Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel, the grandson of famed director Ingmar Bergman and actress Liv Ullman, considered economics, law, and journalism before following family tradition and pursuing filmmaking. “I explored several options because, because of my family background, I didn’t want to go into film or writing,” he told VF Espana in an exclusive interview. His mother, Linn Ullman, is a reputable journalist and literary critic. But try as he might to stay away from showbiz, life had other plans for him. “In college I took a course almost by accident and it kind of lit a fire inside me,” he says. “I applied to the Film School and… I never looked back.”
While lounging at the Hôtel du Palais in Biarritz, Tøndel chaired the jury of the third edition of the French town’s Nouvelles Vagues Film Festival this past June. “It’s a very nice experience: staying in this amazing hotel, in this wonderful city,” he says. “I’ve been very well looked after and I’ve spent time with tremendously creative and intelligent people. I’m really impressed because, although I’m still young, at 15 years younger they are much smarter than me.”
Tøndel has been surrounded by creative and intelligent people his entire life. His Swedish grandfather Ingmar Bergman is widely considered one of the most influential filmmakers in modern cinematic history, having helmed classic films like The Seventh Seal (1957), Wild Strawberries (1957) and Fanny and Alexander (1982). His grandmother, Norwegian actress Liv Ullman, was a frequent collaborator with Bergman, who died in 2007, starring in his films Persona (1996) and Scenes of a Marriage (1973) among many others. In 2022, she received an honorary academy award.
“That’s a personal thing,” says Tøndel when asked about his famous family. “I went through some not entirely good periods as a child, but I try to work on it personally every day”, he says with a laugh. “I’ll most likely have to do that for the rest of my life. I’ve had some great times, but I’m a very anxious person. I always put myself in the worst-case scenario, and I spin things around. I used those experiences in the film.”
“I’m proud of my family and what they’ve achieved, but I try not to think about it too much. Otherwise, I wouldn’t make any more films,” Tøndel explains. “I’m a film director because I want to be. It’s how I have the best time.”
His first film, La tutoría (2024) stars Sentimental Value actress and Joachim Trier muse Renata Reinsve. La tutoría follows a series of scathing allegations surrounding child sexual abuse that rock an elementary school. Tøndel considers Reinsve “the best actress of the moment,” and shares that she’ll also star in his second film, inspired by one of his favorite films, Carlos Saura’s Cría cuervos ( 1976). Although they’ve worked together twice, Tøndel wouldn’t necessarily call Reinsve his muse. “We inspire and feed each other, we share a way of thinking and the desire to surpass ourselves, but I would never use that word,” he says.
Cría cuervos follows a pair of sisters who move in with their aunt after their father dies while committing adultery “For the moment, I’m fighting against my dark side,” he admits while clutching his neck with one hand. But while he’s attracted to dark material, Tøndel who namecheck Stanley Kubrick and Bob Fosse as influences, does not rule out shooting a light and luminous comedy someday.
As for acting on camera, he says he’s “too self-conscious.” However, there is one way he’d get in front of the camera. “I wouldn’t mind trying out as an actor,” he says. “If I’m directed by Greta Gerwig.”
Original story appeared in VF España.
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