On Monday evening, the Swedish Film Awards gala took place at the Circus Theatre in Stockholm. It was the 60th Guldbagge (Golden Beetle) Awards gala, and it was hosted by actress Shima Niavarani and was broadcast live by Sveriges Television. Unlike last year, there was no outstanding film like Shame on Dry Land. Crossing (Passage, which premiered at the 2024 Berlinale) was the big winner with four significant awards: Best Film, Director, Cinematography, and Sound Design. It has been a successful year for Levan Akin’s film regarding awards. The Swedish Torpedo about long-distance swimmer Sally Bauer also won four Guldbaggar for Best Visual Effects, Production Design, Costume Design, and Makeup.

Three awards went to The Hypnosis (Hypnosen), which I find baffling. The two acting awards for Herbert Nordrum (Best Actor in a Leading role) and David Fukamachi Regnfors (Best Supporting Actor) might be forgiven, but the prize for Best Screenplay, by director Ernst De Geer and Mads Stegger, may not. Read my review to find out why. The Last Journey by TV celebrities Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson received the Guldbagge Audience Award. It was also the bizarre Swedish selection for this year’s Oscars. The Award of Honour went to Lasse Hallström, which is a splendid choice. Even before his breakthrough with My Life as a Dog (1985), he made original, quirky comedies for Television and Cinema.

It may not have been the strongest year for Swedish cinema. Next year, a Cannes competition title like The Girl With the Needle will be eligible for awards, to take only one example. It may not have been the strongest year for Swedish cinema. Next year, a Cannes competition title like Magnus von Horn’s The Girl With the Needle will be eligible for awards, to take only one example. More info can be found on the Swedish Film Institute webpage. Additional information about the award can be found on the Guldbaggen page.

Here is the list of all this year’s winners.

BEST FILM
Passage  
Producer: Mathilde Dedye
 
BEST DIRECTOR
Levan Akin  
for Passage 

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Bianca Kronlöf
for Hanne in Heartbeat

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Herbert Nordrum
for André in The Hypnosis

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Eva Melander
for Helena in Trouble

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
David Fukamachi Regnfors
for Julian in The Hypnosis 

BEST SCREENPLAY
Ernst De Geer and Mads Stegger
for The Hypnosis

BEST EDITING
Orvar Anklew and Kalle Lindberg
for Avicii – I’m Tim  

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Lisabi Fridell
for Passage

BEST SOUND DESIGN
Anne Gry Friis Kristensen and Sigrid DPA Jensen  
for Passage

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Lisa Montan  
for JerryMaya’s Detective Agency: The Lost Mascot

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Sami Haartemo, Mikko Löppönen, Teemu Pitkänen, Ville Pätsi and Jacob Danell
for The Swedish Torpedo

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Eugen Tamberg 
for The Swedish Torpedo

BEST SET DESIGN
Elle Furudahl
for The Swedish Torpedo

BEST MAKEUP
Kaire Hendrikson
for The Swedish Torpedo

BEST SHORT FILM
The Building and Burning of a Refugee Camp  
Director: Dennis Harvey

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
The Last Journey
Directors: Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson

THE AWARD OF HONOUR (HEDERSGULDBAGGEN)
Lasse Hallström

THE GULDBAGGE AUDIENCE AWARD 
The Last Journey
Producers: Lars Beckung and Petra Måhl

GULLSPIRA – for extraordinary contributions to films for children
Johanna Bergenstråhle 

GULDPIGA
Loran Batti for G – 21 Scenes from Gottsunda, whose work gives us hope for an exciting future for Swedish film.

Awarded annually since 1964, the Guldbagge is the name of the Swedish Film Institute’s award for achievements during the previous year. The artist Karl Axel Pehrson designed the award itself in the form of a fantastical beetle.