The Year of Bergman 2018

The Year of Bergman 2018 celebrates the rich legacy of Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday on July 14, 2018.  

  • Ingmar Bergman. Photo: Bengt Wanselius
  • Time magazine’s March 14, 1960 cover featured Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman; an illustration with him in the forefront of a scene from his movie The Magician, released in the U.S. at the peak of his career in August 1959. He was 41 years old and well known around the world for his dark but powerfully creative portrayals of death and mortality, faith, betrayal and insanity. He went on to write and produce film, television, theater and radio until he retired in 2003. He died four years later at the age of 89; and 2018 is dedicated to him: The Year of Bergman 2018 celebrates the rich legacy of the great Ingmar Bergman who would have been 100 years old on July 14, 2018.

  • Ingmar Bergman instructing his actors for a scene in the Ekdahl family home (Fanny & Alexander, 1982). Photo courtesy Cinematograph AB/Sandrew Film & Teater (1982)
  • For a unique glimpse of Bergman's not-so-publicized debut at Norra Latin High School in Stockholm in 1940: The only director we could get ...

  • Make Life Sweder. A subscription to Nordstjernan is the gift that keeps coming: <a href="http://www.nordstjernan.com/subscribe">SUBSCRIBE to Nordstjernan</a> Treat yourself or order it for someone you care about. (Stay on top of food - collect recipes - follow film, music and Swedish events or traditions that concern us in the United States)
  • The Year of Bergman 2018 is already underway, with more than 100 events, exhibits, performances and special screenings scheduled around the world.
    In time for this centennial celebration, the Swedish Film Institute digitized each and every one of Ingmar Bergman’s cinematic films, so his life works are now available for screening.
    The exhibition “Bergman à la mode” opened in November at the Hallwyl Museum in Stockholm, kicking off The Year of Bergman 2018. The exhibition displays women’s costumes from the Bergman films set during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the period during which the Hallwyl family lived and worked in their palace. Women play central roles throughout Bergman’s vast film production; they are sometimes referred to as the “Bergman female.” See the exhibit through March 18, 2018.
    The Ingmar Bergman Foundation, in collaboration with Norstedts publishing house, released Ingmar Bergman A—Ö, a pocket guide to the world of Ingmar Bergman. A collection of 146 anecdotal trivia and unknown facts, Ingmar Bergman A-Ö shows the many faces and facets of an artist who transformed the medium of film.
    There’s also a collection of interviews, titled Bergman Anecdotes, from numerous people who worked with Bergman and can recount stories that have never before been told. The clips will be uploaded throughout the year at www.ingmarbergman.se

  • Carl Ekdahl (Börje Ahlstedt) speaking at the Christmas table of the Ekdahl family in a scene from Fanny & Alexander (1982), by Ingmar Bergman. Photo courtesy Cinematograph AB/Sandrew Film & Teater (1982)
  • Of the 100+ events around the world, 13 are here in North America. These are organized in partnership with the Ingmar Bergman Foundations; there are likely many others put on by other groups. Two U.S. events took place in December, but here’s the rundown from the IBF for 2018— for more information on them and everything about this special year, see www.ingmarbergman.se/en/calendar

  • Jan 11 - Mar 8: Bergman retrospective. Film retrospective at the Seattle Art Museum. Seattle, WA

  • Feb 1 - Dec 31: Bergman retrospective. Film retrospective at Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive. Berkeley, CA

  • Feb 1 - Apr 30: Bergman back in the cinema! Janus/Criterion distributes newly digitized copies of Bergman films to cinemas across the United States, beginning with the Film Forum in New York City.

  • Feb 1 - Dec 31: Bergman retrospective in Canada. Film retrospective at the Cinémathèque Québécoise. Montreal, Canada

  • Mar 1 - 31: Bergman retrospective. A retrospective at the California Film Institute. San Rafael, CA

  • Mar 15 - 31: The process of Fanny and Alexander. An exhibition at the House of Sweden. Washington, DC

  • April 19 - 22: After the Rehearsal/Persona. Bergman interpreter Ivo Van Hove’s acclaimed diptych makes a guest appearance at The Kennedy Center. Washington, DC

  • Jul 1 - 31: The Early Years. A Bergman film retrospective of works up to 1957 at the National Gallery of Art. Washington, DC

  • Jun 1 - Sep 30: Ingmar Bergman Retrospective. The Toronto International Film Festival Cinematheque screens a retrospective. Toronto, Canada

  • Jul 1 - 31: The Later Years. The American Film Institute screens a Bergman retrospective. Silver Spring, MD

  • Sep 1 - 30: Screening of Bergman films: The Brooklyn Academy of Music screens select films. New York, NY