Ingmar Bergman
There is no end to the exploration of Ingmar Bergman's imposing work. This cycle, marking the recent revival of Cinematograph AB, the production company founded by the filmmaker, offers a selection of films that have rarely (if ever) been shown in Quebec theaters. This selection, which includes shorts, documentaries, a made-for-TV movie inspired by the making of Victor Sjöström's The Phantom Carriage, a feature-length version and a TV version of Face to Face, as well as a restoration of The Touch, allows us to consider new aspects of Bergman's work, just fifteen years after his death. Two films about the filmmaker's body of work and two of his masterpieces complete the cycle.
Portrait of Ingmar Bergman made while he was working on The Touch.
Ingmar Bergman
Born in 1918 in Uppsala, Sweden, Ingmar Bergman grew up in a strict Lutheran household. Cinema became a refuge for him, offering solace from his father's austere upbringing as a pastor. He pursued studies in history, literature, and theater, eventually embarking on a career in theater before transitioning to film. He began writing screenplays for Svensk Filmindustri. Starting with Crisis in 1946, he ventured into directing his own films. By the mid-1950s, works like The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries earned him international acclaim. In 1986, with the production of Fanny and Alexander, Bergman decided to end his illustrious career as a filmmaker for the big screen. However, he remained active in theater and television filmmaking until Sarabande in 2004. In his later years, he retired to the island of Fårö, a place deeply intertwined with his cinematic legacy and personal history.
Stig Björkman
Stig Björkman (born 2 October 1938) is a Swedish writer and film critic. He has also directed fifteen films since 1964. His 1972 film Georgia, Georgia was entered into the 23rd Berlin International Film Festival. His 1975 film The White Wall was entered into the 9th Moscow International Film Festival. His 2015 documentary Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words was screened in the Cannes Classics section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.
