Mika Gustafson – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

Mika Gustafson chats PARADISE IS BURNING, casting non-actors and Swedish film school – Jennifer Merin interviews

August 28, 2024 Jennifer Merin female directors, Mika Gustafson, Paradise is Burning, swedish films

Paradise is Burning, selected as AWFJ’s Movie of the Week, is Swedish director Mika Gustafson’s debut narrative feature. In this exclusive interview, Gustafson speaks about striving to find the truth in the story of three adolescent sisters who’ve been left to fend for themselves in a social system that does not provide for them, why she cast first time actors to play the three girls and how she worked with them, her commitment to presenting truly complex female characters who are in gender neutral situations. the process of scriptwriting with a male collaborator, how her experience in film school has informed her style, and the current situation for women filmmakers in Sweden, a country that has lead the way in advocating for equal opportunity for women in film.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK August 23, 2024: PARADISE IS BURNING

August 18, 2024August 19, 2024 Jennifer Merin Alexander Öhrstrand, betsy bozdech, Bianca Delbravo, Cate Marquis, Dilvin Asaad, Ida Engvoll, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, loren king, Mika Gustafson, motw, nell minow, nikki fowler, Pam Grady, Paradise is Burning, room 8 films, Safira Mossberg, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, swedish films

With powerful performances from its young stars and a moving message about the need for connection in a chaotic, undependable world, Mika Gustafson’s engrossing, realistic drama Paradise Is Burning tells the story of three sisters hoping to get by on their own while flying under the radar of the Swedish social services system. But as life tries to force them to grow up too quickly, they also strive to find moments of joy.

Reviews

PARADISE IS BURNING – Review by Jennifer Merin

August 14, 2024August 17, 2024 Jennifer Merin Alexander Öhrstrand, Bianca Delbravo, Dilvin Asaad, Ida Engvoll, Mika Gustafson, Paradise is Burning, room 8 films, Safira Mossberg, swedish films

Swedish director/co-writer Mika Gustafson’s incendiary drama is about Laura, Steffi and Mira — three sisters ranging in age from seven to 16 — whose mother abandons them for long stretches of time. The film takes place during one of those stretches of time. Laura, Steffi and Mira are thoroughly believable and tremendously compelling characters. Performances by the three young actresses who portray the girls are flawless. Their story and arc elicit empathy. the film reminds us that even first world countries — like Sweden — that proudly credit themselves as and are considered to be economically privileged and socially conscious welfare democracies, have underprivileged citizens who struggle to keep from falling between the ever increasing cracks.

Reviews

PARADISE IS BURNING – Review by Cate Marquis

August 14, 2024August 17, 2024 Cate Marquis Alexander Öhrstrand, Bianca Delbravo, Dilvin Asaad, Ida Engvoll, Mika Gustafson, Paradise is Burning, room 8 films, Safira Mossberg, swedish films

Swedish director/co-writer Mika Gustafson’s drama PARADISE IS BURNING, about three young sisters on their own in in Swedish working-class suburbia, shows that it is possible for children to fall between the cracks even in a country with a high-level of social services like Sweden. After the latest disappearance of their unreliable mother months ago, 16-year-old Laura (Bianca Delbravo) has taken on the role of parent to her sisters, 12-year-old Mir a (Dilvin Asaad) and 7-year-old Steffi (Safira Mossberg).