Rojda Sekersöz

Rojda Sekersöz
Born (1989-12-25) December 25, 1989
Stockholm, Sweden
Alma materStockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts
OccupationDirector
Years active2008–present
Notable workYoung Royals
Beyond Dreams
AwardsGuldbagge Newcomer Award

Rojda Sekersöz (born 25 December 1989) is a Swedish filmmaker of Kurdish descent. She is best known for directing Young Royals and Beyond Dreams. For the latter, she won a Guldbagge Newcomer Award.

Early life and education

Rojda Sekersöz was born 25 December 1989 in Stockholm.[1] Her parents are from Kurdistan and she identifies as Kurdish.[2][3] When she was ten, her family moved from Hallunda to Älvdalen in Dalarna to open a pizza restaurant.[4][5] She wanted to become a director after being inspired by Billy Elliot (2000) and The Believer (2001) — films dealing with class issues and political themes.[6] She moved back to Stockholm to attend a film program for upper secondary school at Kulturama.[7][2]

At 19, Sekersöz became the youngest person ever to be accepted to the directing program at the Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts.[8][9] She graduated in 2012 with the short film "Jungfrufärden."[10]

Career

In 2017, she made her directorial debut with Beyond Dreams, which received positive reviews from critics.[11] It won the Church of Sweden's Film Prize, the Audience Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film, and the FIPRESCI Prize at the Norwegian International Film Festival.[12][13] Beyond Dreams also won the Golden Leaf for Best Film at the Duhok International Film Festival, which is the most significant Kurdish film festival.[14] It was also screened at Berlin Feminist Film Week.[15] Sekersöz won the Guldbagge Newcomer Award as a result of her work on Beyond Dreams.[13]

Her second film was My Life as a Comedian, an adaptation of Jonas Gardell's novel.[16] The film premiered on 11 October 2019 at the Toronto Film Festival.[17][18] Her direction was praised by Krister Uggeldahl in Hufvudstadsbladet.[19]

In 2020, she directed Dejta, an adaptation of the Finnish series Klikkaa mua.[20]

In 2020, it was announced that Sekersöz would be directing a Swedish coming-of-age series for Netflix.[21] The first season of the series, eventually titled Young Royals, premiered on 1 July 2021 to positive reviews.[22][23] Sekersöz described it as being about the honor culture of the upper class, and "whether you get to choose your own life or not – who chooses for you?"[24][25]

She directed Sweden's first TikTok series, Ruset, which premiered in 2023.[26]

She is directing Skifet, a drama set in 1958 about the first female Swedish police officers.[27] Skifet is expected to be released in the fall of 2025, and she is also directing an upcoming adaptation of Nicolas Lunabba's novel Will You Care If I Die?[28]

In addition to film and television, she directed a stage play titled Skuldsanering in 2017.[29] Sekersöz is also a spoken word poet.[30]

Filmography

  • 2017 — Beyond Dreams
  • 2019 — My Life as a Comedian
  • 2020 — Dejta
  • 2021 —Young Royals (season 1)
  • 2021 —Young Royals (season 2)
  • 2023 — Ruset
  • 2025 — Skifet

References

  1. ^ "Fakta: Rojda Sekersöz" [Facts: Rojda Sekersöz]. Bohusläningen (in Swedish). 20 December 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Rojda Şekersöz: "I am a part of Kurdish Cinema"". Medya News. 14 September 2020. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  3. ^ Galip, Özlem Belçim (19 March 2022). ""We all believe in the lie that we are all equals in Sweden"". Culture Project for Art, Feminism and Gender. Archived from the original on 3 April 2025. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  4. ^ Adolphsson, Juli (13 November 2023). ""Det ska ju alltid vara en så stor grej i filmer och serier att förklara folks sexuella läggning. I Ruset är det underförstått"" ["It's always supposed to be such a big deal in movies and series to explain people's sexual orientation. In Ruset, it's implied."]. QX (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  5. ^ Janson, Mari (19 October 2019). "En regissörs uppväxt" [A director's upbringing]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish) – via PressReader.
  6. ^ Janson, Mari (17 October 2019). "Rojda Sekersöz: "Är övertygad om att film kan trigga människor att agera"". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2412. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  7. ^ Sharon Krafft, Eyal (23 December 2019). "Rodja brinner för filmskapande" [Rodja is passionate about filmmaking]. Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 May 2025 – via PressReader.
  8. ^ Olsson, Hanna (28 June 2020). "En ovanlig person värd att lyssna på" [An unusual person worth listening to]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 7 May 2025 – via PressReader.
  9. ^ Svanström, Sanna (20 June 2021). "För Sverige i tiden". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish) – via PressReader.
  10. ^ Radio, Sveriges (9 April 2022). "Rojda Sekersöz: "Jag vill göra film som Charlie Chaplin" - Kulturlivet med Gunnar Bolin" [Rojda Sekersöz: "I want to make films like Charlie Chaplin"]. Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  11. ^ "Succé för Rojdas debutfilm: Känns overkligt - P4 Dalarna" [Success for Rojda's debut film: Feels unreal - P4 Dalarna]. Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). 20 March 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  12. ^ "Rojda Sekersöz". Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). 2 February 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2025 – via PressReader.
  13. ^ a b Ravindran, Manori (22 November 2022). "'Young Royals' Director Rojda Sekersöz Signs With CAA (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  14. ^ "Double win for Beyond Dreams". Swedish Film Institute. 19 September 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  15. ^ "Kino" [Cinema]. Der Tagesspiegel (in German). 11 March 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2025 – via PressReader.
  16. ^ ""En komikers uppväxt" snart på bio" ["My Life as a Comedian" soon in the cinema]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 10 August 2019.
  17. ^ Sigander, Miranda (19 August 2019). "Skandaler och gamla favoriter i höstfilmerna". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2412. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  18. ^ TT (8 August 2019). "Premiär för Gardell-filmatisering i Toronto" [Premiere of Gardell film adaptation in Toronto]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2412. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  19. ^ Uggeldahl, Krister (29 November 2019). "Lika gripande som gastkramande, Gardell!" [As touching as it is gut-wrenching, Gardell!]. Hufvudstadsbladet. Retrieved 20 May 2025 – via PressReader.
  20. ^ Slotte, Malin (24 February 2020). "Klikkaa mua blev Dejta". Hufvudstadsbladet. Retrieved 20 May 2025 – via PressReader.
  21. ^ "Rojda Sekersöz regisserar ny svensk serie för Netflix" [Rojda Sekersöz directing a new Swedish series for Netflix]. Svenska Dagbladet. 9 July 2020 – via PressReader.
  22. ^ Fjellborg, Karolina (28 June 2021). "Så bra är Netflix nya svenska serie "Young royals"" [This is how good Netflix's new Swedish series "Young Royals" is]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  23. ^ "Young Royals: Season 1 | Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  24. ^ "Svenska Netflix-serien "Young Royals" skildrar hederskulturen i överklassen - Kulturnytt" [Swedish Netflix series "Young Royals" depicts the culture of honor in the upper class - Culture News]. Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). 29 June 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  25. ^ "Skildrar hederskultur inom kungafamilj" [Depicts a culture of honor within the royal family]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). 24 June 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  26. ^ Adolphsson, Juli (13 November 2023). ""Det ska ju alltid vara en så stor grej i filmer och serier att förklara folks sexuella läggning. I Ruset är det underförstått"" ["It's always supposed to be such a big deal in movies and series to explain people's sexual orientation. In Ruset, it's implied."]. QX (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  27. ^ Forsell, Mikael (19 March 2024). "Netflix gör serie av Romares succéroman" [Netflix to make a series of Romare's best-selling novel]. Hallands Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 May 2025 – via PressReader.
  28. ^ "Sekersöz gör film av Nicolas Lunabbas hyllade bok" [Sekersöz will make a film of Nicolas Lunabba's acclaimed book]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). 15 May 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  29. ^ Ring, Lars (19 August 2017). "Skuldsanering. Flyktförsök och skuldkänslor under bron" [Debt settlement. Escape attempts and guilt under the bridge]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish) – via PressReader.
  30. ^ "Rojda Sekersöz | Nordic Women in Film". Nordic Women in Film (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 23 March 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
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