Increased security when Riksdagen opens
On October 5 the Swedish parliament, the Riksdag, opens the new session and as always the King will hold an opening speech. The Swedish king has nothing but ceremonial duties, and opening the new parliamentary session in the last days of September or the first days of October is one of them. The day after the King has opened it, Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt will present the government and its ministers and read the declaration that shows the political direction the government has intended for the next four years. One current issue has been the security arrangements around some MPs; especially those twenty MPs representing the Sweden democrats, many of whom live under constant threats. They are, however, not the only ones. The daily newspaper Svenska dagbladet asked for the public information for all the MPs right after the election. Fifty of the 349 MPs had their personal identification numbers removed from the official papers. During the last electoral period (2006-2010) the full information was available for all MPs.
 The House of Parliament has security controls and armed guards around the entrances but there are fears that the security controls will get in conflict with this kind of openness. “It is extremely important that we have an accessible house of parliament. This openess is a vital part of what our security efforts shall protect,” said Lars Gustafsson, security chief at Riksdagen.

Camilla Läckberg on TV
The Scandinavian crime wave continues at Tre Vänner, the Swedish production company, behind drug-dealing thriller "Easy Money," which recently announced a wide-ranging film and television deal with bestselling crime author Camilla Läckberg. Läckberg and Tre Vänner will develop a 10 x 90 minute television series based on the characters in her crime novels. The series, called "The Fjällbacka Murders" will be set in the small Swedish town of Fjällbacka, where Läckberg was born and where all her novels take place. Läckberg will write original storylines for the series. Michael Hjorth of Tre Vänner will be the executive producer of the series, with Helen Ahlsson on board as lead producer. Tre Vänner will be selling "The Fjällbacka Murders" at MIPCOM in Cannes. In a separate deal, Tre Vänner picked up film and television adaptation rights to Läckberg's last three novels: "Fyrvaktaren" (The Lighthouse Keeper), "Sjöjungfrun" (The Mermaid) and "Tyskungen" (The German Child). Tre Vänner has also secured the option for film and television rights for future crime novels from the prolific Swede. Läckberg exploded onto the crime fiction scene in 2003 with her debut "The Ice Princess." Her novels have sold to more than 30 countries and are phenomenally popular in Europe. According to a rank published by trade magazine Bookseller, Läckberg was the sixth best-selling author in Europe in 2009 ahead of such names as John Grisham and fellow Swede Henning Mankell. "Easy Money" (“Snabba cash”) was an early beneficiary of the Scandinavia wave. The thriller, based on the Jens Lapidus' novel, was quickly snatched up by The Weinstein Company for U.S. release and a remake is in development, with Zac Efron attached to star. Our interview with Camilla Läckberg: http://www.nordstjernan.com/news/people/2476/

Sweden first with womb transplants
Swedish researchers believe the world’s first transplant of a human womb might be a reality in Göteborg. This follows this summer’s successful transplant of wombs between rats at Göteborg’s Sahlgrenska University Hospital. The rats with new wombs were able to successfully mate and give birth, the project’s Liza Johannesson tells the Sydsvenskan newspaper. Experiments with mice, sheep and pigs have also been successful, and there are currently trials underway with baboons, who are more similar to humans. The researchers say a transplanted womb is an alternative for couples who can’t have children, instead of adoption or turning to a surrogate mother, which is illegal in Sweden.

“Fanny and Alexander” at Dramaten
It’s a homecoming of sorts. Finally “Fanny and Alexander” will get its Swedish theater premiere at Dramaten, where Ingmar Bergman (who of course directed the film “Fanny and Alexander” in 1982) was the director from 1960 to 1966 and manager from 1963 to 1966. The play had its world premiere in Oslo last year and was mounted in Finland in September. This September marked its Danish premiere in Århus. In Stockholm it will premiere in 2012 with star actors like Marie Göranzon, Börje Ahlstedt and Livia Millhagen. Bergman himself was always hesitant about letting people make plays out of his movies, but already in 2006, director Stefan Larsson and dramatist Ulla Åberg received the right by Bergman to make “Fanny and Alexander” for the stage. “The then director of Dramaten, Staffan Valdemar Holm, wanted a Swedish premiere of the play in 2009, and it was important to him that Dramaten was first in the world. It didn’t turn out that way,” says Stefan Larsson, who is director of Århus Theater in Denmark. The reason the play wasn’t put up in 2009, was financial. That issue has now been ironed out, and the premiere will take place in 2012, and although no contracts have been signed it looks like Göranzon is set to play grandmother Helena, and Millhagen Emelie Ekdahl, mother of Fanny and Alexander. But who would play bishop Vergérus―so masterfully done by Jan Malmsjö in the movie? And Oscar Ekdahl, who in the film was played by Allan Edwall? It’s not easy to tackle what many consider a national epic.

Martin Ljung has died
Swedish comedian, actor and singer Martin Ljung has died at the age of 93. Ljung’s long time friend and colleague Gunwer Bergkvist says the entertainer passed away in his home on September 30. Ljung’s movie debut was in the 1947 film "Tappa inte sugen." He worked together with many of Sweden’s biggest stars of the second half of the 20th century, including Povel Ramel, Hasse Alfredson and Tage Danielsson.