Mikael S?dersten has over 25 years of experience in the Nordic film and television industries. Widely known as one of Scandinavia's leading script doctors and dramaturgs, he’s worked on over 80 projects in Europe and his native Sweden.
Films include Tomas Alfredson’s?Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy?and?Let the Right One In, Felix Herngren’s 2014 Swedish box office hit?The 100 Year Old Man?and Mikael Marcimain’s?Gentlemen, nominated for a record 13 Guldbagge (Swedish Academy) Awards. Recent projects include?Borg vs McEnroe?with Shia Labeouf and Lasse Hallstr?m′s upcoming film about Swedish pioneer abstract painter Hilma af Klint.
As a director, he's made two novella-length films, broadcast on Swedish National TV: Pass, starring Michael Nyqvist (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and?Fissura, which he also shot and edited, called “the best Swedish short of the decade,” as well as three award-winning shorts;?The Other Woman,?White Man's Blues?and the offbeat documentary?Five Feelings About Food, which have together screened in over 25 festivals, winning 5 “Best” awards.
Mikael produced, co-edited and production supervised?Moving Stories, a feature documentary shot in four countries on three continents. Directed by Sundance Best Director winner Rob Fruchtman, it premiered at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and was shown in over 40 international festivals before its Amazon Prime release.
As a co-founder of Wilderness Films with partner Cornelia Ravenal, Mikael also develops original scripts and TV series with international partners such as Charlie Wessler (Green Book), Damian Lewis’ Pure Grass Films, and SF Studios.
As a scriptwriter, he’s co-written both dramas and comedies, including?I Love You: A Divorce Comedy, which opened nationwide in Sweden, and the TV mini-series?Raoul Wallenberg?for Viaplay. He's also adapted novels, including the story for Astrid Lindgren’s classic?The Brothers Lionheart?for Tomas Alfredson. With Ravenal, he adapted the Swedish novel?Gondolen?for Karin Fahlen’s Stockholm Stories and a ground-up rewrite of a thriller for Lars von Trier’s?Zentropa.
He’s acted in plays by Aeschylus, Dürrenmatt and Shakespeare and studied acting with Larry Moss and Melissa Leo. He’s taught Directing Actors at the Columbia University Graduate Film Program since 2014.
From 2006-09, Mikael was Senior Script Consultant for Commissioner Piodor Gustafsson at the Swedish Film Institute. Of the 25 films he developed, 15 were produced, including 2008 Sundance World Cinema Grand Jury Prize winner King of Ping Pong.
As Chair of the Gothenburg Film Festival's Swedish Film Day for three years, he programmed over 100 Swedish shorts and features. He has also been on the board of The Swedish Independent Filmmakers Association and co-organized the Dream Factory, the Swedish Film Institute's annual industry-wide conference.
He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, in Visual & Environmental Studies and Psychology, and studied Film Theory at Stockholm University. He is an avid hockey player (captain of a New York City league team) and plays cello and keyboards in a rock cover band.
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Film