Mårten Nilsson, who was born in Sweden in 1962, has mostly worked as a photographer. But Nilsson has actually made short films for more than twenty years.

This he does in his own production company, Gnufilm, and in the company of fellow director Gunilla Heilborn and the multi talented artist Kim Hiorthøy. Since 1994 they have made films with a sense of irony that feels the pulse of the modern, individualist community.

This Is Alaska is a mockumentary, where a group of super liberals seeks the ultimate freedom and happiness in one of the far regions of the world, Alaska. In a satirical manner, the film chronicles the modern man’s pursuit of self-realization and individualism, which is driven to the absurd by letting the story unfold in deserted Alaska.

The short film is available on the DVD Funny Films of the North, which Rushprint has produced in collaboration with three other Nordic film magazines.

– Mårten Nilsson, how did you come up with the idea for This Is Alaska, and under what circumstances did it come into being?

– Gunilla made a dance performance at the opera in Gothenburg called Alaska. We made a film for it that was screened on stage. The film was about a freedom workshop that took place within the story of the performance. I liked the film and wanted to make it longer. I re-edited the film and it became This is Alaska. That is a good thing about films. They last long.

– What were your intentions with This Is Alaska?

– As many of our films, it deals with the theme of group versus individual. But ‘intentions’ … I just make films, that’s what I do. Art and entertainment.

– Are you inspired by any specific artists or works?

No.

– What was the greatest challenge about making This Is Alaska, artistically as well as practically?

– Half of the film is shot in a very small ski slope in Stockholm, the other half was shot in the North of Sweden, in a fantastic winter landscape. So half of the actors got a nice trip, and half of them only filmed in Stockholm with artificial snow. We work with people we know, nobody gets surprised by the methods we use. We are a close group, and that makes things quite easy.

DANCERS ARE GREAT ON FILM
– In what way are you using humour in This Is Alaska?

– Our performers are so funny. They are especially funny when they try to be really serious. They are also really good because they just keep on acting even if things turn out totally different from what was intended. For instance, they know that if they suddenly start laughing they should continue anyway. And that is when the best parts often come. They go into their characters and stay there. They know we don’t always tell them when the camera is rolling.

– Dancing has become sort of a trademark in your films. How come?

– Gunilla is a choreographer, that’s why. But we try to avoid dance more and more. However, dancers are so good in front of a camera. They don’t ask questions about their characters like actors do. So therefore we mainly work with dancers. They haven’t learned how to say things, they just say it.

-What can one achieve with comedy that the tragedy is not capable of?

– Hm, I think our film is very funny and tragic at the same time. These people are quite tragic, but watching them just turns out to be funny. Everyone needs to see funny things, everyone needs to laugh. I don’t want to call it comedy or tragedy or anything. Laughing is always good, in whatever context.

– Do you think that there exists a particular Nordic humour?

– No.

– What reactions do you wish to provoke in the audience with This Is Alaska?

– Uncertainty about what they are watching, and then laughter. For example, I love the feeling when you turn on the TV and see something and then ask yourself, “is this documentary, or?” Uncertainty is a good thing when it comes to art.

– How do you regard the result?

– Good. We started making this kind of films with a dance film that I re-edited to change it from a dance film into a documentary. We made some fake interviews, and suddenly we had a little documentary. And I didn’t have to say that everything wasn’t totally true, the film worked.

FEATURE FILM AND MASTER’S DEGREE

– What projects are you currently working on?

– We are working on a longer project, which perhaps evolves in to a feature film. We are making it slowly, bit by bit. I think the atmosphere around a film shooting is very important for how the film turns out in the end. I think it is important to film without stress. Then the film will be a good one.

– I’m also going to make some films for Gunilla’s upcoming stage piece at the Theater of Gothenburg in October. And I’m trying work on my Master’s degree at the University, but that is very unclear. I’m not sure what I am doing there. This autumn I’ll also try some teaching at the Film school in Gothenburg, I’m also very uncertain about what I will do there. I don’t know really what I can teach someone else, it is a challenge.

– Also, I will continue to prepare a feature film with my good friend Nanna. I am the director of photography. I always look for jobs as a cinematographer. That is what I want to do right now. I like that kind of clear roles when you film – director and cinematographer – as a contrast to our group activities.
 

By Mads Suldrup and Thomas S. Sejersen / Filmmagasinet Ekko

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