Ingmar Bergman was a Swedish filmmaker and theater director, born on July 14, 1918, and passed away on July 30, 2007. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential screenwriters and film directors of all time. His films have been described as deeply personal meditations on the struggles facing the psyche and the soul. Some of his most acclaimed works include The Seventh Seal (1957), Wild Strawberries (1957), Persona (1966), and Fanny and Alexander (1982). These four films were included in the 2012 edition of Sight & Sound’s Greatest Films of All Time. Bergman was also ranked No. 8 on the magazine’s 2002 “Greatest Directors of All Time” list.

Bergman directed more than 60 films and documentaries, most of which he also wrote, for cinema releases and television screenings. Most of his films were set in Sweden, and many of his films from 1961 onward were filmed on the island of Fårö. He forged a creative partnership with his cinematographers Gunnar Fischer and Sven Nykvist. He also had a theatrical career, including periods as Leading Director of Sweden’s Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm and Germany’s Residenztheater in Munich. He directed more than 170 plays. Among his company of actors were Harriet Andersson, Bibi Andersson, Liv Ullmann, Gunnar Björnstrand, Erland Josephson, Ingrid Thulin, Gunnel Lindblom, and Max von Sydow.