Niclas Larsson started his on-screen career early on as an actor, and already during his teens he began directing his own shorts and music videos, borrowing camera equipment from the productions he worked at. After graduating theatre school in 2009, he enrolled at USC Cinema School. At the age of 21, he finished his acclaimed short Vatten, which earned him the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for ‘Best Short’ at the prestigious Gothenburg Film Festival in 2013. Vatten also opened up the eyes of the advertising world to Larsson’s powerful visuals and effective storytelling, and he soon became one of the top commercial directors in the world, sharing a space with directors like Spike Jonze and Mike Mills at the renowned production house MJZ.

Larsson is also the director of two celebrated shorts made for Vogue, starring Alicia Vikander and Anna Wintour: The Magic Diner Part I and II.

Larsson is on the road towards carving a strong career as a multidisciplinary storyteller, and is currently working on multiple projects of varying formats.

Björn Natthiko Lindeblad (b.1961) is a Swedish public speaker, meditation teacher and former Buddhist monk. In his mid-twenties Björn swapped his career as a business executive for life as a forest monk in the jungles of Thailand. There he was given the name Natthiko, meaning “one who grows in wisdom.” His book I May Be Wrong has won the hearts and minds of the Swedish people and tells the story of Björn’s life journey and the hard-won insights he’s gained into how one can live a more free and present life. The book, written in close collaboration with Björn’s friends and colleagues Caroline Bankler and Navid Modiri, became an instant No. 1 bestseller.

Caroline Bankler (b.1983 ) is a Swedish producer and project manager. Caroline was the producer of Björn Natthiko Lindeblad’s acclaimed nationwide tour Keys to freedom.

Navid Modiri (b.1983) is a podcaster, speaker and author. He has worked as a TV- and radio host and is a popular speaker on the topics of creativity and diversity.

As is tradition, SVT’s annual Christmas Calendar will premiere on December 1, this Tuesday. This year’s Christmas Calendar, Miracle, has already received great reviews in Swedish press. Svenska Dagbladet has called it “the most successful Christmas Calendar in nine years,” and Aftonbladet described it as “fun, exciting, educational and well-acted.”

Miracle is directed by Calle Åstrand and written by Peter Arrhenius, Fredrik Agetoft and Sara Young.

Kristina Ohlsson’s third Martin Benner title, To Him Who Knocks, stays put at No. 5 on the paperback list in Norway. Lars Kepler also repeat their performance from the past weeks, coming in at No. 1 in e-books with The Mirror Man. The No. 5 spot goes to Jørn Lier Horst’s A Question of Guilt.

The Petrona Award’s jury has just presented its shortlist for the 2020 Petrona Award for ‘Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year.’ The list of six nominees include Antti Tuomainen’s Little Siberia, Stina Jackson’s The Silver Road, Jørn Lier Horst’s The Cabin, Yrsa Sigurðardóttir’s The Absolution and Thomas Enger’s Inborn.

A quote from the judges about the titles shortlisted for this year’s award:

“The Petrona Award judges selected the shortlist from a rich field. The six novels stand out for their writing, characterisation, plotting, and overall quality. They are original and inventive, often pushing the boundaries of genre conventions, and tackle highly complex subjects such as legacies of the past, mental health issues and the effects of grief.”

The winning title, usually announced at the international crime fiction convention CrimeFest, will now be announced on Thursday 3 December, 2020.

Jonas Gardell’s Don’t Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves tells the heart-wrenching story of the lovers Benjamin and Rasmus and their group of friends in Stockholm, focusing on the early and mid-80s when the AIDS crisis became fact. The trilogy, a romantic fiction in three parts (1: Love, 2: Disease, 3: Death), chronicles the gay movement in Sweden and the world, holding up a furious mirror to the times lest we forget those who went before us, and the battles they fought for freedom, love, and the right to live.

Don’t Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves: 1. Love

When Rasmus steps off the train in Stockholm in September 1982, he’s leaving stuffy little Koppom behind for good. Young and beautiful, he throws himself into the welcoming arms of the LGBTQ community.

Benjamin is a Jehova’s Witness, knocking on doors to spread God’s word. Nothing can shake his faith. Until the day he rings the doorbell of Paul, the kindest, funniest and bitchiest gay God ever made.

Then on Christmas Eve, as snow covers the city’s rooftops, Rasmus and Benjamin meet. Things are never the same again.

This is a true story: It happened here, in this city, on these streets, among these people. In a city where people continued to live their lives as if nothing had changed, young men began to sicken, to fade, and to die.