Glowing Stars
Encyclopedia
Glowing Stars is a Swedish film based on the award-winning novel of the same name by author Johanna Thydell. It revolves around a girl named Jenna who has to deal with her teenage life while at the same time taking care of her mother who is sick with cancer. The film was directed by Lisa Siwe
and written by Linn Gottfridsson. It premiered in Swedish theaters on 30 January 2009 and received critical acclaim from critics. Glowing Stars won several film awards.
Glowing Stars deals with the difficulty of losing a loved one to death. But it is also a film about friendship, identity, and survival.
and written by Linn Gottfridsson. It was their feature-length film debut, and they worked closely together as a team on the film. They told the newspaper Gotlands Allehanda that they complement each other well; Siwe "has strong ideas" while Gottfridsson "is really good at psychology". They also explained that they met "thanks to a teacher at Dramatiska Institutet
, who brought us together. It was a lucky match. We like the same type of films and we want to tell the same type of stories."
Siwe began reading the 2003 novel I taket lyser stjärnorna by Johanna Thydell late at night one day and she could not put it away until she had read the whole book. "I cried and cried and if my husband had not laid beside me I would have shrieked right out," she told Dagens Nyheter
. After finishing the novel, Siwe received the idea to adapt it into a film together with Gottfridsson. Once they acquired the rights from the author they began planning the film. "First, Linn and I talked together on what we wanted to keep [from the novel]. The book cannot be translated into film. We have great respect for the book and the film must stand on its own legs. And even if we have [made changes to the story], we have stayed faithful to the essence," Siwe said.
Josephine Mattson was cast in the lead role of Jenna and it became her acting debut. Siwe searched a long time for an actor to play the role, and she was not pleased until she found Mattson. She explains that the reason for that is that Mattson was a regular girl and not an "actor-wannabe". The film was shot in Trollhättan
and Vänersborg
. Filming began in June 2008. According to Siwe, the hospital scenes largely affected the film team emotionally, and a lot of crew members were crying during the filming.
The pre-production
, production, and post-production
of Glowing Stars lasted for five years. After the film was completed, Siwe told Norrköpings Tidningar
that "I am proud of the acting, the manuscript, the photography — and that I was able to make the film. It has been a heavy ride. But I didn't feel that until afterwards." She also commented on the writing process: "I didn't want to stop until I had a really good manuscript because I felt such strong respect for Johanna and her book. Johanna has never said that she wrote a children's book, and adults can also read it with great enjoyment. I want to achieve the same thing with the film."
, and the film was met with much praise from critics. The acclaim continued after it was released in theaters. Christer Uggeldahl of Hufvudstadsbladet
gave the film four out of five stars, praising the director and the cast. He wrote that the actors are "as bold as they are skillful", and added that, because of her feeling for nuances, it is hard to tell that this is Siwe's directing debut. "Here we have a director who knows a girl's room inside and out and who knows how to switch between images and words, between the quietness and the pop soundtrack." Åsa Johansson of Dalarnas Tidningar
also praised the film, commenting that the "fantastically well-written dialog" and the debuting actors brought the characters to life. She added that the film made her cry, in part because Josefine Mattsson was able to make Jenna's frustration seem so complex.
Glowing Stars won the "Film of the Year" award at the Gothenburg Film Festival, with the 50,000 Swedish kronor prize money going to Siwe. The winner is decided by the audience members of the festival. The two other films nominated in the category were The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Prinsessa. Glowing Stars was also nominated for "Best Picture" at the Guldbagge Awards. This award, however, is given by a jury and not regular people as with the Gothenburg Film Festival. The film lost to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Siwe, however, won the Guldbagge Award for "Best Director", and Anki Lidén (Jenna's grandmother) was awarded with "Best Actress in a Supporting Role".
The film also won awards at international festivals, including the Canadian "Students Choice Award" at Sprockets Toronto International Film Festival for Children and the Norwegian "Don Quijote Award" at Kristiansand International Children's Film Festival
.
Glowing Stars debuted in second place on the Swedish box office chart.
Lisa Siwe
Lisa Christina Siwe is an award-winning Swedish director from Tynnered, Gothenburg.She studied directing at Dramatiska Institutet in Stockholm and graduated in 1999. As part of her studies there, Siwe directed the 30-minute short film Födelsedagar och andra katastrofer...
and written by Linn Gottfridsson. It premiered in Swedish theaters on 30 January 2009 and received critical acclaim from critics. Glowing Stars won several film awards.
Plot
Jenna is a girl currently in the seventh grade. Like a normal teenage girl, she worries about her breasts not growing, why she is not as popular as Ullis, and how she can get Sakke to fall in love with her or at least notice that she exists. When Jenna's mother is diagnosed with cancer, they are forced to move to Jenna's grandmother, who Jenna finds annoying. Jenna's grandmother lives next door to Ullis, who is living with her alcoholic mother. A friendship begins to grow between Jenna and Ullis after they realize that they both have struggling mothers. Eventually, Jenna's mother passes away at the hospital.Glowing Stars deals with the difficulty of losing a loved one to death. But it is also a film about friendship, identity, and survival.
Cast
- Josefine Mattsson as Jenna
- Mika Berndtsdotter Ahlén as Ullis
- Annika Hallin as Jenna's mother
- Anki Lidén as Jenna's grandmother
- Samuel HausSamuel HausSamuel Haus, born April 1, 1990 in Iaşi, Romania, is a Swedish actor. He is most known for portraying the role of Tsatsiki in the Swedish film Tsatsiki, Morsan och Polisen.-Filmography:*1999 - Tsatsiki, Morsan och Polisen...
as Sakke - Judith Rindeskog as Susanna
- Charlie Gustafsson as Oscar
- Marcus Jansson as Henke
- Nina Christensen as Carro
Production
The film was directed by Lisa SiweLisa Siwe
Lisa Christina Siwe is an award-winning Swedish director from Tynnered, Gothenburg.She studied directing at Dramatiska Institutet in Stockholm and graduated in 1999. As part of her studies there, Siwe directed the 30-minute short film Födelsedagar och andra katastrofer...
and written by Linn Gottfridsson. It was their feature-length film debut, and they worked closely together as a team on the film. They told the newspaper Gotlands Allehanda that they complement each other well; Siwe "has strong ideas" while Gottfridsson "is really good at psychology". They also explained that they met "thanks to a teacher at Dramatiska Institutet
Dramatiska Institutet
Dramatiska Institutet or University College of Film, Radio, Television and Theatre is a Swedish university college in Stockholm that provides education programs about activities surrounding film, radio, television, and theater. It was founded in 1970 by the Swedish government...
, who brought us together. It was a lucky match. We like the same type of films and we want to tell the same type of stories."
Siwe began reading the 2003 novel I taket lyser stjärnorna by Johanna Thydell late at night one day and she could not put it away until she had read the whole book. "I cried and cried and if my husband had not laid beside me I would have shrieked right out," she told Dagens Nyheter
Dagens Nyheter
is a daily newspaper in Sweden. It has the largest circulation of Swedish morning newspapers, followed by Göteborgs-Posten and Svenska Dagbladet, and is the only morning newspaper that is distributed to subscribers across the whole country. In 2009 DN had a circulation of 316,000, reaching 881...
. After finishing the novel, Siwe received the idea to adapt it into a film together with Gottfridsson. Once they acquired the rights from the author they began planning the film. "First, Linn and I talked together on what we wanted to keep [from the novel]. The book cannot be translated into film. We have great respect for the book and the film must stand on its own legs. And even if we have [made changes to the story], we have stayed faithful to the essence," Siwe said.
Josephine Mattson was cast in the lead role of Jenna and it became her acting debut. Siwe searched a long time for an actor to play the role, and she was not pleased until she found Mattson. She explains that the reason for that is that Mattson was a regular girl and not an "actor-wannabe". The film was shot in Trollhättan
Trollhättan
Trollhättan is a city and the seat of Trollhättan Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 44,498 inhabitants in 2005. It is located 75 km north of Sweden's second-largest city, Gothenburg....
and Vänersborg
Vänersborg
Vänersborg is a locality and the seat of Vänersborg Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 21,672 inhabitants in 2005. Until 1997 it was the capital of Älvsborg County, which was dissolved in 1998. Since 1999 Vänersborg is the seat of the regional parliament of Västra Götaland County...
. Filming began in June 2008. According to Siwe, the hospital scenes largely affected the film team emotionally, and a lot of crew members were crying during the filming.
The pre-production
Pre-production
Pre-production or In Production is the process of preparing all the elements involved in a film, play, or other performance.- In film :...
, production, and post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
of Glowing Stars lasted for five years. After the film was completed, Siwe told Norrköpings Tidningar
Norrköpings Tidningar
Norrköpings Tidningar , also known as NT, is a Swedish daily newspaper with its main distribution in northern and eastern Östergötland. The newspaper was founded in 1758 as the Norrköping Weko-Tidningar, and published its first issue on October 14 of that year...
that "I am proud of the acting, the manuscript, the photography — and that I was able to make the film. It has been a heavy ride. But I didn't feel that until afterwards." She also commented on the writing process: "I didn't want to stop until I had a really good manuscript because I felt such strong respect for Johanna and her book. Johanna has never said that she wrote a children's book, and adults can also read it with great enjoyment. I want to achieve the same thing with the film."
Reception
The world premiere of Glowing Stars occurred at the 2009 Gothenburg Film FestivalGothenburg Film Festival
Göteborg International Film Festival is an annual film festival in Gothenburg, Sweden, launched in 1979. The first year the festival showed 17 films on 3 screens, and had 3 000 visitors. Today, the film festival is the biggest in Scandinavia and takes place 10 days every year between January and...
, and the film was met with much praise from critics. The acclaim continued after it was released in theaters. Christer Uggeldahl of Hufvudstadsbladet
Hufvudstadsbladet
Hufvudstadsbladet is the highest-circulation Swedish-language newspaper in Finland. Its headquarters are located in Helsinki, the capital of Finland. The name of the newspaper translates approximately into "The Capital City Newspaper", hufvudstad being 19th century Swedish for capital...
gave the film four out of five stars, praising the director and the cast. He wrote that the actors are "as bold as they are skillful", and added that, because of her feeling for nuances, it is hard to tell that this is Siwe's directing debut. "Here we have a director who knows a girl's room inside and out and who knows how to switch between images and words, between the quietness and the pop soundtrack." Åsa Johansson of Dalarnas Tidningar
Dalarnas Tidningar
Dalarnas Tidningar is a Swedish media company founded in 1987 by the merger of two companies, Falu-Kuriren AB with the newspaper Falu Kuriren and Dalarnes Tidnings- och Boktryckeri AB with newspapers Borlänge Tidning, Nya Ludvika Tidning, Mora Tidning and Södra Dalarnes Tidning. These local...
also praised the film, commenting that the "fantastically well-written dialog" and the debuting actors brought the characters to life. She added that the film made her cry, in part because Josefine Mattsson was able to make Jenna's frustration seem so complex.
Glowing Stars won the "Film of the Year" award at the Gothenburg Film Festival, with the 50,000 Swedish kronor prize money going to Siwe. The winner is decided by the audience members of the festival. The two other films nominated in the category were The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Prinsessa. Glowing Stars was also nominated for "Best Picture" at the Guldbagge Awards. This award, however, is given by a jury and not regular people as with the Gothenburg Film Festival. The film lost to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Siwe, however, won the Guldbagge Award for "Best Director", and Anki Lidén (Jenna's grandmother) was awarded with "Best Actress in a Supporting Role".
The film also won awards at international festivals, including the Canadian "Students Choice Award" at Sprockets Toronto International Film Festival for Children and the Norwegian "Don Quijote Award" at Kristiansand International Children's Film Festival
Kristiansand International Children's Film Festival
Kristiansand International Children's Film Festival is an organised, extended presentation of international children's films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality...
.
Glowing Stars debuted in second place on the Swedish box office chart.