BJÖRN SCHAGERSTRÖM
Awards
2024 – Fantasia Film Festival, best director, international short, Headache
2024 – Fantasia Film Festival, Outstanding performance award, Torkel Petterson, Amed Bozan & Jenny Gustavsson, Headache
2024 – Les Utopiales, International Science Fiction Festival, Best International Short, The Grand Jury Prize, Headache
2023 – Lund Fantastic Film Festival, best short, Headache
Nominations
2024 – Fantasia Film Festival, best international short, Headache
Björn Schagerström is a director/screenwriter who thrives in the space where dark humour meets twisted storytelling. He has directed several commercials and short films, like Headache, which earned him the Best Director-prize at Fantasia Film Festival’s international short’s competition.
Björn has studied at Kulturama, SKH and Alma Löv, parallel to working at B-Reel’s commercial division. But his real schooling has been hands-on: through his own production company, Bakåtkupad Film.
With Bakåtkupad, Björn has written, directed, and produced over ten short films, giving him a deep understanding of every aspect of the filmmaking process. His approach extends from creating ideas and all the way into the editing room, where his involvement ensures the final cut reflects his vision. Among his most notable work is Sleepwalker, which has been broadcasted on SVT several times, and Inflection Point, which is streaming on Amazon UK.
When it comes to genre, Björn has done everything from relationship drama to science-fiction. For him, it is important to able to shift tone depending on the story he will tell. With that said, he has a special fondness for dark humour and stories with character’s that are lost, trying to find their way.
As a director, Björns best feature is his sharp eye for character work —getting the best out of his actors. His last short Headache was a prime example of this, earning critical acclaim at the Fantasia Film Festival and securing awards for both best director and acting, at the international short’s competition. The film is currently in development to be a full-length feature.
After gaining valuable experience, know-how and acclaim from working on his own projects, Björn is now looking forward to work more with other people’s projects, both as a writer and director.
Works
2023 – Headache, Bakåtkupad Film, writer, director & editor
2021 – Imcommodious, Bakåtkupad Film, writer, director & editor
2020 – Inflection Point, Bakåtkupad Film, writer, director & editor
2019 – The Annual Gathering, documentary writer, director & editor
2017 – Sleepwalker, Bakåtkupad Film, writer, director & editor