Amanda Kernell has made several award-winning short films as a writer and director. “Sami Blood,” her feature film debut, premiered at the 2016 Venice Film Festival and won the Europa Cinemas Label for best European film. The film has since won several awards including The Special Jury Prize at Tokyo International Film Festival and the prize for Best Nordic Film at the 2017 Gothen-burg International Film Festival, the European Parliaments LUX prize and several Swedish Academy Awards. The film had it’s U.S. premiere at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and had its German premiere at Berlinale 2017.

“Charter” will premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival on January 26.

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

AK: Alice is awaiting the final custody verdict of her two children, whom she hasn’t seen in months. After getting a midnight call from her weeping son, Alice races to his side, but her visit is blocked at every turn. Desperation turns to action when she abducts her two kids and flees on an illicit charter trip to the Canary Islands.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

AK: I have a personal perspective and a family history with generations of divorce. I liken “Charter” to a love letter I was finally able to write: a declaration of love to all divorced parents. I think of it also as a love story between a mother and daughter caught in the nightmare of a parents’ greatest fear — losing their children.

I make films about my fears and I think one of the worst things anyone can face is to lose your children. When you are caught in the middle of a custody battle, how far should you go to fight for your kids? And is there a point when you, as a parent, should let go?

W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?

AK: Well, I hope they pose the same questions that I do, discuss them with their friends, and maybe they find their own answers. And for all divorced parents: I hope that they feel less alone.

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

AK: It was a physically tough shoot, which I guess is quite surprising for a film about a custody case. We went from -32 Celsius in the snow above the polar circle in Sweden to +30 C in the lava desert at Tenerife. And all of this with children, animals, and difficult stunt scenes in cold water.

It was so physically tough that a number of the crew ended up in the hospital with respiratory problems, but it looks amazing.

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.

AK: In the Nordic countries, we have state-funded film institutes and we were lucky to be funded by many of them. The film is funded by The Swedish Film Institute, The Danish Film Institute, The Norwegian Film Institute, Eurimages, MEDIA, Nordisk film, and TV-fund and other smaller regional funds, and is also a co-production with Swedish Television.

W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?

AK: When I was 14, the Swedish Film “Show Me Love” by Lukas Moodysson premiered and it influenced a whole generation. We all knew the lines and they even released the script as a book that I and many of my friends had at home. So, we really knew the lines by heart and felt like we knew the characters. It was the first film I had seen in a packed cinema that resembled my own life, my friends, my parents — people that I knew or could have known. Otherwise, we would see American films about superheroes or people with special talents, but this felt closer and more real to me.

I remember thinking that if this could be a film that people wanted to see—I could make movies. I could make films about my friends and my family and difficult things I see around me, and so I have ever since. I made my first short when I was 19 and it was about my friends—and it was about family and shame and what you would sacrifice for your family. The same themes I’m still working with.

W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?

AK: Best advice: To carry everyone’s shame as a director, and release your actors of their shame and fear of failure. I think it’s important to create a space where everyone can dare to try new things and push boundaries. It’s an important task as a director to try to eliminate shame when it’s possible, since it blocks your creativity. That’s why I also try to surround myself with people who, in turn, take away my own shame and fears. In order to make something truly original and interesting, we must be able to make brave decisions.

Worst advice: I learned a lot at film school, and I’m very happy that I attended the program at the National Film School of Denmark. However, every day that I attended, the teachers tried to tell the students how to make films. Though most of it was useful, there were of course some things said that I didn’t agree with. One piece of advice we often received from a teacher was, ”Every good movie starts with the promise of sex with a beautiful woman.” Personally, I’m not a fan of this advice and I also think it’s dangerous to educate everyone to make films in the exact same way regardless.

W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?

AK: Be honest. And be brave. That’s equally applicable for both female and male filmmakers, but that’s the advice I constantly have to remind myself of. And it goes for every step of the process.

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

AK: I think it’s “Ratcatcher” by Lynne Ramsay. I’ve used “Ratcatcher” a lot as inspiration for mise-en-scène, photography, and framing, as well as storytelling. It’s violent and funny and touching and true and it gives you images that you will never forget.

W&H: What differences have you noticed in the industry since the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements launched?

AK: The movement was quite big in Sweden as well, inspired by the #Metoo movement that started over here. I’ve been in production almost non-stop for the last couple of years and therefore completely absorbed in my work, so I guess I’m not aware of everything that’s going on. But I’m happy that my production as well as many other productions, now inform the whole team about who to turn to in case something happens and urge them not to stay quiet. It might be a small thing, but I believe and I hope that changes the culture at work.