Some stories take centuries to reach the stage.

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I filmed these short web docs together with communicator Maria Paulsson of the Royal Opera in the lead-up to the world premiere of Gustavia at the Royal Swedish Opera in 2024. The ballet tells the story of Gustav Badin Couschi, the adoptive brother of King Gustav III, brought to life through Amir Chamdin's direction and Pär Isberg's choreography.

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We met the director, choreographer, and costume designer, and followed Amir Chamdin's remarkable research process as he dug into the real history behind Badin's life. Through Uppsala University Library, he tracked down Badin's own diaries, personal testimony from a man who lived at the very centre of 18th century Swedish power, yet remained an outsider within it.

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