Mikaela Kindblom: My 5 tips in Stockholm for film lovers

The large gate, studio offices, sound stages, casemate, and gatehouse in Gamla Filmstaden are reminders of when Sweden's era as a driving force in world cinema. Over 400 feature films were filmed, developed, and edited in the terracotta-orange buildings in Solna, just north of central Stockholm, between 1920 and 1973 (and a handful more, after the studio had officially closed).

Auteurs like Ingmar Bergman, Victor Sjöström, and Mauritz Stiller directed several features here, and the studio saw the rise of stars like Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman.

Now and then, Gamla Filmstaden still pops up as a filming location in a film or TV production. But the studio lights were turned off and the cameras stopped rolling a long time ago.

Even now there's much to see and experience at the former epicenter of Swedish film, though; a fact the European Film Academy has taken to heart. In the spring of 2024, Gamla Filmstaden was one of eight new additions to the Academy's "Treasures of European Film Culture"-list.

"It feels great", says Mikaela Kindblom project lead at the Filmstadens Kultur-foundation. "The Academy has directed a spotlight at us, signaling that we [Gamla Filmstaden] are worth visiting".

Filmstadens Kultur was founded in 2002 and works to preserve the memory of the former dream factory alive, primarily, with guided tours and film screenings, but also through annual events like a Christmas market and a summer mini-festival.

The gatehouse (once home to a feared guard and his dogs that kept tenacious autograph hunters at bay) has been turned into a café serving waffles, decorated with film posters and film-related memorabilia.

Mikaela hopes the recognition will make more interested in Filmstaden's old studio complex.

"Historically, it puts us in the same league as Rome's Fontana di Trevi where Anita Ekberg danced in La dolce vita, or the world-famous bookshop in Notting Hill. But it's also among the larger locations [that has gotten the recognition], and one of few places in northern Europe with an antique, preserved, studio".

Mikaela Kindblom's 5 best Stockholm tips for movie buffs

• Gamla Filmstaden: ”A wonderful place to discover and for a walk, any time of the year. Start at the café, with a fika, then join a guided tour, and finish with a movie in the theater. It's also easy to get here; take the subway from central Stockholm to Näckrosen."
• Djurgården (Ulla Winbladh) and Strandvägen: ”I love Hasse Ekman's films, many of which are set in Stockholm. In Private Entrance (1956) Hasse Ekman and Maj-Britt Nilsson have a waffle lunch at Ulla Winbladh [a restaurant on Djurgården, named Reinholds Ångbageri at the time of filming]. Afterward, they walk along Strandvägen to Nilsson's character's address and chat outside, sitting on rubble. A great scene, and a lovely walk."
• Skinnarviksberget: ”My third tip is linked to Ingmar Bergman's Summer with Monika (1953), a film full of Stockholm locations. For example, the lovely Skinnarviksparken, where Monika (Harriet Andersson) and Harry (Lars Ekborg) have their first date. Worth remembering when you're having a romantic picnic there!"
• Slottet (Norrbro): ”My fourth tip concerns Ingrid Bergman and Gösta Ekman Sr. falling in love on Norrbro in Intermezzo (1936), meaning the bridge connecting The Royal Palace and The Royal Opera House. I often stop here for a bit and smile to myself because that scene is obviously not shot at Norrbro... but on Gamla Fimstaden's soundstage."
• Odenplan: ”It would be a gross oversight not to mention the helicopter crash at Odenplan in Bo Wideberg's Man on the Roof (1974). Just imagine; Good Friday, 1974. Everyone in town has gathered at Odeplan to be extras in the film. And on top of that, you have a dangerous stunt where a helicopter is dropped over the metro's entrance. The film's DP refused to take the shot. It's actually Wideberg himself holding the camera. Wonderful film."