30/01/2015 - In an anonymous vote, 100 participants in the seminar programme at the 38th Göteborg International Film Festival named the industry’s top decision makers

Anna Serner, managing director of the Swedish Film Institute (© SFI/Per Myrehed)

Anna Serner, managing director of the Swedish Film Institute, is the most powerful person in Swedish cinema, according to 100 film professionals participating in the seminar programme at the 38^th Göteborg International Film Festival, which ends on Monday (2 February). 

In an anonymous vote – “not a very scientific but a pleasurable background for a discussion”, according to the festival – the Institute’s law- and film-educated chief since 2011 was named the most influential decision maker, followed by one of the Institute’s feature-film commissioners since 2013, director-producer Baker Karim.

Otherwise, the list of important leaders is dominated by executives in major production and distribution companies, including commissioning editors. Three Swedish film directors also get a name check: Ruben Östlund, Roy Andersson and Suzanne Osten. 

The 20 most powerful people in Swedish film are:

1 Anna Serner, managing director, Swedish Film Institute (SFI)
2 Baker Karim, feature-film commissioner, SFI
3 Sture Johansson, director of programming, SF Bio
4 Jan Bernhardsson, group managing director, Nordic Cinema
5 Tomas Eskilsson, managing director, Swedish regional film centre Film i Väst, Trollhättan
6 Alice Bah Kuhnke, Swedish Culture Minister
7 Maria Skoglund, managing director, SF Bio
8 Hanne Palmqvist, commissioning editor – TV drama and features, Swedish pubcaster SVT
9 Magdalena Jangard, feature-film commissioner, SFI
10 Christian Wikander, programme director, SVT Drama
11 Jonas Fors, managing director, Svensk Filmindustri, Tre Vänner
12 Ruben Östlund, film director (Force Majeure [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ruben Östlund
film profile], 2014)
13 Peter Fornstam, managing director, Svenska Bio
14 Magdalena Andersson, Swedish Chancellor of the Exchequer
15 Eric Broberg, managing director, Buena Vista/Disney
16 Roy Andersson, film director (A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Roy Andersson
film profile], 2014)
17 Hjalmar Palmgren, head of production support, SFI
18 Mattias Nohrborg, distributor-producer, TriArt, B-Reel
19 Åsa Sjöberg, director of content, TV4
20 Suzanne Osten, film and theatre director, SFI film ambassador