Michael S. Bekele
Photo: Isak Berglund Mattsson-Mårn
Contact: ville@grandagency.se
Awards
2023 – Guldörat (The Golden Ear), best entertainment, Härifrån
Michael S. Bekele is a Swedish/German screenwriter and director, whose strength lies in telling stories that make difficult subjects accessible and uplifting. He showcased this ability in the audio drama Härifrån, which won Guldörat for best entertainment, even though it tackled something as disheartening as the rise of the far-right within Sweden.
Michael is born and raised in Germany but has established himself on the Swedish scene as well. He recently finished Alma Löv’s scriptwriter academy and is currently developing several own projects; a historical drama feature and a comedic YA-series being two examples. Parallel to this, he works with other people’s projects. When you hire Michael, you can expect a doer-attitude and distinct ideas that create solutions and elevate the story, as well as a sharp eye for dialogue.
Michael’s trademark is to find the humorous in the tragical, which he often does by placing his characters in surreal settings, like in the short film Black Square. It is set in a café which turns into the main character’s subconscious, and it demonstrates Michael’s clever yet funny way of telling stories. It raises questions about prejudice by letting the viewer be the judge, rather than the story itself.
As a trained classical pianist, Michael draws much inspiration for his writing from music, in the form of structure and rhythm, which he has experimented with in his collaborations with Jason Diakité. When, as in music, the balance between the creation and execution of the text are so central, the writer must be very production-aware – in everything from pre to post-production – already while writing the script.
Michael thrives in working with others and has created a method where he invites collaborators and audiences early in the development process. On this method, he has given lectures on prestigious schools like Berghs, Konstfack and Hyper Island.
Michael S. Bekele: remember the name!
Works
Film
2024 – Black Square, short, Gambio Film, writer & director
Radio
2022 – Härifrån, audio drama, Filt for Storytel, creator & director
Music videos
2021 – The Pilgrimage (Timbuktu), Universal Music/EMI/Bad Taste Records, Creative & art direction
2021 – Bars från ett B-barn (Timbuktu), Universal Music/EMI/Bad Taste Records, Creative & art direction