Six Gannevik scholarship holders receive 500,000 kronor each. In addition to Ruben Östlund, the artist Sam Hultin, the dancer and choreographer Virpi Pahkinen, the designer Wanja Djanaieff, the musician and composer Mats Edén, and the director and playwright Erik Holmström are also awarded the Gannevik scholarship.
The jury describes Ruben Östlund as "one of the world's most influential film artists" and also gives him the epithets "spot-on social anthropologist", "radical image critic", and "indefatigable provocateur".
Praises Gannevik
The Golden Palm-winning and Oscar-nominated film director praises Per Gannevik in a press release, who in his will decided that part of his inheritance would go towards supporting and promoting active artists.
"Cultural patrons are rare in Sweden, so let us lift Per Gannevik as an inspiring example for all the country's new billionaires", says Östlund.
Puppet Theatre for Adults
If Ruben Östlund is well-known to most people, a few of the other scholarship holders may not be as familiar to the general public. Sam Hultin has made queer people's history in the city visible through his art, including through city walks, and Erik Holmström started Sweden's first puppet theatre for adults, Malmö Puppet Theatre, in 2015.
"Since I received the news about the scholarship, my financial stress has decreased dramatically, and that naturally affects everything in life. In times of cutbacks and uncertainty for the free cultural life, it provides temporary security on an individual level", says Erik Holmström in the press release.
Businessman and cultural patron Per Gannevik passed away in 2011.
Since 2013, a foundation in his name has annually awarded scholarships to active artists in the fields of visual arts, design, music, theatre, dance, and film.
Each scholarship holder receives 500,000 kronor.
