Magnus von Horn

Magnus von Horn is a Swedish‑Polish film director and screenwriter born on 21 December 1983 in Gothenburg, Sweden. He grew up in a bicultural environment, absorbing both Scandinavian and Central European storytelling traditions, which later informed his cinematic voice. After completing secondary education, von Horn pursued formal training at the prestigious Łódź Film School in Poland, graduating in 2013. An early, harrowing incident—being violently robbed shortly after arriving in Poland—ignited his fascination with the psychology of violent individuals and set the thematic tone for his forthcoming works. His first foray into filmmaking was a short documentary exploring a young Polish criminal, followed by a series of experimental shorts such as Radek (2006), Mleczaki (2007), and Echo (2008). The 2011 short Without Snow (Utan snö) earned a nomination for the Guldbagge Award for Best Short Film, marking his emergence on the Swedish cinematic scene. Von Horn’s feature‑debut, The Here After, premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, receiving critical acclaim for its stark visual style and unflinching portrayal of moral ambiguity. He continued to refine his auteurist approach with Sweat (2020), which was selected for Cannes the same year, solidifying his reputation as a filmmaker unafraid to confront uncomfortable truths. His third feature, The Girl with the Needle, entered the Competition at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it was hailed as one of the year’s Top Five International Films by the National Board of Review and subsequently secured a nomination for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards. In June 2025, von Horn’s contributions were further recognized when he was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, underscoring his growing influence in global cinema. Known for blending gritty realism with poetic visual metaphors, Magnus von Horn continues to explore the darker facets of human nature, while expanding his oeuvre across both short and feature‑length formats, and remains an active figure in the industry from 2006‑present.