The Nordic & Baltic Oscar Contenders series at Scandinavia House returns this season with select in-house and virtual screenings of films chosen by the Nordic & Baltic countries to compete for the Oscar nomination for the Best International Feature Film. On Thursday, January 20 through Sunday, January 23, see the Swedish documentary The Most Beautiful Boy in the World (dir. Kristian Petri & Kristina Lindstrom, Sweden, 2021).
In 1971 at the world premiere of Death in Venice in London, Italian director Luchino Visconti proclaimed Björn Andrésen, the teen star of his latest film, “the most beautiful boy in the world.” Just 16 at the time when the film came out, Andrésen was unprepared for instantly becoming an international celebrity. Fifty years later, Björn looks back on his life, in a story of a boy who was thrust to international stardom for his iconic looks and lived a life of glamour as well as heartbreak. (94 min. In Swedish, English, French, Italian, and Japanese with English subtitles)
“Haunting… a psychologically probing portrait”—New York Times
“One of the few documentaries to dwell so gravely and persuasively on how sudden fame can ruin a young life, bypassing any perks of stardom”—Vogue
Tickets to this event must be purchased in advance online at the link above.
To download viewing instructions and an FAQ, please click here.
This screening is supported by the Consulate General of Sweden, New York.
ABOUT THE DIRECTORS
Kristina Lindström (director) is a filmmaker, journalist, and author. She has worked at SVT as a producer, project manager, and filmmaker. She has directed highly acclaimed documentaries about some of Sweden’s most famous names and faces, including Astrid (2014) and Palme (with Maud Nycander, 2012). Among others, Lindström has been awarded The Publicists big award, the Linné Prize, Kristallen, Stockholm’s Culture Prize, and the Ikaros Award.
Kristian Petri (director) is a filmmaker, writer, and culture journalist with a distinctly personal voice that transcends genre and form. Petri won Best Direction at the Guldbagge Awards for his first feature film, Between Summers (1995), which was selected for the prestigious Quinzaine des Realisateurs in Cannes. Many of his films, including The Well (2005), Details (2003), and Tokyo Noise (2002) have been critically celebrated and have been nominated for and received a number of national and international awards.