'Gitarrmongot' ('The Guitar Mongoloid)'

The film launched as a depiction of "the Sweden you knew existed but never have seen on film before." It had its world-première at the 2005 Moscow International Film Festival.

While studying in Grez-sur-Loing, France, for three months in 2001, "impulsively, I wrote down a lot of fragmentary scenes, with no context, except that the situations and the people in them were on the borderline of what is generally considered 'normal'. Even though the idea was that they should be used in the same film I had no idea how I should do it," Östlund recalled.

"Then one day back in Sweden I saw a young street musician (Erik Rutström) who was playing in Kungsgatan in Göteborg. His expression was uncensored, off guard, full of energy, and I was strongly moved. After this encounter I suddenly saw the film before me. Erik would be the red thread who would guide the audiences between the fragmentary scenes," he added.

'The Guitar Mongoloid' is a result of fascination, intuition, accident, hubris, my aggression to today's film and media images, Kalle Boman, hard work, disgust, my former documentaries, Erik Rutström, the other cast, my adolescence, Gummo, a wish to be confirmed, other filmmakers' expressions, the High School for Photography and Film, Andrea Östlund née Friberg, my years as a ski filmmaker, everybody I know etc. etc. - with no order of precedence," Östlund concluded.

Director/Scriptwriter: Ruben Östlund

In the 1990s, a skiing enthusiast, Ruben Östlund made several skiing films for Down Film, including 'Free Radicals' (1996) and 'Free Radicals II' (1998), before he embarked on the three-year director's education at Gothenburg’s High School for Photography and Film.

One of his student film projects, 'Låt dom andra sköta kärleken' ('Let the Others Handle Love'), was nominated for a Gold bug, the local Oscar. His documentary, 'Familj igen' ('Family again'), reuniting his parents who divorced 23 years ago, was named Gothenburg’s Film Event of the Year.

His short film, 'Scen nr: 6882 ur mitt liv' ('Autobiographical Scene Number 6882') won in Edinburgh and was accordingly one of the 12 contenders for the 2005 European Film Award.

Producers: Kalle Boman, Anna Sohlman

A former stagehand at Stockholm's City Theatre, Kalle Boman joined Europa Film in 1964, where he became Bo Widerberg's assistant on three films. He went on working with production management, editing and sound.

In 1978 he started his own production company, Hinden/Länna Ateljéerna. Over the years he has made films with - among others - Roy Andersson, Marie-Louise Ekman, Lene Berg, Ernst-Hugo Järegård, Charlotte Gyllenhammar and Ruben Östlund.

Anna Sohlman started with Hinden/Länna-Ateljéerna in 1979 and has collaborated with Boman on most of the company's projects, including 'The Guitar Mongoloid'.

Besides being production manager on shorts and features by - among others - Marie-Louise Ekman, she has worked with commercials and on music videos (Agneta Fältskog, Europe, Ian Hunter).

Director/Scriptwriter:

Ruben Östlund

Producers:

Anna Sohlmann, Kalle Boman, Hinden Länna-ateljéerna

Principal cast:

Erik Rutström, Ola Sandstig, Britt-Marie Andersson, Julia Persdotter

Local distributor:

Triangelfilm/Kedjan.

International sales:

Triangelfilm