Bergman remembered on Fårö

Around 140 people gathered on the Swedish Baltic Sea island of Fårö on Wednesday evening to remember film director Ingmar Bergman, who died last week at the age of 89.

Published: 9 August 2007 09:41 CEST

Many of those attending the ceremony, held in a local community hall, were residents of the island Bergman had made his home. During the ceremony, they related their memories of the director.

“The Ingmar we knew was quite different from the great demon the rest of the world knew him to be. We have a softer picture of him. He was a happy and jovial person,” said Kerstin Kalström, chairwoman of the Fårö Bygdegårdsförening (community centre association).

The seating at the memorial ceremony had been arranged in a semi-circle in order to create a more intimate atmosphere. Filmmaker Arne Carlsson told of how he had started working as a truck driver for Bergman, before eventually becoming a photographer. Among the other speakers were artist Ann-Marie Werkelin, Bergman’s neighbour Hilding Olofsson and actress Barbro Hjort af Ornäs.