THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOY IN THE WORLD

Synopsis

In 1970, filmmaker Luchino Visconti travelled throughout Europe looking for the perfect boy to personify absolute beauty in his adaptation for the screen of Thomas Mann’s "Death in Venice". In Stockholm, he discovered Björn Andrésen, a shy 15-year-old teenager, who he brought to international fame overnight and led to spend a short but intense part of his turbulent youth between the Lido in Venice, London, the Cannes Film Festival and the so distant Japan. Fifty years after the premiere of DEATH IN VENICE, Björn takes us on a remarkable journey made of personal memories, cinematographic history, stardust and tragic events in what could be the last attempt for him to finally get his life back on track.

Biography

Kristina Lindström (director) is a filmmaker, journalist, and author. She hasdirected highly acclaimed documentaries including ASTRID LINDGREN (2014), PALME (with Maud Nycander, 2012) which was awarded with two Guldbagge Awards, WONDERBOY (2003), THE ERA - PUNK IN THREE PARTS (2017) and SILENCE (with Kristian Petri , 2020). Among Lindström's work as an author, her trilogy about Swedish history from a young girl's perspective has become a long lived national success. Lindström has served as Head of Cultural and Factual Programming at public service broadcaster SVT where she has developed some of the channels most acclaimed program formats and documentaries. Among others, Lindström has been awarded the Linné Prize, Kristallen, Stockholm’s Culture Prize, and the Ikaros Award.

Kristian Petri (director) is a filmmaker, writer, and culture journalist with adistinctly personal voice that transcends genre and form. Petri's two shorts, ONCE UPON A TIME and THE CRACK, were selected for the Semaine de la Critique competition in Cannes in 1991 and 1992. His first feature filmBETWEEN SUMMERS (1995) was awarded with a Guldbagge Award and nominated for a Golden Globe and for best film at European Film Awards. It was also selected for the prestigious Quinzaine des Realisateurs in Cannes. Many of his films, including THE WELL (2005), DETAILS (2003), and TOKYO NOISE (2002) have been critically celebrated and have been nominated for and received a number of national and international awards. His latest film is L136 (2018) about the dramatic production of Ingmar Bergman’s mythical film: Winter Light.