premiering in the Toronto festival’s Centerpiece section.

Screenplay by Frida Kempff and Marietta von Hausswolff von Baumgarten. Produced by Erik Andersson, David Herdies and Michael Krotkiewski/Momento Film in co-production with SVT, TV4, Film i Väst and others, with funding from the Swedish Film Institute, Feature Film Commissioner Anders Nylander. The film has also received funding from Region Västmanland, Norrköpings Filmfond and others.