R.I.P. Vilgot Sjoman

[Sonic Youth]

Swedish director and screenwriter Vilgot Sjoman dies aged 81

Monday, April 10, 2006


STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) - Swedish director and screenwriter Vilgot Sjoman, whose provocative and sexually explicit films stirred controversy in the 1960s, has died, an organization representing artists said Monday. He was 81.

Sjoman died Sunday at a Stockholm hospital of complications from a brain hemorrhage, the Swedish Joint Committee for Artistic and Literary Professionals said.

Many of Sjoman's films were socially critical and sexually explicit, such as his 1967 release I Am Curious Yellow, which was banned in the U.S. for two years, and its sequel, I Am Curious Blue.

Sjoman also worked with renowned Swedish director Ingmar Bergman on the film Winter Light, released in 1962.

He made his debut as a director the following year with The Mistress and directed a total of 15 films. His last film was Alfred in 1995, about the life of Alfred Nobel, founder of the prestigious Nobel Prizes. Sjoman also wrote more than 20 books.

In his final years, Sjoman was embroiled in a legal battle against a TV station in Sweden. The film maker sued the TV4 channel saying it violated his artistic integrity by interrupting his movies with commercial breaks.

A district court ruled in his favour, but TV4 appealed the decision to a higher court, where it is still pending.