Tomas Jonsgården: A Few of My Favourite Things

With a background in music and still photography, we'd expect to see at least one instrument and a few cameras amongst Tomas Jonsgården's favourite things.

What you might not expect, however, is a yoga soldier. Or a partner in crime. Or even an unwatched VHS...

With brands including Volvo, Ikea, Mercedes, Dell, Netflix, and HBO’s Game of Thrones under his belt, alongside his long-form directorial debut on the Swedish TV drama Mafia, the Gravy Films director clear love of narrative and storytelling shines through with his charming selection.

The VHS

My film career began at the age of 13 when my friends and I used an old VHS camera, a lot of fake blood and ketchup, and some pretty bad 'dying' acting to make the little-known Swedish cult classic: Deadly Feeling in Knifetown.

'Knifetown' was the English translation of the town we lived in, and by 'little known,' I mean totally unknown outside of the few friends and family that we gathered together for our first screening.

Although that film may not have achieved worldwide success, my passion for movies and filmmaking was one happy outcome.

I haven’t dared to watch it ever since, for obvious reasons. 

The Book

I’ve always been fascinated by storytelling and why we tell stories. 

My grandmother was an incredible storyteller. 

She used to tell these mesmerizing tales about adventures from her life and our ancestors, who were explorers in another time and place. 

As I got older, I realized that most of her stories were just made up or perhaps a mix of reality and fiction. 

But that didn’t matter. 

The important thing for me was that the stories conveyed emotions.

Of all the books I’ve read about storytelling over the years, there’s one that really stood out to me, and I’ve read it countless times - John Yorke’s Into the Woods. 

It gets right to the heart of storytelling and digs deep into the essence of the stories we’re surrounded by every day.

The Partner In Crime

One of my favourite things about my daily workspace is my producer Magnus. 

Our journey together has been filled with highs and lows, from the excitement of first breakthroughs to navigating the inevitable setbacks that come with the work. 

There’s something truly special about working with someone who knows you inside out, shares your vision, and challenges you to see things from new perspectives.

We’re celebrating our 20th anniversary as a director-producer team in October. Huzzah!

The Mellotron

This instrument keeps my creativity flowing.

With so much distraction spinning around both in my small personal world and the larger one outside, I’ve had a great need to create some kind of calm around me. 

And for me, music has always been that space.

The analogue, wavering sound from this Mellotron has an almost hypnotic effect, and the combination of instruments and sounds makes it feel infinite. 

I can lose myself for hours. 

It’s truly liberating.

The Yoga Soldiers

There’s a reason why the plastic soldiers on my desk are all doing yoga. 

I love it when your preconceptions about a person or a group of people are suddenly turned on their heads.

These silly guys always make me smile.

Make yoga, not war.

The Analogue Cameras

My analogue cameras are on a shelf among the photography books. 

There, 35mm cameras sit alongside Polaroid and medium-format cameras. 

As a photography assistant, I spent days and nights in the darkroom, developing film and making photo prints. 

I love the analogue process of celluloid.

I believe that film doesn’t just carry a sense of nostalgia, but also has something organic and emotional that comes through in a beautiful way. 

Film has a natural grain and warmth that I love, adding depth and texture to the image. 

This aesthetic, with its rich and unpredictable imperfections, is something I truly appreciate.