The Cannibal
The Cannibal, Gustaf Skarsgård’s directorial debut from Peter Birro’s script, offers a terrifying Bergman encounter
Gustaf Skarsgård makes his directorial debut with The Cannibal, a totally genre-defying story about the possibilities and misadventures of filmmaking, scripted by Peter Birro. Ingmar Bergman has a significant role as both a genius and a demon. Skarsgård and Birro presented their film today during Film i Väst’s press conference at the Cannes Film Festival. The Cannibal will be released in Swedish cinemas in 2027 and will be distributed by Scanbox Entertainment.
The Cannibal is a bold mix of sacrilege and homage to Bergman and the art of cinema. The story is told on several levels: as a drama about a man’s emotional breakdown after a painful personal loss, as a reflection on what we sacrifice to create art, as a meta-film about making a film about Bergman, and not least as a darkly humorous horror film inspired by the master’s cinematic universe. For Peter Birro, it is a personal film:
-I was eight years old when I saw Bergman’s Hour of the Wolf on TV and almost died of fright. I understood nothing of the artist’s struggle with his demons, but it hit me on a gut level and I became obsessed with film. Many years later, I travel to Fårö to write a screenplay about Bergman, hoping to find inspiration on the island. But once there, the shadow of the demon director hangs heavily over me and I give up, go home and start writing a film about a braver writer who actually dares to challenge the Master. It is a true gift to get Gustaf Skarsgård as director.
In The Cannibal, screenwriter David meets his great idol Ingmar Bergman, and this will soon take over his entire life in a nightmarish way. David is played by Ardalan Esmaili (Kristallen Award winner for The Helicopter Heist) and Ingmar Bergman by Claes Ljungmark (Guldbagge Award winner for A Rational Solution).
-I have longed to direct a feature film for many years, but I never came across material that felt exciting enough. But when Birro came up with this script, I immediately felt in my gut that this is the one I have to do! It’s a terrifying celebration of creative playfulness. And I am so happy that I have found Ardalan Esmaili to play the lead role, and Claes Ljungmark who will make a both primal and explosive Bergman, says Gustaf Skarsgård.
– The Cannibal unites two of Sweden’s truly great film profiles when Gustaf Skarsgård makes his directorial debut from Peter Birro’s brilliant script. It’s both brave and crazy to enter Ingmar Bergman’s world and it gives our investment in Swedish cinema film an extra strong flavour, says Annica Bellander Rune, Local Marketing & Acquisition Manager at Scanbox Entertainment Sweden.
The Cannibal will be filmed on the island of Fårö and in western Götaland this autumn and will have a Swedish cinema premiere in 2027.