Ingmar Bergman Foundation

Ingmar Bergman Foundation
Name	Ingmar Bergman Foundation
Founded	2009
Founder	Ingmar Bergman
Headquarters	Fårö
Location	Stockholm County
Key people	Karin Bergman; Lena Bergman; Stina Bergman
Area served	Sweden; International Federation of Film Archives
Focus	Film preservation; Theatre preservation

Ingmar Bergman Foundation The Ingmar Bergman Foundation is a Swedish foundation established to preserve, research, and promote the works and legacy of Ingmar Bergman through archive stewardship, public programming, and scholarly collaboration. It operates in close relation to institutions such as the Royal Dramatic Theatre (Dramaten), the Swedish Film Institute, and the Bergman Center on Fårö, facilitating access for researchers, institutions, and the public. The foundation collaborates with museum partners including the Moderna Museet, the Nationalmuseum, and international partners such as the British Film Institute and the Museum of Modern Art.

History

The foundation was established after the death of Ingmar Bergman to manage his estate, manuscripts, and film materials, following precedents set by entities like the Estate of Federico Fellini and the Pablo Picasso Foundation. Early negotiations involved rights holders including the Svensk Filmindustri and archives such as the Swedish Film Institute and the National Library of Sweden. The foundation coordinated transfers with institutions like the Royal College of Music, Stockholm and the Uppsala University Library and worked with preservation experts from the Cinemateca Brasileira and the Deutsche Kinemathek. It attracted scholarly attention from figures associated with the European Film Academy and the International Federation of Film Archives.

Mission and Activities

The foundation’s mission emphasizes preservation of film prints and theatrical papers, dissemination through exhibitions and screenings, and facilitation of research by scholars associated with the University of Gothenburg, the Stockholm University, and the Lund University. Activities include cooperation with festivals such as the Venice Film Festival, the Cannes Film Festival, and the Berlin International Film Festival to present restored works, collaborations with curators from the Tate Modern and the Centre Pompidou, and partnerships with dramatic institutions like the Royal Shakespeare Company for stage-focused projects. The foundation engages with award bodies like the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the BAFTA for retrospectives and scholarly symposia.

Collections and Archives

Collections comprise original screenplays, personal correspondence, production notes, reel holdings, and audiovisual materials similar to those held by the Gulbenkian Foundation and the Fondation Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé. The archive houses manuscripts comparable to collections at the Harry Ransom Center and film elements conserved following standards used by the Library of Congress and the British Film Institute National Archive. Holdings include correspondence with collaborators such as Liv Ullmann, Erland Josephson, Max von Sydow, Bibi Andersson, and designers linked to Sven Nykvist and Gunnar Björnstrand, as well as production materials related to films screened at institutions like the Museum of the Moving Image and the Kino International. The foundation catalogues materials following practices from the Getty Research Institute and the Smithsonian Institution.

Bergman Center and Facilities

The foundation supports the Bergman Center on Fårö and manages studios and exhibition spaces influenced by models such as the Tate Britain and the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) Glasgow. Facilities include conservation laboratories utilizing techniques promoted by the Image Permanence Institute and the National Film Preservation Foundation, screening spaces comparable to the Cinematheque Francaise and the Filmoteca Española, and research rooms modeled after the Neue Galerie and the British Library. The center hosts visiting scholars from institutions like the Columbia University Department of Film Studies and the Yale University Film Studies program.

Educational and Cultural Programs

Programs encompass fellowships patterned after the Harvard University Film Study Center and residency schemes similar to the MacDowell Colony and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, workshops with practitioners from the Royal National Theatre, and seminar series in collaboration with the Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts. Public courses reference curricula at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts and the London Film School, while outreach initiatives partner with cultural organizations such as the Svenska Institutet and the Nordic Council to promote Scandinavian cinema and theatre.

Governance and Funding

Governance follows a board structure with trustees drawn from legal, cultural, and academic spheres, comparable to boards at the Guggenheim Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Funding sources include private donors, endowments, and grants from agencies like the Kulturdepartementet (Sweden), the Swedish Arts Council, and European programs such as the Creative Europe initiative. The foundation collaborates with philanthropic organizations including the Wallace Foundation and corporate partners akin to sponsors of the Royal Opera House.

Public Access and Exhibitions

The foundation organizes exhibitions in partnership with venues like the Moderna Museet, the Nationalmuseum, the Museum of Photography, Sweden, and international institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Tate Modern. It curates retrospectives at festivals including the Cannes Film Festival, the Berlin International Film Festival, and the New York Film Festival, and provides researchers with access modeled after policies at the Bodleian Libraries and the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Temporary exhibitions have showcased scripts, costumes, and stills alongside collaborations with collectors associated with the Fondation Cartier and the Kunsthalle network.

Category:Cultural foundations Category:Film archives Category:Swedish foundations