
Fredrik Gertten
Directing
Biography
Carl Fredrik (von) Gertten was a Swedish filmmaker and journalist. Gertten had a prolific career spanning journalism across continents—Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Europe—through the 1980s and 1990s. In 1995, he authored the travel book "Ung man söker världen" (Young Man Looking for the World) under the Gong Gong förlag publishing. His journalistic contributions extended to newspapers like Arbetet until its closure in 2000 and Kvällsposten from 2001 to 2003. Gertten ventured into television production, producing documentaries and entertainment shows for Swedish channels SVT, TV 4, and TV 3. Notably, in 2009, his production company faced a defamation lawsuit from Dole Food Company following the US screening of "Bananas!"—a documentary exploring a conflict between Dole and Nicaraguan banana plantation workers over alleged sterility cases linked to the pesticide DBCP. The court eventually ruled in favor of Gertten's production company, inspiring his 2011 documentary "Big Boys Gone Bananas!" highlighting the legal battle.
Known For

The social contract: the rules we follow - and some don’t. Breaking Social uncovers the pattern of corruption and kleptocracy erasing the social tissue, followed by social uprisings. In Chile a new turn is taken, with young women in the lead.
Breaking Social

Juan “Accidentes” Dominguez is on his biggest case ever. On behalf of twelve Nicaraguan banana workers he is tackling Dole Food in a ground-breaking legal battle for their use of a banned pesticide that was known by the company to cause sterility. Can he beat the giant, or will the corporation get away with it?
Bananas!*

The conflict between Dole Food Company and Swedish filmmaker Fredrik Gertten unfolds dramatically in the documentary "BIG BOYS GONE BANANAS!" as the corporation attempts to suppress Gertten's earlier film, "BANANAS!"—chronicling Nicaraguan workers' lawsuit against Dole. Initially selected for the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival, "BANANAS!" was abruptly removed from competition, followed by a negative article in the Los Angeles Business Journal and legal threats from Dole's attorneys. Gertten captures this saga of corporate intimidation, media manipulation, and legal challenges in his documentary, showcasing the struggles documentary filmmakers face and highlighting the threat to freedom of speech posed by powerful corporations protecting their reputations.
Big Boys Gone Bananas!*

The decisive years of Swedish soccer player Zlatan Ibrahimović, told through rare archive footage in which a young Zlatan speaks openly about his life and challenges. The film closely follows him, from his debut with the Malmö FF team in 1999 through his conflict-ridden years with Ajax Amsterdam, and up to his final breakthrough with Juventus in 2005.
Becoming Zlatan

Housing prices are skyrocketing in cities around the world. Incomes are not. PUSH sheds light on a new kind of faceless landlord, our increasingly unliveable cities and an escalating crisis that has an effect on us all. This is not gentrification, it’s a different kind of monster.The film follows Leilani Farha, the UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, as she’s travelling the globe, trying to understand who’s being pushed out of the city and why. “I believe there’s a huge difference between housing as a commodity and gold as a commodity. Gold is not a human right, housing is,” says Leilani.
Push

Bikes vs Cars depicts a global crisis that we all deep down know we need to talk about: Climate, earth's resources, cities where the entire surface is consumed by the car. An ever-growing, dirty, noisy traffic chaos. The bike is a great tool for change, but the powerful interests who gain from the private car invest billions each year on lobbying and advertising to protect their business. In the film we meet activists and thinkers who are fighting for better cities, who refuse to stop riding despite the increasing number killed in traffic.
Bikes vs Cars

Focus Forward: Short Films, Big Ideas is an award-winning series of 30 three-minute stories about innovators—people who are reshaping the world through act or invention—directed by the world's most celebrated documentary filmmakers.
Focus Forward: Short Films, Big Ideas

Documentary about Carolyn Cassady, her life and marriage to Neal Cassady, her relationship with Jack Kerouac and how she takes care of the literary legacy from both.
Love Always, Carolyn
Swedish filmmaker Fredrik Gertten followed a nice middle class family during three years, 2000-2005. From the crisis that punished the middle class to the heartbreaking moment of emigration and a new beginning in Spain.
An Ordinary Family

Malmö FF's golden dreams from the mid-1990s have turned into despair and foreboding. In 1999, something happened that had never happened before; the club leaves the Allsvenskan on its own initiative, after having underperformed sportingly for a long time. Many within the association are shocked and paralyzed, but a young promising striker in Zlatan Ibrahimović and a newly appointed sporting director in Hasse Borg become the club's new hope for the future.
Blådårar 2 - Vägen tillbaka
Fredrik Gertten's documentary follows the editoral on the newspaper "Arbetet" during the weeks before it is about to be closed.
The death of a working man's newspaper
George Wilson came to Malmö to dismantle the worlds largest crane. No big deal: "just a piece of steel" he says confidently. Five months and five accidents later George admits it was his worst project ever. The crane driver Paul Mezga came to Malmö as an 18-year-old. 40 years later he is maneuvering the Kockums crane for the last time. A beloved work site does no longer exist. From his kitchen window he sees the crane disappear. A dramatic documentary about two men and the definite end of an era. The Kockums crane was the worlds highest crane. It was built in 1974 during the Kockum yards most successful period. The crane quickly became a pride for the city and a symbol for an aspiring belief in the future. The yard was shut down in the 80s but the crane was still standing there like a remainder of a lost time. Now it has been sold to a yard in South Korea and has to be dismantled in four months. It is a man from Scotland, George Wilson, who is going to lead the project. With great ...
Bye Bye Malmö

An often humorous documentary about the building of the Öresund bridge, connecting Copenhagen in Denmark to Malmö in Sweden. We meet the people who work on production of the bridge, as well as opponents to the idea of such a bridge.
Gå på vatten

Dolkar is the only one in her family who has been given a chance to study. She studies at the Secmol School. The director of the boarding school supports the girls wish to play ice hockey. When the next year's tournament is approaching the girls make a new attempt to enter. They have to solve problem by problem: Thin Ice, bad equipment, no coaching. Finally when they find the American coach Deb, they travel over the mountain to the Muslim village Kargil and create a joint team. Side by side the Buddhist and Muslim girls challenge the men in charge.
Thin Ice

A dramatic, behind-the-scene-story about the building of Santiago Calatravas Turning Torso in Malmö. A 190 meter high, twisted residential building which was appointed "worlds best residential building project" at Mipim in Cannes, 2005.
The Socialist, the Architect and the Twisted Tower

"The blue colour of Malmö FF was dropped into my eyes by an angel when I was born" These are the words used by writer Björn Ranelid to explain the feelings a devoted fan has for his team. This documentary presents the supporters of Malmö FF, who will do anything for their team, whether they win or lose. "True Blue" is a film for anyone, who ever supported a team, be it Malmö FF or any other.