Frida Kempff

Frida Kempff (born 1977) is a Swedish filmmaker best known for the 2021 psychological thriller film Knocking.

Early life Kempff was born in 1977 in Sala, Sweden.

Career After graduating from the Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts, Kempff directed the documentary short film Bathing Micky about an elderly woman who is a member of her local bathing club. The short won the Prix du Jury at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

Kempff's fiction short While You Were Gone about a young man's changing relationship with his father premiered in 2011, followed by the 2015 documentary short Circles about a man's return to Stockholm after serving through Doctors Without Borders.

In 2015, Kempff's feature-length debut, Winter Buoy, premiered at that year's Gothenburg Film Festival. The documentary highlighted a public health program in Toronto supporting at-risk pregnant women.

Kempff next directed two more fictional short films: Dear Kid (2016), about a mother who suspects a swimming coach is abusing one of his pupils, and Wolf (2017), about a young woman who encounters a wolf that threatens her family's sheep.

Kempff's feature fiction film debut Knocking, based on a novella by Johan Theorin, debuted at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.

Filmography Year English title Original title Notes Ref. 2010 Bathing Micky Micky Badar Short film 2011 While You Were Gone Medan du var borta Short film 2015 Circles Circlar Short film Winter Buoy Vinterboj 2016 Dear Kid Älskade unge Short film 2017 Wolf Varg Short film 2021 Knocking Knackningar 2024 Den svenska torpedoen

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref. 2010 Cannes Film Festival Prix du Jury – Short Film Bathing Micky Expresion en Corto International Film Festival Best Short Documentary Nordisk Panorama Film Festival Nordic Documentary Film Award Skepto International Film Festival Grand Prix 2011 Stockholm International Film Festival 1km Film Award While You Were Gone 2015 Nordic International Film Festival Best Documentary Winter Buoy Gothenburg Film Festival Best Nordic Documentary 2016 Stockholm International Film Festival 1km Film Awawrd Dear Kid Nordisk Panorama Nordic Short Film Award Circles Gothenburg Film Festival Short Film Award 2017 Cinalfalma Lisbon International Film Awards Best Debut Film Wolf 2021 Narcisse Award Best Feature Film Knocking