Framgångarna fortsätter för svensk film även under 2009. Nu står det klart att Lukas Moodyssons nya film Mammut har blivit uttagen till huvudtävlingen på Berlins internationella filmfestival 2009.
Michelle Williams and Gael Garcia Bernal in Mammoth Photo: Memfis Film
A favourite among festivals
Lukas Moodysson commented:
- I am very happy! Berlin is my favourite film festival, it has been so since "Fucking Åmål" was screened there 10 years ago.
- Wonderful! An invitation for competition in Berlin is proof that we have accomplished what we set out to achieve. A strong Lukas Moodysson-film with international appeal, says the film’s producer Lars Jönsson.
The story
Mammoth revolves around successful New York couple Leo (Gael García Bernal) and Ellen (Michelle Williams).
Leo is the creator of a booming website, and has stumbled into a world of money and big decisions. Ellen is a dedicated emergency surgeon who devotes her long shifts to saving lives.
Their 8-year old daughter Jackie spends most of her time with her Filipino nanny Gloria, a situation that is making Ellen start to question her priorities. When Leo travels to Thailand on business, he unwittingly sets off a chain of events that will have dramatic consequences for everyone.
- The film is about families, it´s about parents and children, and how we behave towards children, both our own and others. It is about how we all of us on this planet are interconnected with each other, whether we like it or not. And how we all need each other, says Lukas Moodysson about the film. Cast and production The main roles are played by the international stars Gael García Bernal and Michelle Williams. After performances in films such as "Babel", "Amores Perros", "The Science of Sleep" and "The Motorcycle Diaries" Bernal has become one of the film world's most esteemed actors.
Michelle Williams got her big breakthrough when she was Oscar nominated for "Brokeback Mountain". Since then she has participated in films such as I'm not there, "Synecdoche, New York" and recently "Wendy & Lucy". Michelle Williams have one of the roles in Martin Scorsese´s upcoming "Shutter Island".
Mammoth is produced by Lars Jönsson of Memfis Film, who have produced all of Moodysson´s previous feature films, among them "Fucking Åmål" (aka "Show Me Love"), "Together" and "Lilya 4-ever". The filming took place in New York, Thailand, Philippines and Sweden. A Swedish/German/Danish co-production, Mammoth is produced by Memfis Film in co-production with Zentropa Entertainments Berlin, Film i Väst, SVT, Medienboard Berlin, Filmförderungsanstalt, Zentropa Denmark, TV2 Denmark, Nordic Film- & TV Fund, Eurimages and supported by Danish Filminstitute and Swedish Filminstitute. International sales for the film are handled by TrustNordisk, Denmark.
The Berlin International Film Festival runs between 5 and 15 February 2009.
Further information and stills:
Charles McDonald
International press agent
charles@charlesmcdonald.co.uk
+44 207 736 3445