Ingrid Bergman documentary to be featured, Bergman’s daughter to attend

■ BY SUE ERWIN     
Fans of classic Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman are in for a special treat on Tuesday, Nov. 29. A documentary, “Ingrid Bergman: In Her Owns Words” will be debuted at the Boca Grande Community Center auditorium at 7 p.m. on Nov. 29.
Bergman’s daughter, Pia Lindstrom, held a major role in developing the film with producer Stig Bjorkman.
Lindstrom will introduce the film and host a question-and-answer session afterward.
August 29 of last year was the 100th anniversary of Bergman’s birth.
The producer contacted Lindstrom and her siblings two years ago to discuss the film, and they liked the fact that the producer was Swedish and also a very down-to-earth man. “
The film is not slanted in any particular way. We provided a lot of personal footage. He asked us for photos, and I had a lot of things to share, including some home movies. Her (Ingrid’s) father was a painter and a photographer. And my mother never threw anything away – she saved everything,” Lindstrom said.
She said she shared school notebooks, diaries and letters with the producer to be used in the film.
“At first, he just wanted to focus on her film career, but then when he realized we had so much family information, that concept changed,” she said.
Lindstrom said she thinks the family’s involvement gives the film a slightly more intimate quality for fans. There was a big celebration last year in Stockholm, Sweden when the film was first debuted.
“We all attended, and since then it has been shown around the world,” she said.
Ironically enough, Lindstrom is new to Boca Grande, and she didn’t even know the film was planned to be shown on the island until she happened to visit the Community Center last week and saw the Friends of Boca Grande flyer advertising it.
“I saw it and walked into the office, said hello and introduced myself and asked if there was anything I could do to help,” she said.
The documentary about Bergman, made specifically for the occasion of the 100th anniversary of her birth, allows unprecedented access to her world, culling from the most personal of archival materials, including Super 8 and 16 mm film footage following her youth to a tumultuous married life and motherhood.
Lindstrom has only been on the island for a few weeks.
“My husband came here three years ago after we experienced a very rough winter in New York, and we decided to start exploring Florida,” she said.
They visited the east coast several times, and they had heard about The Gasparilla Inn from a friend.
“We understood they allowed dogs, and that was very important to us because we have a dog,” she said. So they stayed for a few days that season and then rented a cottage the second year. “We couldn’t even find a place to rent this year, so we purchased a condo last spring,” she said.
They currently split their time between New York City and Boca Grande.
The documentary is free to attend. The Boca Grande Community Center auditorium is located at 131 First Street West. For more information, call 964-2564.