Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel, the grandson of famed director Ingmar Bergman and actress Liv Ullman, considered economics, law, and journalism before following family tradition and pursuing filmmaking. “I explored several options because, because of my family background, I didn’t want to go into film or writing,” he told VF Espana in an exclusive interview. His mother, Linn Ullman, is a reputable journalist and literary critic. But try as he might to stay away from showbiz, life had other plans for him. “In college I took a course almost by accident and it kind of lit a fire inside me,” he says. “I applied to the Film School and… I never looked back.”
While lounging at the Hôtel du Palais in Biarritz, Tøndel chaired the jury of the third edition of the French town’s Nouvelles Vagues Film Festival this past June. “It’s a very nice experience: staying in this amazing hotel, in this wonderful city,” he says. “I’ve been very well looked after and I’ve spent time with tremendously creative and intelligent people. I’m really impressed because, although I’m still young, at 15 years younger they are much smarter than me.”
Tøndel has been surrounded by creative and intelligent people his entire life. His Swedish grandfather Ingmar Bergman is widely considered one of the most influential filmmakers in modern cinematic history, having helmed classic films like The Seventh Seal (1957), Wild Strawberries (1957) and Fanny and Alexander (1982). His grandmother, Norwegian actress Liv Ullman, was a frequent collaborator with Bergman, who died in 2007, starring in his films Persona (1996) and Scenes of a Marriage (1973) among many others. In 2022, she received an honorary academy award.
“That’s a personal thing,” says Tøndel when asked about his famous family. “I went through some not entirely good periods as a child, but I try to work on it personally every day”, he says with a laugh. “I’ll most likely have to do that for the rest of my life. I’ve had some great times, but I’m a very anxious person. I always put myself in the worst-case scenario, and I spin things around. I used those experiences in the film.”
