Gabriela Pichler

“To me, film continues to be a living material far into the editing and postproduction process.”

As a director, screenwriter and editor, Gabriela Pichler directs her gaze to everyday life and experiences only rarely depicted in Swedish films. With an eye that is just as keen as it is warm, she lets people – with all their quirks and contradictions – take center stage while she captures the funny and tragicomic aspects of our daily existence with a light hand.

Motivation:

Gabriela Pichler has a gift for inclusive storytelling, showcasing people and places that are otherwise rarely seen on screen. Involved every step of the way, from screenwriting and directing to filming and editing, she also adds a special flavor to her work by using amateur actors. These methods give Gabriela Pichler’s films a distinct voice of their  own.

She studied filmmaking at what is presently HDK-Valand at the University of Gothenburg and her debut feature film Äta Sova Dö (“Eat, Sleep, Die”) released in 2012, received four  Guldbagge awards. In her acclaimed TV series set in Gothenburg,  Painkiller, Pichler treats us to a port city going through massive change and complex mother-daughter dynamics.

For her ability to capture our time from her own point of view with humor, warmth and gravitas, Gabriela Pichler is awarded the 2024 Culture Scholarship by the Sten A Olsson Foundation for Research and Culture.