PRIX EUROPA IRIS INTERCULTURAL TELEVISION PROGRAMME OF THE YEAR 2013 TV NON-FICTION
Author & Director: Åsa Blanck, Petter Brundell
Directed by: Åsa Blanck, Johan Palmgren
Produced by: Strix, Sveriges Television - SVT
Coproduced by: The Swedish Film Institute, NRK, YLE
Per Persson left Sweden 40 years ago in search of adventure. He drove eastward in his Land Rover and ended up in Pakistan where he fell in love with Shamim. They married, settled down in Lahore and had two daughters, Zahra and Maria. Per raised his daughters to be free and strong women which wasn’t very popular with neighbours and relatives. As Zahra and Maria grew older the family felt more and more threatened by the surrounding society. At last, when the girls are in their mid-twenties, the family makes the difficult decision to move to southern Sweden, back to Per’s roots. Shamim, Zahra and Maria have great hopes for their lives in the new country but once in Sweden nothing turns out as expected.
JURY LAUDATIO:
The story of the immigrant returning to his homeland is often covered in Prix Europa Iris, but the winning film this year turned the traditional convention on its head. Focusing on the challenges facing a Swedish man returning to Sweden after spending 30 years in Pakistan, along with his wife and two adult daughters, it gave a unique insight into the challenges facing those trying to achieve even a basic level of integration into a western society. This intimate film, shot over many years, beautifully captured the universal themes of family, love, loss and rediscovery .... but most of all, love."
