Biography
Mai Elisabeth Zetterling ( May 24, 1925 – March 17, 1994) was a Swedish actress and film director. She began directing in the early 1960s, starting with political documentaries and a short film called The War Game (1962), which was nominated for a BAFTA award, and won a Silver Lion at Venice. Her first feature film Älskande par (1964, "Loving Couples"), based on the novels of Agnes von Krusenstjerna, was banned at the Cannes Film Festival for its sexual explicitness and nudity. Kenneth Tynan of The Observer later called it "one of the most ambitious debuts since Citizen Kane." It was not the only film she made that would stir up controversy for its frank sexuality (early pioneer on voyeurism). When critics reviewing her debut feature said that "Mai Zetterling directs like a man," she began to explore feminist themes more explicitly in her work. The Girls, which had an all-star Swedish cast including Bibi Andersson and Harriet Andersson, discussed women's liberation (or lack thereof) in a society controlled by men, as the protagonists compare their lives to characters in the play Lysistrata, and find that things have not progressed very much for women since ancient times.
Acted in 49
1990s
- 1996
Meeting with Mai
Movie
- 1993
Minns ni?
(archive footage)
Morfars resa
Elin Fromm
- 1990
1970s
- 1978
Svenska noveller
Gerda · 1 episode
Mai Zetterling's Stockholm
Movie
- 1977
My Heart Is Red
Nietzsche
- 1976
We Have Many Names
Lena
1960s
- 1967
One Pair of Eyes
TV
- 1965
Lianbron
Movie
- 1963
The Man Who Finally Died
Lisa von Deutsch
The Bay of St. Michel
Helene Bretton
- 1962
The Main Attraction
Gina
Only Two Can Play
Liz
- 1961
Offbeat
Ruth Lombard
- 1960
Faces in the Dark
Christiane Hammond
Piccadilly Third Stop
Christine Preedy
1950s
- 1959
Jet Storm
Carol Tilley
- 1958
Playing on the Rainbow
Movie
The Master Builder
Hilda Wangel
- 1957
The Truth About Women
Julie Eaton
Seven Waves Away
Nurse Julie White
- 1956
Armchair Theatre
Miss Julie, Louise Josse · 1 episode
Ett dockhem
Gurli Pall
- 1955
A Prize of Gold
Maria
- 1954
Dance Little Lady
Nina Gordon
Knock on Wood
Ilse Nordstrom
- 1953
Desperate Moment
Anna DeBurg
- 1952
The Ringer
Lisa
Tall Headlines
Doris Rickardson
- 1951
Hell Is Sold Out
Valerie Martin
Blackmailed
Mrs. Carol Edwards
1940s
- 1949
The Romantic Age
Arlette Tessereau
The Lost People
Lily
- 1948
Portrait from Life
Lidia
Quartet
Jeanne (segment "The Facts of Life")
Music in Darkness
Ingrid Olofsson
- 1947
Frieda
Frieda
- 1946
Iris and the Lieutenant
Iris Mattson
- 1944
Prince Gustaf
Anna Maria Wastenius
Torment
Bertha Olsson
- 1943
- 1941
Lasse-Maja
Fanny
Directed 17
1990s
- 1992
Love at First Sight
Director
- 1990
Sunday Pursuit
Director
1980s
- 1986
Amorosa
Director
- 1983
- 1982
Scrubbers
Director
Love
Director
1970s
- 1978
Mai Zetterling's Stockholm
Director
- 1977
The Moon Is a Green Cheese
Director
- 1976
We Have Many Names
Director
- 1973
Visions of Eight
Director
- 1972
Vincent the Dutchman
Director
1960s
- 1968
- 1966
Night Games
Director
- 1964
Loving Couples
Director
- 1963
The War Game
Director
Wrote 10
1990s
- 1990
1980s
- 1986
Amorosa
Writer
- 1982
Scrubbers
Writer
Love
Writer
1970s
- 1977
The Moon Is a Green Cheese
Writer
1960s
- 1968
- 1966
Night Games
Writer
- 1964
Loving Couples
Writer
- 1963
The War Game
Screenplay
Produced 1
1960s
- 1963
The War Game
Producer
Edited 1
1980s
- 1986
Amorosa
Editor
Appearances7
2020s
- 2022
Prejudice and Pride: Swedish Film Queer
Self (archive footage)
2010s
- 2015
Regissören: En film om Mai Zetterling
Self (archival footage)
1990s
- 1992
Sellers' Best
Self
- 1990
The Making of 'Hidden Agenda'
Self
1980s
- 1989
Maybe I Really Am a Sorceress
Self
- 1988
Calling the Shots
Self
1970s
- 1973
Visions of Eight
Narrator