As production manager and producer she contributed to both lesser-known as well as grander projects by directors like Gunnel Lindblom and Kjell Grede. In 2017, Katinka Faragó was honoured with a National Swedish Film Award (“Hedersguldbagge”) for her collected body of work.
Faragó was born in Vienna in 1936 to Jewish-Hungarian parents who managed to escape the Nazi horrors with narrow margin. Her father, Alexander ”Sándor” Faragó, was a renowned writer, whose original play ”Scandal in Budapest” had become a hit Hollywood musical called Top Hat (1935), starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Hollywood was also the planned destination of the Faragó family, but a short stop in Sweden turned out to be permanent. Mr Faragó did what he could within the not quite white tie and tails-ridden Swedish film world, providing material for the likes of Elof ”Loffe” Ahrle, a popular actor-comedian with a good-natured hobo personality. It would be young Ms Faragó who would eventually reach the higher levels of cinematic success.
In 1950 and at the age of 14, she got her first script girl assignment on one of the Ahrle films, Loffe blir polis (”Loffe becomes a cop”). Six years later, she had the same position on Bergman’s Smiles of a Summer Night. She now had experience and half a dozen film productions under her belt, among them Mimi Pollak’s sole feature as director, Rätten att älska (”The Right to Love”, 1956).
As staff script supervisor at Svensk Filmindustri, Faragó worked on all of Bergman’s forthcoming classics made for the studio in the 1950s. Other directors who benefitted from her services include Hasse Ekman, Lars-Eric Kjellgren, Alf Kjellin, Vilgot Sjöman and later also Jan Troell, on who’s The Immigrants/The New Land epic (Utvandrarna/Nybyggarna, 1971-72) she collaborated. Her work with Mai Zetterling on Loving Couples (Älskande par, 1964) did not inspire further couplings; she felt at home with Bergman and it is here that she developed the skills that eventually led to bigger things. She would work on 19 Bergman productions, including Fanny and Alexander (Fanny och Alexander, 1982), where she had the position of production manager. Her last Bergman production was the television film After the Rehearsal (Efter repetitionen, 1984).
Her career as production manager started with The Night Visitor (1971), a Swedish-American co-production directed by Lazlo Benedek, produced by Mel Ferrer and starring Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann and Trevor Howard. She formed a regular bond with actress-turned-director Gunnel Lindblom, and would act as production manager, later producer, on the Lindblom-directed Summer Paradise (Paradistorg, 1977), Sally and Freedom (Sally och friheten, 1981) and Sommarkvällar på jorden (Summer Nights on the Planet Earth, 1985). Faragó also collaborated on The Sacrifice (Offret, 1986), Andrei Tarkovsky’s last film, shot in Sweden in 1985.
It is as producer that Faragó has had her most prolific career. In this position, she started out in 1984 and has since then been behind a number of successful films, among them Hip Hip Hurra (”Hip Hip Hurray!”, 1987) and God afton herr Wallenberg (”Good Evening, Mr. Wallenberg”, 1990) by Kjell Grede, Leningrad Cowboys Go America (1989, as co-producer) by Aki Kaurismäki and Sunday’s Children (Söndagsbarn, 1992), directed by Daniel Bergman.
Recently, Katinka Faragó has taken on younger talents and acted as an appreciated mentor to budding directors, among them Pernilla August.
Text by Mikaela Kindblom
(Translated by Jan Lumholdt)
Basic info
Main profession: Producer
Born: 1936
Active: 1950-
Filmography
Producent:
Populärmusik från Vittula (2004)
Kommer du med mig då (2003)
Shortcuts från Sandrews (1999)
Tic Tac (1997)
Den vita lejoninnan (1996)
Juloratoriet (1996)
Alfred (1995)
Jönssonligans största kupp (1995)
Ingen som Du (1994)
Sista dansen (1993)
Jönssonligan & den svarta diamanten (1992)
Söndagsbarn (1992)
Önskas (1991)
Blankt vapen (1990)
Bulan (1990)
God afton, herr Wallenberg (1990)
Hjälten (1990)
Gekko (1989)
Kvinnorna på taket (1989)
Leningrad Cowboys Go America (1989)
Venus 90 (1988)
Approaching Zero, 000 – De lyckliga ingenjörerna (1987)
Hip Hip Hurra! (1987)
Bakom jalusin (1984)
Produktionschef:
Sommarkvällar på jorden (1987)
Produktionsledare:
Offret (1986)
Da Capo (1985)
Pelle Svanslös i Amerikatt (1985)
Efter repetitionen (1984)
Fanny och Alexander (1983)
Avskedet (1982)
Fanny och Alexander (1982)
Sally och friheten (1981)
Kärleken (1980)
Marmeladupproret (1980)
Min älskade (1979)
En och en (1978)
Höstsonaten (1978)
Paradistorg (1977)
Ansikte mot ansikte (1976)
En dåres försvarstal (1976)
Stora skälvan (1972)
Papegojan (1971)
Projektledare:
Sound of Noise (2010)
Roll:
Citizen Schein (2017)
Regiassistent:
Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates (1962)
Scripta:
Fem dagar i Falköping (1975)
Trollflöjten (1975)
Viskningar och rop (1973)
Nybyggarna (1972)
Swedish Wildcats (1972)
Beröringen (1971)
Utvandrarna (1971)
En passion (1969)
Skammen (1968)
Tvärbalk (1967)
För vänskaps skull (1965)
491 (1964)
Älskande par (1964)
Att älska (1964)
För att inte tala om alla dessa kvinnor (1964)
Lyckodrömmen (1963)
Nattvardsgästerna (1963)
Tystnaden (1963)
Älskarinnan (1962)
Karneval (1961)
Lita på mej, älskling! (1961)
Lustgården (1961)
Svenska Floyd (1961)
Kärlekens decimaler (1960)
På en bänk i en park (1960)
Bara en kypare (1959)
Lejon på stan (1959)
Ansiktet (1958)
Du är mitt äventyr (1958)
Flottans överman (1958)
Jazzgossen (1958)
Det sjunde inseglet (1957)
Far till sol och vår (1957)
Med glorian på sned (1957)
Möten i skymningen (1957)
Nattens ljus (1957)
Smultronstället (1957)
Den hårda leken (1956)
Nattbarn (1956)
Rätten att älska (1956)
Skorpan (1956)
Kvinnodröm (1955)
Sommarnattens leende (1955)
Gud Fader och tattaren (1954)
En skärgårdsnatt (1953)
I dur och skur (1953)
Vägen till Klockrike (1953)
Anderssonskans Kalle (1950)
Loffe blir polis (1950)
Medproducent:
Vänner, kamrater (1990)
Coproducent:
Folk och rövare i Kamomilla stad (1988)
Verkställande producent:
Jönssonligan spelar högt (2000)
Jag skall bli Sveriges Rembrandt eller dö! (1990)
Flickan från tändsticksfabriken (1990)
Cha cha cha (1989)
Paper Star (1989)
Resan till Melonia (1989)
Det är långt till New York (1988)
Friends (1988)
Korpens skugga (1988)
Aida (1987)
Pelle Erövraren (1987)
Inspelningsledare:
Korridoren (1968)
Produktionsekonom:
Simon och ekarna (2011)
Filmkonsulent:
Vid vägen (1988)
Övrig medarbetare:
Svinalängorna (2010)
Astérix & Obélix – uppdrag Kleopatra (2002)
Babar – elefanternas konung (1999)
Ett paradis utan biljard (1991)
Tack till:
Dyningar (1991)
Video
Awards
2017: Guldbagge Hedersguldbagge.
1998: Guldbagge Bästa film, Tic Tac (1997).
1991: Guldbagge Bästa film, God afton, herr Wallenberg (1990).
1986: Filmbranschens pris.