Ruben Östlund

Ruben Östlund (born 14 April 1974) is a Swedish filmmaker best known for his satirical black comedy films Force Majeure, The Square (2017) and Triangle of Sadness (2022). He is the recipient of various accolades, including two Palmes d'Or, four European Film Awards and nominations for three Academy Awards.

Early life and education Östlund was born Claes Olle Ruben Östlund in Styrsö, Gothenburg Municipality, Sweden. After high school, he started working in various ski resorts in the Alps during the winter seasons. There he began making skiing videos for his friends, which helped him get a job at a local production company.

He went on to study at the Gothenburg film school, graduating in 2001. He was accepted to the school based on his skiing films. Together with film producer Erik Hemmendorff, he co-founded the production company Plattform Produktion, which produces his films.

Career 2000–2011 His first three feature-length fiction films were The Guitar Mongoloid (2004), Involuntary (2008) and Play (2011). The Guitar Mongoloid won the FIPRESCI Award at the 27th Moscow International Film Festival. Östlund's short film Incident by a Bank won the Golden Bear for Best Short Film at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival and the Grand Prix at Tampere Film Festival in 2011.

2014–present In 2014, his film Force Majeure was selected to compete in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival, winning the Jury Prize. Sweden then submitted Force Majeure for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. After the Academy shortlisted but did not nominate it, Östlund released a humorous video of his response to the snub. In 2016, he was a member of the jury for the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes.

In 2017, his film The Square, loosely inspired by some of his own experiences and art installation with Kalle Boman, won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Alissa Wilkinson of Vox remarked that the film "at times feels more like longform performance art than a narrative film."

In 2020, he received the King's medal in gold for significant contributions to Swedish film.

His next project was Triangle of Sadness, a satirical film about the wealthy elite, which won him his second Palme d'Or in 2022, Best Director at the Guldbaggens gala, and won five other nominations. Triangle of Sadness received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.

Östlund was the Jury president of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

Personal life Östlund has been in a relationship since 2014 with fashion photographer Sina Görcz, with whom he has a son. Until their divorce in 2008, he was married to his director colleague Andrea Östlund. They had twin daughters, born when he was working on The Guitar Mongoloid at the age of 28.

Filmography

Short film Year English title Original title Notes 2005 Autobiographical Scene Number 6882 Scen nr: 6882 ur mitt liv 2009 Incident by a Bank Händelse vid bank Short Film Golden Bear at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival

Feature film Year English title Original title Notes 2004 The Guitar Mongoloid Gitarrmongot 2008 Involuntary De ofrivilliga 2011 Play 2014 Force Majeure Turist Jury Prize of the Un Certain Regard section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival 2017 The Square Palme d'Or at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival 2022 Triangle of Sadness Palme d'Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival; English-language debut 2027 The Entertainment System Is Down Post-production

Other films Year English title Original title Notes 1993 Addicted Skiing film 1997 Free Radicals 1998 Free Radicals 2 2000 Låt dom andra sköta kärleken Documentary 2002 Family Again Familj igen

Awards and nominations Academy Awards

BAFTA Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 2015 Best Film Not in the English Language Force Majeure 2023 Best Original Screenplay Triangle of Sadness

Cannes Film Festival

Golden Globe Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 2015 Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language Force Majeure 2018 The Square 2023 Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Triangle of Sadness