Between Sea and Sky in Sweden
by Kay Pointing Wilson/LMGI
“There is a strong, practical focus on sustainability, visible everywhere from transport to hospitality—the people naturally integrate nature into their daily life. The beauty of the landscapes from the islands to the forests was truly striking, and the warm, welcoming attitude of the Swedish people made the experience even more fantastic.” –Enrico Latella/LMGI
I consider being invited to attend a late November LMGI Fam Tour, an honour made even more special by the chance to visit a personal bucket-list destination—with the added bonus of being in Sweden in the run-up to Christmas. You can imagine how excited I was to make this trip.
The beauty of the locations visited could only be matched by the warm welcome and hospitality shown to me and my fellow travellers, LMGI members Enrico Latella, David Pieper, Harriet Lawrence and Markus Bensch. Our host, Film Commissioner Daniel Chilla/Film Stockholm, was extremely knowledgeable, and the tour was well organised.
Our party enjoyed touring the varied film-friendly areas of Stockholm, from the historic to the forward-leaning architecture, such as the brightly painted underground stations buried deep into bedrock. As we toured the islands, from Gröskär—a beautiful tiny island on the eastern edge of the Archipelago with a 300-year-old stone lighthouse—to the Swedish architecture of auto-free Sandhamn.
We enjoyed the most incredible languid Arctic sunsets as we travelled from island to island throughout the Stockholm Archipelago, each unique in its own right. Some boast luxury hotels, whilst others provided a more back-to-nature feel with a vibe of times-past. The reliance on the sea was visible at every turn. And many of us noted that a few of the locations had the potential to play for coastal New England. We visited ports of all shapes and sizes and took a selection of vessels as we journeyed from Stockholm and back again.
We were impressed with how diverse and logistically accessible the islands are for film productions and by how strongly the local communities support filmmaking. So many untouched natural locations still exist so close to the city.
The tour highlights for me include interacting with the wildlife, especially seals and elk and being introduced to Swedish traditions and the delicious seasonal treats. But it was the light that took my breath away—clear and crisp, bouncing off the water as the sun set over a smooth-as-glass ocean whilst our boat glided on to its next stop!
The Stockholm Archipelago—I just can’t wait for an opportunity to return and shoot there!
A Note From Our Host
Having five well-seasoned location scouts visiting Stockholm was a wonderful experience. We saw a bit of the city, but our goal was to emphasise the diversity of looks in the Archipelago; the highly cinematic, barren, harsh-looking environments that would lend themselves more to “Nordic Noir” (a la Bergman) vs. the lush green landscapes for which Stockholm is so well known.
The locations we toured feel as if they are in “the middle of nowhere” yet they are accessible by boat or sometimes cars or even commuter buses. Most have good broadband and solid hotel and restaurant options nearby.
The scouts got to meet some of our location service companies, and to give us much-desired input on how international location scouts work and what they look for. For this, we held a seminar with representatives from the local government and film-friendly organisations that were eager to listen and learn. The generosity of the scouts was vast, and lots of war stories were shared.
Next time, we plan to show a bit more of the hidden, “ugly” and cinematic places that are also a part of Stockholm’s great variety of locations.
All-in-all, it was a great trip. Our guests got a good sense of the locations we can offer and a good look at our local denizens, including deer, elks, fallow deers, eagles and seals. While we can’t always guarantee the wildlife, we can guarantee cinematic and unique locations for filming in any season … so dress appropriately and be sure to bring your bathing suit (or not) for a good sauna after your shoot!
To get in touch…
Stockholm Film Commissioner Daniel Chilla
+46 (0)70-238 67 08 daniel.chilla@regionstockholm.se