22/04/2008 - Fredrik Heinig Producer on the Move

The entrepreneurial Fredrik Heinig has 10 years worth of experience as a producer of commercials and innovative television programmes. His first feature film project, Darling [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film], directed by long-time collaborator Johan Kling, won several international prizes and two local Guldbagge awards in 2007. His production company St Paul, set up last autumn with partners Kling and Johannes Åhlund, is a breeding ground for some of Sweden’s most promising filmmakers.

Cineuropa: How does it feel to be one of this year’s 22 lucky Producers on the Move?
Fredrik Heinig: It will be fun and of course a good opportunity to meet other producers from Europe and hopefully gain some experience. Personally, I see the promotion as a response to all the energy and spirit that my colleagues at St Paul and I have put into our film projects.

Your film Darling was made outside of the usual public support system and ended up being one of the favourite Swedish films for critics and world festivals in 2007. What did that experience teach you? Do you think production support from the Swedish Film Institute should be changed?
It taught me that we were right and that we’re geniuses! [Laughs] The production support system is a complex question. First of all, I believe we do need a strong public film fund system and an active film policy. But two things that I would like to see are: one, that the consultants focus more on finding out whether the director and producer have a strong vision for the film and a unique tone; and two, if they are capable of making that vision and tone come to life in a film. My feeling is that we spend a lot of time discussing the script (which unfortunately you can't really tell watching Swedish films) and not enough focus is put on the vision and the people behind the project.

I also would like to see consultants with a different commission and agenda. I think that it would be great to have one consultant with a mission to look out for the best arthouse films and another consultant working with broader, more commercial films. In the current system, an arthouse film has to compete with a broad, feel-good movie, which is unfair to both.

Who are the key people behind St Paul and why this name?
My colleage Johannes Åhlund and I run St Paul and hopefully we are two of the key people. But I have to admit that Johan Kling – who has worked with us for so long – is the genius of the three. Kristian Petri and Tomas Alfredsson came to work with us quite recently and we are very proud and happy to be working with them both. Our other directors, Filip Tellander, Johan Perjus, Brian Lee Hughes and Patrik Bergh, as well as producers Martin Ronström, Mathilde Dedye and Mattias Bengtsson, are all key to our company.

Actually there is no good story behind the name St Paul. St Paul Street is a well-known street in Stockholm and is close to our office. We liked the sound of it. It's classy and pretentious in a good way!

What are you working on?
I'm working on Johan Kling's next film Trust Me, which will begin shooting in October, and Kristian Petri´s film Bad Faith, which we will start shooting in February 2009.