He has just finished writing a detective story and started the next one. He has also painted 25 paintings during the year.
And then I sold a play to a big theater, but that's a secret. I've done more this year than I've done in a long time, says Carl Johan De Geer, adding that 88 was not an age he thought he would reach when he was younger.
Back then I thought older people were aliens.
The fact that he is still so productive is a matter of pure work joy.
Long film career
They say that when a tree is about to die, it sends out roots in all directions. Maybe that's what I'm doing.
But it's been a while since he last made a film. Carl Johan De Geer has directed, worked as cinematographer and set designer, and has had roles in "Solsidan" and written the script for the cult series "Tårtan".
Film has always been close to my heart, he says, telling about when he thawed out two frozen, dead cats to stage a childhood memory in a film where he played his own grandfather.
I am most proud of the film "Grandma, Hitler and I". It was invited to the Cannes Film Festival and subtitled in French. It ended up being sold to 70 French-speaking countries.
Need a nap
Per Gannevik's scholarship of 500,000 kronor has been awarded to six artists each year since 2013. The motivation for Carl-Johan De Geer states that he "with anarchistic experimentalism, humor and artistic freedom expands the boundaries of what film can be."
"That was nicely said! I am pleasantly surprised and very grateful, it shows that I am not forgotten," he says.
He doesn't have any plans for more films at the moment.
It's too long a working day for an old man. I need to take a nap at half past four and that's not possible if you're making a film.
Facts: They will receive the Gannevik Scholarship in 2026
The 2026 fellows are: Klara Kristalova (image), Anton Alvarez (design), Anne Sofie von Otter (music), Peter Oskarson (theater), Carl Johan De Geer (film), Mari Carrasco (dance).
The Per Gannevik Scholarship has been awarded since 2013 by the Per Gannevik Foundation for Cultural Purposes. The scholarships are each worth SEK 500,000 and are given to active artists in the fields of visual arts, design, music, theater, dance and film. They will be awarded at a ceremony at the Cultural Center in Stockholm on October 19.
Per Gannevik, 1931–2011, was a businessman, art collector and patron of the arts. He grew up in Jönköping and spent his adult life in the financial industry in Stockholm, where he acquired a fortune.
