The long read · Swedish cinema
The Resilience of Swedish Cinema and Its Global Stars
Few countries have shaped world cinema like Sweden. It gave Hollywood Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman, gave art cinema Ingmar Bergman, and still wins the top prizes at Cannes. Here is the story, and where to watch in Stockholm.
Updated October 2026
From the silent masters to Bergman
In the silent era Swedish films were admired all over the world. Victor Sjöström’s The Phantom Carriage (1921) amazed audiences with its ghostly double exposures, and Mauritz Stiller’s The Saga of Gösta Berling (1924) launched a young actress called Greta Garbo. Both directors, and Garbo, were soon called to Hollywood.
From the 1950s Ingmar Bergman made Sweden the home of art cinema. The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, Persona and Fanny and Alexander are studied and loved everywhere, and three of his films won the Oscar. Today Roy Andersson, Tomas Alfredson and Ruben Östlund carry on the tradition, each in his own very different way.
Must-watch films
To understand Swedish cinema, start with these.
- The Phantom Carriage (1921): Victor Sjöström’s haunting New Year’s Eve ghost story.
- The Seventh Seal (1957): Ingmar Bergman’s knight plays chess with Death.
- Wild Strawberries (1957): Bergman’s road movie of memory, starring Sjöström himself, winner of the Golden Bear.
- Fanny and Alexander (1982): Bergman’s great family saga, winner of four Oscars.
- My Life as a Dog (1985): Lasse Hallström’s funny, tender story of a boy’s summer.
- Let the Right One In (2008): Tomas Alfredson’s snowbound vampire love story.
- Triangle of Sadness (2022): Ruben Östlund’s satire, his second Palme d’Or after The Square (2017).
The stars
Sweden has given Hollywood some of its greatest stars, and still does.
- Greta Garbo (1905–1990): the most famous face of Hollywood’s golden age.
- Ingrid Bergman (1915–1982): the star of Casablanca and the winner of three Oscars.
- Max von Sydow (1929–2020): Bergman’s knight in The Seventh Seal, and later a Hollywood favourite.
- Bibi Andersson and Harriet Andersson: Bergman’s great leading women.
- Stellan Skarsgård and his sons Alexander and Bill: a family of international stars.
- Alicia Vikander, Noomi Rapace and Rebecca Ferguson: from The Danish Girl, for which Vikander won the Oscar, to Mission: Impossible.
Where to watch in Stockholm
In Stockholm, the Swedish Film Institute’s Cinemateket shows Swedish and world classics, and every November the Stockholm International Film Festival brings the year’s best films to the city’s cinemas. Our page Stockholm on film tells the story of the city on screen.
Our advice: see a Bergman classic on the big screen, then walk the old town of Gamla Stan.
Stockholm International Film Festival Stockholm on film
Hidden on the silver screen: international productions filmed in Sweden
Stockholm’s winter light has drawn Hollywood too. David Fincher filmed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), with Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, in and around the city, following the Swedish film of 2009 with Noomi Rapace.
Swedes in Hollywood
Swedish talent has travelled ever since Garbo. Lasse Hallström went on to direct What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and Chocolat in America, Tomas Alfredson made Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy in Britain, and Swedish actors now star in everything from Marvel films to Dune.
Questions and answers
Which Swedish films have won the Palme d’Or?
Ruben Östlund has won it twice, for The Square (2017) and Triangle of Sadness (2022); before the prize was called the Palme d’Or, Alf Sjöberg’s Miss Julie shared the festival’s top prize in 1951.
Where can you visit Ingmar Bergman’s world?
Bergman lived and filmed on the island of Fårö, off Gotland, where the Bergman Center tells his story.
Join the conversation
Which Swedish film or star do you love most? Share your favourite scenes and the films we should add.
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Sources: the Swedish Film Institute, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Festival de Cannes, the Berlinale and La Biennale di Venezia, checked on 6 November 2026. The trailer is from NEON’s official channel.