Mantaray Film

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOY IN THE WORLD (2021)

In 1971, due to the world premiere of Death in Venice, Italian director Lucino Visconti proclaimed his Tadzio as the world’s most beautiful boy. A shadow that today, 50 years later, weighs Björn Andresen’s life. A film about the price of beauty. A drama that takes us to Japan, Italy, France and Denmark.

Production

Directors: Kristina Lindström and Kristian Petri
Cinematographer: Erik Vallsten
Editor: Hanna Lejonqvist, Dino Jonsäter
Composer: Anna von Hausswolff, Filip Leyman
Head of Archive: Jonas Goldmann
Producer: Stina Gardell
Length: Festival version 94 min, TV version 52 min
Release: World Premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2021

Developed with the support of the Creative Europe Programme - MEDIA of the European Union, The Swedish Film Institute, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, Film invest Örebro and Jonas Gardell Produktion, in coproduction with SVT and ZDF/ARTE, in collaboration with YLE

Sundance FF21 Official Selection
Awarded Best Nordic Project at Docs Ports Incheon, South Korea 2018
The Swedish television award "Kristallen" for best documentary program 2022
Winner of Master of Art at Aurubis Film Festival, Bulgaria, 2021
Audience Award Winner, Monterrey FVilm Festival, Mexico
Best Editing, Guldbagge, Sweden 2022
The Swedish television award "Kristallen" for best documentary program 2022

Official Website


FESTIVAL SELECTION

29 Jan, World Premiere, Sundance Film Festival, USA
1 April, Hong Kong International Film Festival, Hong Kong
8 April, Cleveland International Film Festival, USA
25 April, Moscow International Film Festival, Russia
6 May, CPH:Dox, Denmark
25 June, Pesaro Film Festival, Italy
29 June, La Rochelle International Film Festival, France
3 July, Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, Greece
4 July, Revelation Perth International Film Festival, Austraila
28 August, Atlàntida Mallorca Film Festival, Spain
31 August, Jerusalem Film Festival, Israel
13 September, Film by the Sea Film Festival, Netherlands
16 August, Monterrey Film Festival, Mexico (Audience Award Winner)
12 September, Master of Art Film Festival, Bulgaria (Winner of AURUBIS AWARDS)


PRESS COVERAGE, A SELECTION

SVT Kulturnyheterna, Review "Hjärtskärande och suggestiv dokumentär"

SVT Kultur, "Världens vackraste pojke: Barn används och slängs till vargarna i filmvärlden"

Sigge Eklund, instagram "En av de bästa dokumentärfilmerna som gjorts"

Sydsvenskan, Review "Världens vackraste pojke" har funnit försoning"

P1 SR, Kulturnytt, Review "Världens vackraste pojke berör starkt"

Nöjesguiden, Review "Näst gladaste munnen"

DN, Review "Världens vackraste pojke förvandlar filmklassiker till övergreppsberättelse"

GP, Review "'Världens vackraste pojke' i regi av Kristina Lindström och Kristian Petri"

TT, Review "Vacker och nattsvart historia"

TV4 Nyhetsmorgon, Review "Jag blir så illa berörd - så bra är veckans filmer och serier"

SVD, Review "Skakande och vackert om barnets utsatthet"

Kulturbloggen, Review "Världens vackraste pojke - Jag är helt tagen"

SF Chronicle, Review

NY Times, Review

The Hollywood Reporter, Review

The Article, "Review"

BBC World Service,"Interview with Björn Andrésen"

The New European Online,"Twilight of the Golden Boy"

No More Workhorse, "Review"

Hey U Guys, "Review" 

Financial Times, "The Most Beautiful Boy in the World - a deeply sad exposé"

Dazed, "Björns Andrésen on being ´The Most Beautiful Boy in the World'"

British Film Institute, "Interview with Kristina Lindström & Kristian Petri"

Doc Arena Podcast, "Interview with Kristina Lindström & Kristian Petri"

The Tablet, "Men overboard"

HeadStuff, "The Most Beautiful Boy In The World Reclaimes Andrésen's Voice"

Outtake Mag, "The Most Beautiful Boy in the Worls review - harrowing tale of lust and loss"

Empire Online, "Review"

City AM, "Sundance Film Festival: London 2021 - Our Best of The Fest"

Fab UK, "The Most Beautiful Boy in the World"

Movies 1, "Review"

Total Film Podcast, "Inside Total Film: The Suicide Squad, Jungle Cruise, Limbo & The Most Beautiful Boy in the World" starts at 43:40

BBC Radio 5 Live, "Kermode and Mayo's Film Review " starts at 1:26:54

The Guardian, 'Death in Venice screwed up my life'-the tragic story of Visconti's 'beautiful boy'

The Sunday Telegraph, "Whatever happened to 'the world's most beautiful boy'?"

The Times: Saturday Review, "Björn Andresen: 'Death in Venice messed up my life'"

The Irish Independent, "Luchino Visconti's curse for the most beautiful boy in the world"

The Daily Mail, "Tragedy of the 'world's most beautiful boy': How movie condemned its teen star to a life of despair"

BBC Radio, Interview with Kristina Lindström & Kristian Petri

The Skinny, "The Most Beautiful Boy in the World: 50 years later"

BBC, "Death in Venice and how film has mistreated child stars"

News Talk FM: Screen Time, Interview with Kristina Lindström & Kristian Petri

BBC News The Film Review, starts at 5:36 minutes

Monocle Radio: The Globalist, starts at 54:54 minutes

Big Mouth Podcast, starts at 19:48 minutes

It's a Stampede, Review

Parky at the Pictures, Review

Vodzilla, Review

One Room with a View, Review

Screen Queens, "'The Most Beautiful Boy in the World' Is A Devastating Look At Abuse In The Film Industry."

Close Up Film, Review

The Sunday Times, Review

Capital Reviewer, Review

The Entertainment Website, Review

RTE Culture, "The Most Beautiful Boy In The World - inside the new documentary"

RTE Arena, "Interview with Kristina Lindström & Kristian Petri"

Premiere Scene, Interview with Kristina Lindström & Kristian Petri

The Upcoming, Review

Boys on Film, Review

i-D, 10 must-watch movies from Sundance 2021

Jumpcut Online,"REVIEW: The Most Beautiful Boy in the World (Sundance 2021)"

Art Fuse,"Film Review: Virtual Sundance 2021 - Let Corporations Chase the Crowd Pleasers - Here's the Real stuff"

Spinning Platters, "Film Feature: Best of the 2021 Sundance Film Festival"

Newsradio WSGW,"2021 Sundance Film Festival: Day 2 Highlights"

Nashville Scene, "15 Standouts From the 2021 (Virtual) Sundance Film Festival"

The Film Stage"The Most Beautiful Boy in the World Directors on Capturing the Tragedy and Healing in the Life of Björn Andrésen"

We Live Entertainment, "Sundance 2021 Review: The Exquisite Tragedy of 'The Most Beautiful Boy in the World'"

Screen Daily, "10 films that stood out at Sundance 2021"

Washington Post, "Even in a world turned upside-down and an all-virtual Sundance, the movies survived"

Cinema-Magazin, "'The Most Beautiful Boy in the World': Kristina Lindstrom and Kristian Petri"

Cineuropa, "Kristina Lindstöm and Kristian Petri * Directors of The Most Beautiful Boy in the World"

CBS News, "2021 Sundance Film Festival: Day 2 highlights"

Vogue, A New Film Asks: What Happens to the Very Young, Very Beautiful Star When the Movie Is Over?

El Pais, La maldición de encarnar al bello Tadzio

The New York Times - Sundance Diary, part 3: Documentaries Thar Don't Despair

The Week, "The Most Beautiful Boy in the World is one movie that deserves a theater viewing"

Sight and Sound, "The Most Beautiful Boy in the World"

Girls at Film, "Film Diary: Sundance 2021 - The Most Beautiful Boy in the World, the curse of innocence"

Cineuropa, "Review: The Most Beautiful Boy in the World" by Vladan Petkovic

The Utah Review, Absorbing, sensitive story of the pains of objectification, fragile ephemerality of beauty

Indiewire, "'The Most Beautiful Boy in the World' Review: A Crushing Story of Innocence Destroyed by Stardom"

Screen Daily, 'The Most Beautiful Boy in the World': Sundance Review

Deadline, Sundance Review: ‘The Most Beautiful Boy In The World’

SALES

Worldwide Sales: Films Boutique, Gabor Greiner, gabor@filmsboutique.com

 
DISTRIBUTORS

Australia / New Zealand: Madman Entertainment
BeNeLux: Amstelfilm
China: MovieZone
Czech/Slovak Republic: Film Europe
Denmark: Filmbazar
Germany, Austria, Switzerland: MissingFILMS
Greece: Carousel Films
Israel: Lev Cinemas
Italy: Just Wanted
South Korea: Watcha Inc.
Iceland: Bio Paradis
Spain: Filmin (theatrical + VOD) / Mirror has purchased the TV rights
Portugal: Filmin (theatrical + VOD)

Taiwan: Giloo

UK: Dogwoof
                       zdf/arte