Jan Troell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jan Troell
Troell at the 2013 Stockholm Film Festival
Born	Jan Gustaf Troell (1931-07-23) 23 July 1931 (age 93) Malmö, Sweden
Nationality	Swedish
Occupation	Film director
Years active	1966–present
Spouse(s)	Agneta Ulfsäter

Jan Gustaf Troell, born on July 23, 1931, is a famous Swedish film director, writer, and cinematographer. He is known for making realistic movies that often show beautiful nature scenes. Many people consider him one of the best Swedish film directors, alongside other greats like Ingmar Bergman.

Life and Career of Jan Troell

Jan Troell was born in Limhamn, a town near Malmö, Sweden. Before becoming a filmmaker, he worked as an elementary school teacher for several years. In the 1960s, he started making short films.

In 1965, he helped make a film called 4x4. This film was shown at the 4th Moscow International Film Festival. He also worked as a director of photography (the person in charge of how a film is shot) for another director, Bo Widerberg.

Soon after, Troell directed his first full-length movie, Here's Your Life (Här har du ditt liv), in 1966. This film was about a working-class boy in Sweden at the start of the 20th century. It was based on a book by Eyvind Johnson. For this film, Troell won the Guldbagge Award for Best Director. His next film, Who Saw Him Die? (Ole dole doff, 1968), won the top prize, the Golden Bear, at the 18th Berlin International Film Festival.

Famous Films: The Emigrants and The New Land

In the 1970s, Troell made two very important films: The Emigrants (Utvandrarna, 1971) and its follow-up, The New Land (Nybyggarna, 1972). These movies tell the epic story of Swedish farmers who left their poor homeland to start a new life in America in the 1800s.

These films were based on popular novels by Vilhelm Moberg. A famous actor, Max von Sydow, played a main role in these movies, as he did in many of Troell's films. The Emigrants was even nominated for several Academy Awards in the United States.

Later Works and Documentaries

After a short time working in Hollywood, where he made films like Zandy's Bride (1974) with Gene Hackman, Troell returned to Sweden. In 1982, he directed Flight of the Eagle (Ingenjör Andrées luftfärd). This film was about S. A. Andrée's difficult Arctic balloon expedition in 1897. The Flight of the Eagle was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

In 1991, Troell made Il Capitano: A Swedish Requiem (Il Capitano). This film explored the relationship between a person who committed a crime and their girlfriend. It won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival and also the award for Best Film at the 27th Guldbagge Awards.

Jan Troell has also made many interesting documentaries. For example, Land of Dreams (Sagolandet, 1988) looked at how modern society sometimes feels disconnected from nature. Another documentary, A Frozen Dream (En frusen dröm, 1997), revisited the story of Andrée's polar expedition.

Troell has shared some of his favorite movies, which include classic animated films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and other well-known films like Modern Times and Some Like It Hot.

Even in his 80s, Jan Troell has continued to make films. His recent works include As White as in Snow (Så vit som en snö, 2001), which was about the Swedish aviator Elsa Andersson. He also made Everlasting Moments (Maria Larssons eviga ögonblick, 2008), a film based on the life of a working-class photographer named Maria Larsson. His most recent film, The Last Sentence (Dom över död man), released in 2012, is a film about the Swedish writer Torgny Segerstedt. At the Stockholm International Film Festival in 2012, Troell received a special Lifetime Achievement Award for his amazing work.

Filmography

Fiction Feature Films

Documentary Feature Films

Short Films

Cinematography Only

See also

In Spanish: Jan Troell para niños