Sanna Lenken is praised for "her courage to tell stories that touch deeply" and the jury highlights her consistent engagement in creating meaningful and relevant film. The jury also highlights her ability to portray the inner worlds of children and young people.
"I see my work as an exploration of what it means to be human and the exploration is never boring. However, the economic conditions in my profession are not always fun. I am therefore deeply grateful for the Falstaff-stipendiet and the opportunity to explore for a while without any requirements from anyone else but myself," says Sanna Lenken in a press release.
In films and series such as "Min lilla syster", "Comedy Queen" and "Smärtpunkten" she has portrayed difficult subjects such as eating disorders, grief and mental illness.
The duo Tubo, consisting of Hugo Therkelsen and Tobias Ulfvebrand, is also praised. According to the jury, they "invent new and unforeseen meetings between the rhythms of sound, movement and music."
The stipend was established in 2018 by an anonymous donor. Last year's laureate was theater and opera director Natalie Ringler and dancer, choreographer and director Fredrik "Benke" Rydman, who both received 300,000 kronor each.
This year, the prize amount was increased to 500,000, and according to Nils Spangenberg, chairman of the Falstaff Foundation, it is to emphasize the importance of creating long-term opportunities for artistic work.