The film is a political thriller set during the Swedish election year of 1976, when Bergman is arrested by the police suspected of serious tax evasion in the midst of the receptions for Strindberg's "The Dance of Death" at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. The personal catastrophe quickly becomes a reality for Bergman, as does the mental breakdown, and the director finds himself in a Kafkaesque state, where culture is ultimately pitted against politics, with Bergman on one side and the political establishment on the other.

Acclaimed Swedish actor Robert Gustafsson will portray Ingmar Bergman, with Henrik Jansson-Schweizer, Eric Broberg, and Robert Gustafsson returning as both producers and screenwriters for the film. The film brings back the creative team of the Academy Award nominated The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared and its sequel, which were seen by more than 2,2 million cinemagoers in Sweden. This is their first project together in the new joint production company Beret Film.

“The so-called 'Bergman affair' had far-reaching political consequences and contributed during the election year of 1976 to the Social Democratic Party losing power after over forty years. This was a different Sweden than today, with a self-image of decency and honesty, where well-known political figures and the cultural elite were symbiotic until the bomb about Bergman's tax affairs exploded. The news of the Swedish police's arrest of the world-renowned film director became an international news sensation that shook the Swedish establishment to its core”, says Eric Broberg, producer and screenwriter.

SF Studios has acquired the Nordic distribution rights to the film with the principal shooting by Beret Film planned for 2025. The film is presented during this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

“We're not very good at telling our own story as a nation in Sweden—about who we were and what has shaped us. The events of that time, when the welfare state burst in its own excellence and a world-renowned cultural figure became as vulnerable as a thief in jail, make for a surprisingly suspenseful and captivating tale. We're excited to share this historical gem with the moviegoing public”, says Yaba Holst, Head of Nordic Acquisition, SF Studios

For more information, please contact:

SF Studios:

• Jesper Larsson, Communications, +46 73 359 96 06
• Yaba Holst, Head of Nordic Acquisition, +46 73 411 95 35

Beret Film:

• Henrik Jansson-Schweizer, producer & scriptwriter, +46 70 789 15 00
• Eric Broberg, producer & scriptwriter, +46 70 790 30 01

About SF Studios:
SF Studios, established in 1919, is one of the world’s oldest film companies. Today SF Studios is the leading film studio in the Nordic region with its headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden and offices in Oslo, Copenhagen and Helsinki. The company is producing and distributing feature films and TV series as well as providing the streaming service SF Anytime. SF Studios is part of the leading Nordic media company Bonnier.