Lina is a swedish filmmaker with the drive to make character based stories that doesn’t necessarily fit the dramatical curves. With bold, and a bit provocative films she wants to get the audience to wake up and engage in topics about the cynical world we live in.

Who are you?

When I know the answer to that I will stop searching, until then I will continue to try and make movies and keep on finding myself.

How did the project begin?

This project actually started when I was applying to get money for another script called “4510”. They needed to see something more from me to prove myself qualified to even apply. So I wrote Henningsson very quickly and it turned out to be more than expected.

What is Henningsson about?

We live in a very confused world right now. We seem to have lost control over what is right and what is wrong, good, bad etc. Social media’s impact on us, especially our younger members, is horrifying and I wanted to process my mixed feelings around it.

Henningsson is a very analogue symbol of social media. A story about someone who didn’t even have a home before, gets addicted and leaves his destiny in other people’s hands.

I’m trying to approach the problem that we voluntarily give away so much information about ourselves, and we let people judge us and that is accepted. Also, on the other side there is the audience, that seems to own the power to say and express anything about people they have never met.

An anecdote about your filming?

When I wrote the script I was inspired by my friend Linus Henningsson, who later also became the actor even though he never acted before. And we didn’t rehearse once! And I stole his real last name for the movie that was called “Like” from the beginning.

It was a World Premiere for Henningsson, what does it represent?

To be honest, it represents a great deal. I have struggled a long time in Sweden, but haven’t found one company or film institute that think I have good ideas. To have the world premiere outside of Sweden was amazing for me as a filmmaker, and I have a lot of love for Paris so that was just double of luck!

What represent Excuse My French “Best Screenplay” for you?

It means that finally I know that what I do is appreciated somewhere. And that’s what keeps me going.

What is next for Lina Engborg? 

I’m working on another movie about homeless in LA, the situation there is so bizarre and I find it both fascinating and very sad.