Shame on Dry Land (Swedish: Syndabocken) is a 2023 drama film directed and written by Axel Petersén. It stars Joel Spira, Christopher Wagelin, and Julia Sporre.
| Shame on Dry Land | |
|---|---|
 Promotional release poster | |
| Swedish | Syndabocken |
| Directed by | Axel Petersén |
| Written by | Axel Petersén |
| Produced by | Sigrid Helleday |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Josua Enblom |
| Edited by | Robert Krantz |
| Music by | Baba Stiltz |
Production company | Fedra AB |
| Distributed by |
|
Release dates |
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Running time | 91 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | Swedish |
The film had its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival on 11 September 2023. It garnered nine nominations at the 59th Guldbagge Awards, including Best Director for Petersén and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Spira.
Premise
editA con man, Dimman, leaves for Malta to surprise a friend at their wedding, but becomes entangled in a large Swedish online gambling community.[1]
Cast
edit- Joel Spira as Dimman
- Christopher Wagelin as Fredrik
- Julia Sporre as Sara
- Jacqueline Ramel as Kicki
- Michal Axel Piotrowski as Krumm
- Tommy Nilsson as Pierre
- Erica Muscat as Karmena
- Owen Sciriha as Nima
- Susanne Barklund as Mia
Production
editIn 2019, the project was announced to participate at the Berlinale Co-Production Market, under the working title From Malta to Oblivion.[2] In August 2022, it was announced that LevelK would handle the film's international sales.[3] The principal photography took place entirely in Malta in 2022.[1]
Release
editShame on Dry Land had its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival on 11 September, competing for the Platform Prize.[4] The film was released in Swedish cinema on 24 November 2023.[5]
Reception
editKurt Halfyard of Screen Anarchy gave the film a positive review, calling it "hat rare bird of sensual fusion of commercial Hollywood and European arthouse sensibilities".[6] Elena Lazic of Cineuropa praised its "frenetic visual style" and exploration of Dimman's psychological makeup, writing that it " calls back to 1970s neo-noir American films".[7]
Accolades
editShame on Dry Land led the nominations of 59th Guldbagge Awards with nine.[8]
| Award | Date | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto International Film Festival | 7–17 September 2023 | Platform Prize | Axel Petersén | Nominated | [9] |
| Guldbagge Awards | 15 January 2024 | Best Director | Axel Petersén | Won | [10] |
| Best Actor in a Leading Role | Joel Spira | Won | |||
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Christopher Wagelin | Won | |||
| Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Jacqueline Ramel | Nominated | [11] | ||
| Best Screenplay | Axel Petersén | Nominated | |||
| Best Cinematography | Josua Emblom | Won | [10] | ||
| Best Editing | Robert Krantz | Won | |||
| Best Sound Design | Andreas Franck | Won | |||
| Best Original Score | Baba Stiltz | Won |
References
edit- ^ a b Magri, Giulia (20 August 2023). "Swedish-Maltese film premiering at Toronto Film Festival in September". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ Economou, Vassilis (10 January 2019). "The 2019 Berlinale Co-Production Market line-up is revealed". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ Mitchell, Wendy (26 August 2022). "LevelK boards Axel Petersén's Malta-set drama 'Shame On Dry Land' (exclusive)". ScreenDaily. Archived from the original on 24 September 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ Hazelton, John (2 August 2023). "Toronto unveils 2023 Platform line-up; 'Dream Scenario' with Nicolas Cage to open". ScreenDaily. Archived from the original on 8 August 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ Viita, Kristoffer (13 September 2023). "Thrillern "Syndabocken" skildrar svensk lotterisvindlare på Malta". SVT Nyheter. Archived from the original on 13 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ Halfyard, Kurt (19 September 2023). "Toronto 2023 Review: SHAME ON DRY LAND, A Sweaty And Oblique Euro-Noir". Screen Anarchy. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ Lazic, Elena (18 September 2023). "Review: Shame on Dry Land". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ Pham, Annika (14 December 2023). "Axel Petersen's Shame on Dry Land leads Swedish Guldbagge nominations". Nordisk Film & TV Fond. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ "TIFF unveils Platform programme and jury for 2023". Toronto International Film Festival. 2 August 2023. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ a b Jan Lumholdt, "Paradise Is Burning wins Best Film at the Guldbagge Awards" Archived 2024-01-17 at the Wayback Machine. Cineuropa, 16 January 2024.
- ^ Romefors, Mina Asp (13 December 2023). "Här är nomineringarna till Guldbaggen 2024". Sveriges Television. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2023.