Wikipedia

Mattias Löw

Mattias Löw (born 17 September 1970) is a Swedish film director, documentary filmmaker[1] and photographer[2][3] based in Stockholm and Motala, who specializes in social issues documentaries and documentary photography.[4][5][6] He gives lectures and workshops on the topics of storytelling[7] and documentary filmmaking,[8] in addition to occasional acting.[9] His photographs from Burning Man, a week-long large-scale desert event focused on community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance, has been published and exhibited in various art galleries and museums around the world.[10][11][12]

Mattias Löw
Mattias Löw in Palermo, Italy
Born (1970-09-17) 17 September 1970 (age 54)
Nacka, Sweden
NationalitySwedish
Occupation(s)Film director, documentary filmmaker, photographer.
Years active1990–present
Notable workThe Referee, The Other Sport, The Wilderness Diva

Life and career

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Mattias Löw was born in Västerhaninge, Haninge Municipality, Sweden. After high school, he went on to study cinema arts and history at Stockholm University and screenwriting for film and TV at UCLA – University of California, Los Angeles.

1990s

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Beginning his career in the early 1990s as a short film and music video director.

During his studies at UCLA, Mattias Löw was a nominee and received honourable mention at the prestigious Diane Thomas Screenwriting Awards in 1997, presented by Steven Spielberg, Michael Douglas, Walter F. Parkes, Kathleen Turner and James L. Brooks.[13]

Upon return to his native Sweden from Los Angeles in the late 1990s, Mattias turned to documentaries and has won acclaim from critics and audiences alike, and been the recipient of several international television, film and journalism awards as well as arts grants[14] and stipends[15][16][17] for his social-, educational- and sport-themed documentaries primarily made for Swedish public broadcaster SVT – Sveriges Television and Canadian public broadcaster CBC Television – Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.[18]

2000s

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Since 2008 Mattias Löw collaborates with Sweden's number one adventure destination, the ephemeral Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi,[19] Swedish Laponia, making documentary shorts[20] about the artists and designers creating a temporary hotel made out of snow and sculpted blocks of ice.

Throughout the 2000s, Mattias Löw conducted classes and workshops at various schools and universities, including a senior external lectureship with focus on documentary and ethnographic storytelling in the Faculty of Humanities at University of Copenhagen, in addition to lectures and workshops on storytelling for user experience and design at Umeå Institute of Design.[21]

2010s

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In June 2010 Mattias Löw released The Referee,[22][23][24] documentary film about the Swedish FIFA referee Martin Hansson[25][26][27] and his tumultuous road to ref at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[28][29][30]

Mattias Löw's documentary TV-series The Other Sport[31][32][33] about the development of women's football since the 1960s was released in time for UEFA Women's Euro 2013 which was played in Sweden. The series centers around former and present football stars Pia Sundhage,[34] Marta Vieira da Silva, Lotta Schelin, Kosovare Asllani, Gunilla Paijkull, Anette Börjesson and Elisabeth Leidinge among others. The three episode limited series attracted over a million TV-viewers in Sweden.[35][36][37]

January 2015 Mattias Löw received Svenska Spel and the Swedish Sportjournalist Federation's Grant at the Swedish Sports Award – Svenska idrottsgalan.[38]

In 2015, his documentary film All the World in a Design School created headlines and political debate as it criticized the introduction of steep tuition fees for non-European students at Swedish universities.[39] The film follows a Turkish and a Chinese student during a study year at one of the world's top-ranked industrial design schools, UID – Umeå Institute of Design.[40]

2016, Mattias Löw released the one-hour documentary The Indian Priest[41][42] about Raphael Kurian, on a reverse mission. Raphael is a Catholic priest from Kerala in south India arriving in secular Sweden, and the documentary emphasizes the reversing of the direction of earlier missionary efforts.

Mattias Löw's photopoetry exhibition Aatman – The Universal Spirit with images from the annual Burning Man counterculture event in Black Rock Desert, Nevada debuted at Linköping Art Gallery in November 2018.[43][44] The exhibition was the first large scale public art gallery display of photographs from Burning Man in Sweden.[45] Part of the exhibition is on permanent display in Vallastaden, Linköping and another part at Spektrum in Ebbepark, Linköping.[46]

At the beginning of 2019 Mattias Löw guided a group of recently arrived refugees in a photography exhibition[47][48] at Linköping Art Gallery. The works showed a reality of asylum seeking youth arriving in Sweden during the European migrant crisis.

2020s

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In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in India Mattias Löw created the photo-essay exhibition 98 Days, dealing with worry, uncertainty and social distancing during the 2020 lockdown.[49][50] A digital exhibition with online viewing rooms of the project first appeared at Fotografisk Center in Copenhagen, Denmark during June, 2020.[51][52]

During July 2021, Swedish and Norwegian news media drew attention to the fact that Mattias Löw together with Academy Awards-nominated producer Mathias Fjellström is working on a documentary film about a red scarf, originally a gift from Skellefteå Municipality to relocated residents around Christmas 2017 that appeared on one of the insurgents during 2021 storming of the United States Capitol.[53][54][55][56]

In February 2022, Swedish newspapers from Norrbotten reported that Mattias Löw was making a documentary TV-series for Sveriges Television about Carina Henriksson, an opera diva from Tornedalen or Meänmaa, a culturally rich region at the border of Sweden and Finland. The series was broadcast on SVT and SVT Play in September and October 2023 with the Swedish title Vildmarksdivan, and international title The Wilderness Diva.[57][58][59]

In the summer of 2022, when the COVID-19 pandemic's restrictions were lifted, Mattias Löw exhibited photographs, essays and video works under the title Fångad i rädsla - Frozen in Fear about his experiences of worry, uncertainty and social distancing in India in the spring and summer of 2020.[60]

In connection with the mud chaos at Burning Man in 2023, Mattias Löw documented audio-visual content that were shared in world media.[61][62] The documentation led to the photo essay and following exhibition What really happened at Burning Man?[63][64] Updated works were exhibited in connection with Burning Man 2024, as Löw also explained the events' ten principles to national Swedish TV audiences.[65][66][67][68]

During summer of 2024, Sveriges Television reported that Löw is making a feature documentary about Hans Söderström, a well-known gold panner from Sweden's northern most region Norrbotten with the title The Gold Panner from Lannavaara. The film is expected to premiere in 2025.[69]

Together with the American photographer Scott London, Mattias Löw is working on a photo essay publication and exhbition about Östergötland's many medieval churches.[70]

Works

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Exhibitions

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  • Aatman – The Universal Spirit, 2018[71]
  • 98 Days, 2020[72][73][74]
  • Fångad i rädsla - Frozen in Fear, 2022[75]
  • Burning Man, Permanent Installation in Spektrum, Linköping from 2022[76]

Bibliography

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  • Aatman – The Universal Spirit, 2018[77][78]

Filmography

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Awards and nominations

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References

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  1. ^ Israelsson, Marit (2 December 2021). "The documentary filmmaker speaks about the man with the Swedish scarf at the U.S. Capitol". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  2. ^ Vaswani, Anjana. "A summer of fear". Mumbai Mirror/The Times of India. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  3. ^ Yussuf, Mohamed (13 July 2020). "The visit to India turned into an art project". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  4. ^ Adelai, Amina (23 July 2020). "New photo project depicts India's brutal corona strategy". SVT (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  5. ^ Carlsson, Oskar (17 July 2020). "98 days in the world's biggest quarantine". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  6. ^ "India closed down: "A fight for survival"". TV4 (in Swedish). TV4. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  7. ^ "Storytelling at UID". UID. Umeå Institute of Design. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  8. ^ "Workshop on Film Making". The New Indian Express. The New Indian Express. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  9. ^ "Q&A World Premiere". GFF. Göteborg Filmfestival. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  10. ^ Rolla, Divya (12 September 2018). "Drama in the desert". The Hindu. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  11. ^ Ahl, Fredrik (10 January 2019). "Unique exhibition about Burning Man". SVT (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  12. ^ Nentwig, Katharina (31 October 2024). "Burning Man: Another festival in financial difficulties". DJ LAB (in German). DJ LAB. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  13. ^ Johnson, Ted (24 February 1997). "Pool wins UCLA screenwriting award". Variety. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  14. ^ "Arts Grant" (in Swedish). The Swedish Arts Grants Committee. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
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  16. ^ "Stipends for Swedish Journalists" (in Swedish). The Swedish Union of Journalists. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  17. ^ "Stipend" (in Swedish). The Swedish Publicist Club. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  18. ^ Hosein, Lise. "Exhibitionists". CBC Arts. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  19. ^ "Mattias Löw directing Canadian ice sculptors". CBC Arts. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  20. ^ "Ice Carosello at InterFilm". InterFilm. InterFilm. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  21. ^ "Storytelling in Design". UID. Umeå Institute of Design. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  22. ^ Kuper, Simon (11 February 2011). "Mattias Löw Interview". Financial Times. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  23. ^ Lamont, Tom (23 January 2021). "The Referee Article". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  24. ^ Delaney, Miguel (25 June 2016). "The Referee Article". ESPN. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  25. ^ "Sweden's 'Hand of Henry' ref Hansson quits". Reuters. 4 July 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  26. ^ "Henry handball referee quits football". ESPN. 4 July 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  27. ^ "Sweden's 'Hand of Henry' ref Martin Hansson quits". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  28. ^ Diallo, Raf. "Mattias Löw Interview". Newstalk. Off The Ball. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  29. ^ "The Martin Hansson documentary". Player FM. Team33. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  30. ^ Whooley, Declan (17 November 2019). "The firefighter, handball and the real impact of Paris". RTE.ie. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
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  32. ^ Modin, Jenny (14 June 2013). "The Other Sport Chapter One". SVT (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  33. ^ Modin, Jenny (17 June 2013). "Lotta Schelin felt like she disappeared". SVT (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  34. ^ Frohm, Mikael (18 June 2013). "Pia Sundhage – 50 years of women's football". Allas (in Swedish). Allas. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
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  36. ^ "I Vincitori Del 35° International Sport Film Festival Di Palermo". Giornale Cittadino Press (in Italian). Giornale Cittadino Press. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
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  41. ^ "The Indian Priest Review". The Hindu. 6 October 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  42. ^ Persson, Gunnel (21 September 2015). "The Indian Priest". Sydöstran (in Swedish). Sydöstran. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  43. ^ Paitandy, Priyadarshini (12 September 2018). "Burn down the night". The Hindu. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  44. ^ Pihlblad, Micke (24 November 2018). "Mattias Löw caught the madness with his camera". Corren (in Swedish). Östgöta Correspondenten. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  45. ^ "Mattias Löw Radio Interview". SR (in Swedish). Sveriges Radio. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  46. ^ "Art at work in the future". Sankt Kors (in Swedish). Sankt Kors. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  47. ^ Lindskog, Mikko (13 February 2019). "Refugees create a photography exhibition". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  48. ^ Bomgren, Victor (10 February 2019). "Integration with the help of the camera". Affärsliv.com (in Swedish). Affärsliv/Corren. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  49. ^ "98 Days - Frozen in Fear" (PDF). Amnesty Press (in Swedish). Amnesty International. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  50. ^ "The photo-essay "98 Days" - Eyes speak of India's lockdown". Sydasien (in Swedish). Sydasien. 17 July 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  51. ^ Kala Bhavani, Divya (6 June 2020). "What the world can learn from Mattias Löw's COVID-19 photo essay '98 Days: Frozen in Fear'". The Hindu. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  52. ^ Theresa, Deena. "Chronicling a crisis". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  53. ^ Braslow, Samuel (10 August 2023). "A Hollywood Insurrectionist's Path to Extremism". The Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  54. ^ Israelsson, Marit (16 July 2021). "Production on the red scarf story under way in Skellefteå". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  55. ^ Marklund, Daniel (7 July 2021). "The mystery surrounding the scarf becomes a documentary". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  56. ^ "The story about the scarf becomes a film". SR (in Swedish). Sveriges Radio. 6 July 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  57. ^ Åström, Eva (25 February 2022). "New series about the opera singer from Tornedalen". PT (in Swedish). Piteå-Tidningen. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  58. ^ Skoglund, Johan E. (28 February 2022). "Powerfully condensed requiem is reminiscent of the horrors of war". NSD (in Swedish). Norrländska Socialdemokraten. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  59. ^ Åström, Eva (27 September 2023). "New series about the opera singer from Tornedalen". SVT Play (in Swedish). Swedish Television. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  60. ^ Rimstedt, Anton (25 April 2022). "Mattias and Reshma were in the epicenter of the pandemic - exhibits in Godegård Church". Östgötatidningen (in Swedish). Östgötatidningen. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  61. ^ Ahl, Dinah (5 September 2023). "Mattias was at Burning Man during the mud chaos: "People have stood up for each other"". SR (in Swedish). Swedish Radio. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
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  63. ^ Löw, Mattias (17 September 2023). "What really happened at Burning Man?". ETC (in Swedish). Dagens ETC. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  64. ^ Fakharany, Nour (19 September 2023). "A Living Knit Pavilion and A Temple of The Heart: 10 Installations and Pavilions at Burning Man 2023". ArchDaily. ArchDaily. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  65. ^ "What really happened at Burning Man?". TV4 (in Swedish). TV4. 26 August 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  66. ^ "Hyped festival in the Nevada desert attracts many - "A big challenge"". TV4 (in Swedish). TV4. 12 September 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  67. ^ "ATABEY's Treasure". CODAworx. CODAworx. 12 September 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  68. ^ "Is Burning Man headed for failure?". klubskascena.hr (in Croatian). klubskascena.hr. 31 October 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  69. ^ Lindmark, Linnéa (31 July 2024). "Norrbotten's own Indiana Jones digs for gold in Ghana". SVT Play (in Swedish). Swedish Television. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  70. ^ Lindmark, Linnéa (19 July 2024). "Documents medieval churches in Östergötland: "Must be experienced"". SVT Play. Swedish Television. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  71. ^ Pihlblad, Micke (24 September 2019). "The return to Burning Man". Corren (in Swedish). Östgöta Correspondenten. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  72. ^ Larsson, Carl (27 June 2020). "Documented the pandemic in India - had to escape from the police". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  73. ^ Bjurs, Sofia (27 May 2020). "They defy the curfew for the art". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  74. ^ "98 days of corona fear in India". Fine Spind (in Danish). Kulturmagasinet Fine Spind. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  75. ^ Larsson, Carl (6 May 2022). ""Fångad i rädsla" - A unique exhibition about India's really tough lockdown". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  76. ^ "Art in the future working life". Sankt Kors (in Swedish). Sankt Kors. 29 November 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  77. ^ Sundén, Philip (13 February 2019). "Images from an uncomfortable reality". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  78. ^ "Aatman – The Universal Spirit". TT (in Swedish). Tidningarnas Telegrambyrå. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  79. ^ "Wounderland at FilmWeb" (in Polish). FilmWeb. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
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  92. ^ "The Indian Priest Review". Moviebuff. Moviebuff. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  93. ^ "Film Festival". IFTF. BH Tour Film Festival. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  94. ^ "Mattias Löw on CBC Arts". CBC Arts. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  95. ^ Karlsson, Eva (24 May 2022). "A unique exhibition in Godegård Church". Länstidningen (in Swedish). Länstidningen. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  96. ^ Åström, Eva (24 February 2022). "New series about the opera singer from Tornedalen". Kuriren (in Swedish). Norrbottens-Kuriren. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  97. ^ Awards for Mattias Löw IMDb. Retrieved on 8 July 2020
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