Lång Story Short*

42 year old, male

Australian film teacher living and working in Sweden. He lives with some of his students, who constantly have to take care of him, and teaches them at a film school that is battling bankruptcy. Henry is an innocent and good person, but has a hole of loneliness in his heart. He tries to fill it with alcohol and drugs, because he confuses these with making friends. He has dreams of one day becoming a famous filmmaker and never being lonely again, but his time is running out and he can’t seem to get out of his own way.

20 year old, non-binary

Film student trying to find their place in the world. Being the grandchild of famous and prolific Swedish filmmaker, Gunnar Mendelson, they are keenly aware of their own shortcomings as a filmmaker. Their grandfather has cast a large shadow over the entire family, as a consequence Astrid is afraid of both success and failure. They have enrolled in Henry’s class as a last ditch effort to see if they truly have any talent or a voice of their own at all.

47 year old, female 

Actress from Stockholm. She is very well regarded in the Swedish film industry, and has more or less been in constant work since leaving acting school almost 20 years ago. Jonna resents the industry she is in, she feels as though it has taken the important parts of her life from her. She is in the middle of a messy divorce from her husband who wants to take their two children back to America and she’s afraid she’s spent too much time working and not enough with her family. She values kindness and humility but does not find them anymore in the industry she now finds herself in.

23 year old, female

Local girl, born and raised in Malmo, Sweden. Being the eldest of five children and having accountants as parents, Emelie is a deeply stressed individual. She can be disagreeable and has been known to be quick to anger; as a consequence, she’s never really had any close friends. Haalik and Henry and the others in Henry's class are the first real friends she’s ever had, but still keeps them at an arm's length, she is scared of being hurt by people she loves and expects them to hurt her the most.

23 year old, male

Son of Syrian immigrants. Moving to Sweden when he was ten years old was hard on Haalik, and has a pain in his heart that he shows to nobody. This pain drives him to excellence though, Haalik is fluent in six different languages; Arabic, Kurdish, Armenian, Swedish, English and French. He is also a champion kick boxer but sees his intelligence as his real weapon to defend himself with. He loves Henry very much and sees him as a surrogate Father, although would never tell him.

22 year old, male

Weirdo attending Henry’s classes. Phillip lives in a world all unto his own, he sees people, objects and time all as stories to be focused on and told. He is constantly writing in his head and has little attachment to the outside world unless seen through the lens of stories. He keeps certain religious icons with him, Thors hammer, a crucifix, an ank, a star of david; mostly because they remind him of the stories they represent and he likes looking at them. If he had a background, he would want to write it, and he would like it to be multiple choice.

23 year old, female

Daughter of Irish farmers. She moved to Malmö from East Cork to study and get away from her small town which she still hates. She has a dry, Irish sense of humor and has ambitions to become an executive producer; trading on the stock market and in crypto as much as she can, but also has a love of the arts. She is the most stylish of the bunch; not afraid to spend money on looking good. She values money above most things and sees it as a natural indication of who is strong and who is weak.

48 year old, male

Daniel is from Stockholm and has recently been hired to save the school from bankruptcy, a job he takes very seriously. He is the only serious adult presence in the school and is seen as intimidating. He is married to his husband, Leonard, of 12 years, and has two small dogs, “Jim-Jam”, and “Pete”. He has collected stamps since an early age, and has recently taken up painting watercolors of landscapes.

47 year old, male

Father of Astrid and son of Gunnar. Bjorn is haunted by the legacy of his father. Growing up in an intensely creative environment made him dislike the creative process immensely and longs for order in his life. He moved out of home at a young age and became a businessman, when he heard a rumor that his father had raped some of the actresses he had worked with, though it was never confirmed. He wants to protect his children from that world at all costs and sees the creative world as a gross indulgence in hedonism. Bjorn enjoys the quiet, he doesn’t like music. He enjoys crosswords and loves IKEA.