Lena Koppel

Directing

Born May 19, 1955 · Oskarshamn, Kalmar län, Sweden

Lena Maria Veronica Koppel, born Nordström on 19 May 1955 in Oskarshamn, is a Swedish director, screenwriter, and producer. Lena Koppel has said that she believes that people seek her services when it comes to reaching emotions through humor and creating something tender and warm. That feeling reappears in films such as Bombay Dreams (2004), Rallybrudar (2008), and not least the two films about and with Glada Hudiksteatern; The Importance of Tying Your Own Shoes (2011) and the sequel Hur många kramar finns det i världen? (2013). Koppel, born in Sweden to Estonian parents and partly raised in Canada, has a long background in TV, film, and theater. Together with her friends, she directed several short films at the Film Workshop in the early 80s and then studied film studies at Stockholm University. The feature film debut came in 1998 with 'True Moments', where Koppel, originally a screenwriter, jumped in and replaced director Anders Wahlgren after he became ill during filming. The result - one to 80 percent directed by Koppel - was a well-received family drama that moves between Stockholm and Tallinn. The success quickly led to new projects and the first one was the short film 'Love Boogie' (2002) which had a successful premiere at the Gothenburg Film Festival. Her first "completely own" feature film, 'Bombay Dreams' (2004), is very much in line with the tone she has come to be associated with - friendly, warm, and mildly humorous, which has given her a stable reputation in the Swedish film industry but also over time, she believes, a limited niche as a craftsman of feelgood films.