Jörn Johan Donner (5 February 1933 – 30 January 2020) was a Finnish writer,

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

, actor, producer,

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and founder of

Finnish Film Archive The National Audiovisual Institute (; or ') is a governmental bureau under the Finnish Ministry of Education responsible for supervising the distribution of audiovisual content (including video games), advancing media education in Finland and a ...

. He produced

Ingmar Bergman Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film and theatre director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential film directors of all time, his films have been described as "profoun ...

's film ''

Fanny and Alexander ''Fanny and Alexander'' () is a 1982 Historical drama, period drama film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. The plot focuses on two siblings and their large family in Uppsala, Sweden during the first decade of the twentieth century. Follow ...

'', which won four Academy Awards in 1984. Donner also served in the

Finnish parliament The Parliament of Finland ( ; ) is the unicameral and supreme legislature of Finland, founded on 9 May 1906. In accordance with the Constitution of Finland, sovereignty belongs to the people, and that power is vested in the Parliament. The P ...

and the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

, making significant contributions to both cinema and politics.

Biography

Born into the

Finland-Swedish Finland Swedish or Fenno-Swedish (; ) is a Variety (linguistics), variety of the Swedish language and a closely related group of Swedish dialects spoken in Finland by the Swedish-speaking population of Finland, Swedish-speaking population, common ...

Donner family The Donner family is one of the renowned and wealthy Swedish-speaking Finns, Finland-Swedish families that grew in importance during the times of the Grand Duchy of Finland. Family members have been influential in Finland, Finnish politics and cul ...

of German descent, Jörn Donner was the son of the linguist

Kai Donner Karl (Kai) Reinhold Donner (1 April 1888 – 12 February 1935) was a Finland, Finnish linguist, ethnography, ethnographer and politician. He carried out expeditions to the Ob-Ugrians, Ob-Ugric and Samoyedic peoples in Siberia 1911–1914 ...

and the grandson of linguist and politician

Otto Donner Otto Donner (15 December 1835, Kokkola – 17 September 1909, Helsinki) was a Finnish linguist and politician. Biography He was professor of Sanskrit and Comparative Indo-European linguistics at the University of Helsinki, but also studied ...

. He lived and worked for long periods in Sweden, and served as director of the

Swedish Film Institute The Swedish Film Institute () (SFI) is a statutory body located in Stockholm, Sweden that supports the Swedish film industry. Founded in 1963, the institute is responsible for administering the annual Guldbagge Awards, and for managing the Swed ...

. In 1979, he was a member of the jury at the

29th Berlin International Film Festival The 29th Berlin International Film Festival was held from 20 February – 3 March 1979. The Golden Bear was awarded to ''David (1979 film), David'' directed by Peter Lilienthal. The retrospective was dedicated to Italian actor Rudolph Valentino ...

. Internationally Jörn Donner was best known as the producer of Ingmar Bergman's film ''Fanny and Alexander'' (, 1982). In 1984 the movie won a total of four

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

including the award for best foreign language film, making him to date the only Finn to receive an Oscar. His novel (''Father and Son'') won the

Finlandia Prize The Finlandia Prize (; ) is a set of Finnish literary prizes awarded by the Finnish Book Foundation to "celebrate reading and highlight new Finnish first-rate literature." Considered the most prestigious in the nation, they are awarded annually in ...

in 1985. Donner was associated with several different political parties, such as SDP and RKP, and was at different times a member both of the Finnish parliament and the European Parliament. he was again a member of the Finnish parliament for a short while, after

Eva Biaudet Eva Rita Katarina Biaudet (born 27 February 1961) is a Finnish politician and Member of Parliament of Finland in the parliamentary group of the Swedish People's Party. She returned to the Finnish Parliament in the parliamentary election of April ...

resigned to take a position at the

OSCE The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the pr ...

. Donner suffered from

prostate The prostate is an male accessory gland, accessory gland of the male reproductive system and a muscle-driven mechanical switch between urination and ejaculation. It is found in all male mammals. It differs between species anatomically, chemica ...

and

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

s. He died of lung disease at

Meilahti hospital The Meilahti Tower Hospital, part of the Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH), is the largest hospital in Finland, located in the Meilahti district of Helsinki. The hospital has a helipad with the ICAO airport code The ICAO airport c ...

in Helsinki on 30 January 2020, six days before his 87th birthday. After his death, an archive of thousands of photographs was discovered at his home, showing that Donner was also a skilled photographer. In 2023, Donner's widow revealed that she had thrown his ashes in the

compost Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical, and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by Decomposition, decomposing plant and food waste, recycling organic materials, and man ...

after discovering his history of

infidelity Infidelity (synonyms include non-consensual non-monogamy, cheating, straying, adultery, being unfaithful, two-timing, or having an affair) is a violation of a couple's emotional or sexual exclusivity that commonly results in feelings of anger, se ...

Filmography

* (''

A Sunday in September A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is '' a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes''. It is similar in shape to the Ancient ...

'', 1963) *, (''

To Love To Love () is a 1968 Soviet romantic drama film directed by Mikhail Kalik and Inna Tumanyan. The film consists of four short stories, each of which asks the audience a question: "What is love?" Plot First Story On a rainy day, three couple ...

'', 1964) *', (''Adventure Starts Here'', 1965) * (''

Rooftree ''Rooftree'' () is a 1967 Swedish drama film directed by Jörn Donner. It is based on Sivar Arnér's 1963 novel ''Tvärbalk''. Cast * Ulf Palme as Leo Wittö * Harriet Andersson as Noomi Moldovan * Gunnel Broström as Inez Wittö * Ernst-Hugo J� ...

'', 1967) *''

Stimulantia ''Stimulantia'' is a 1967 Swedish anthology film directed by Hans Abramson, Hans Alfredson, Arne Arnbom, Tage Danielsson, Lars Görling, Ingmar Bergman, Jörn Donner, Gustaf Molander, and Vilgot Sjöman. Cast * Hans Abramson as Interviewer ...

'' (1967) *, ('' Black on White'', 1968) *' (1969) *''

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna of East Anglia, King (died c.654) * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th c ...

'' (1970) *, (''

Portraits of Women A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face is always predominant. In arts, a portrait may be represented as half body and even full body. If the subject in full body better re ...

'', 1970) * (1971) * (1972) *' (1973) *''

Near and Far Away ''Near and Far Away'' () is a 1976 Swedish drama film directed by Marianne Ahrne. Ahrne won the award for Guldbagge Award for Best Director, Best Director at the 13th Guldbagge Awards. Cast * Lilga Kovanko as Mania * Robert Farrant as Mutist * ...

'' (1976) *' (1978) *''

Men Can't Be Raped ''Men Can't Be Raped'' (also known as ''Manrape''; ) is a 1978 Finnish-Swedish " rape and revenge" drama film directed by Jörn Donner, based on the novel '' Manrape'' by Märta Tikkanen. It tells the story of a woman (Anna Godenius), who, after ...

'' (1978) *''Bergman File, The'' (1978) *' (1982) *''

Hockeyfeber ''Hockeyfeber'' (Hockey Fever) is a Norwegian sports drama film from 1983 directed by Oddvar Bull Tuhus. The main roles are played by Rune Dybedahl, Liv Bernhoft Osa, Jörn Donner, Sverre Anker Ousdal, Per Theodor Haugen, and Rolf Søder. Pl ...

'' (1983) *''Dirty Story'' (1984) *''/'' (1988) * (1998) * (2000) *'' The Border'' (''Raja 1918'', 2007) *'' Kuulustelu'' (2009) *''

Armi elää! Armi or ARMI may refer to: * Armi (Syria), an ancient Syrian kingdom identified with Aleppo * ''Fire'' (magazine), a Belgian-Francophone magazine that publish articles about firearms and militaria * Armi Jager, an Italian firearms manufacturer * I ...

'' (2015)

Bibliography

* 1951 – . Söderström. * 1952 – * 1954 – . Söderström. * 1955 – . Söderström. * 1957 – . Söderström. * 1958 – .

Schildts Schildts Förlags Ab was a Swedish-language book publisher in Finland. The publisher published textbooks as well as fiction and non-fiction. The head office was in Helsinki and there was a branch located in Vaasa. The publisher was owned by Sve ...

. * 1960 – . Söderström. * 1961 – . Söderström. * 1962 – . Söderström. * 1962 – . Söderström. * 1967 – . Söderström. * 1968 – . Söderström. * 1968 – * 1971 – . Söderström. * 1972 – . Söderström. * 1973 – .

Wahlström & Widstrand Wahlström & Widstrand is a Swedish book publishing company. Wahlström & Widstrand was established in 1885 by two book sellers in Stockholm, Per Karl Wahlström and Wilhelm Widstrand. The company started publishing fiction in the 1890s and late ...

. * 1974 – . Söderström. * 1976 – . Wahlström & Widstrand. * 1976 – . Söderström. * 1978 – . Söderström. * 1980 – . Söderström. * 1981 – . Söderström. * 1982 – . Söderström. * 1982 – . * 1984 – . Wahlström & Widstrand. * 1985 – . Söderström. * 1985 – . . * 1986 – . Söderström. * 1986 – . Söderström. * 1989 – . Söderström. * 1990 – . Söderström. * 1991 – ''Fazer 100''. Söderström. * 1992 – . Söderström. * 1993 – . Söderström. * 1993 – * 1994 – . Söderström. * 1998 – Söderström. * 2001 – . Söderström. * 2002 – . Söderström. * 2004 – . Söderström. * 2004 – . Söderström. * 2005 – .

Aamulehti ''Aamulehti'' ( Finnish for "morning newspaper") is a Finnish-language daily newspaper published in Tampere, Finland. Established in 1881 by Finnish patriots in Tampere, the newspaper aimed to bolster the Finnish language and people's identity d ...

. * 2006 – . Söderström. * 2006 – . Söderström. * 2007 – . Schildts. * 2009 – . Ekerlid. * 2011 – . Söderström. * 2013 – .

Schildts & Söderströms Schildts & Söderströms is a Finnish book publisher, which was established in February 2012 through a merger between Schildts Förlags Ab and Söderströms Förlags Ab, Söderström & Co. The publisher is based in Helsinki. Its first managing d ...

. * 2015 – . Schildts & Söderströms. * 2015 – .

Albert Bonniers Förlag Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert Computers, Inc., a computer manufacturer in the 1980s * Albert Czech Republic, a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street ma ...

. * 2019 – . .

References

External links

* *
Jörn Donner in 375 Humanists
Faculty of Arts, University of Helsinki. 28.7.2015. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Donner, Jorn 1933 births 2020 deaths Writers from Helsinki Finnish people of German descent Finnish People's Democratic League politicians Swedish People's Party of Finland politicians Social Democratic Party of Finland politicians Members of the Parliament of Finland (1987–1991) Members of the Parliament of Finland (1991–1995) Members of the Parliament of Finland (2003–2007) Members of the Parliament of Finland (2011–2015) Social Democratic Party of Finland MEPs MEPs for Finland 1996–1999 Finnish writers in Swedish Finnish film producers Finnish film directors Finlandia Prize winners Producers who won the Best Film Guldbagge Award Finnish film critics Male actors from Helsinki Finnish expatriates in Sweden Donner family Deaths from lung disease

Biography

Filmography

Bibliography

See also

References

Further reading

External links