A Win in Sweden: Norse Gods and Hot Rollers
The first shot of my documentary features my mother getting ready for a flight in her cinema verité style. I chose it instinctively (a quiet moment of intimacy and routine). But this week, I received an unexpected email from the Swedish International Film Festival (SIFF). Golden Wings: Fifty Year Flight Path had been selected as a winner in their 46th edition.
When I clicked the March 2025 Winners page, I realized something I hadn't seen before. In that same frame, placed just below the mirror, is the prayer card from my father's funeral.
Without knowing it, I had opened the film with a quiet altar to grief, dedication, and memory. They featured that exact frame on their winners page. When I noticed it, I got goosebumps and my eyes instantly welled up with tears. I was thankful not only for the award but for the self-realization.
I unknowingly opened my film with both of them.
A woman and the man who stood beside her for decades. He was still there, frozen in time and watching her get ready. He's been doing that for every flight in the decade since his return to Valhalla. (sorry, I had to)
In that moment of revelation, I imagined the Viking god Bragi. There he was with his golden-winged helmet and mighty harp squeezed into a middle seat on a transatlantic flight. He would be there grumpy but he would still serenade his new travel buddies. I envisioned him guffawing at my accidental symbolism and blessing the whole thing with a nod.
This was the hardest shot of the film for me. Why you ask? My mom did not want me in the bathroom getting shots of her without makeup or without her hair done.
The day we filmed something in my gut kept telling me I needed to get this shot. It was the one shot I had already made a storyboard for in my head. And I was politely told no five or six times before she finally relented. I assured her this was a student film no one would ever see (I genuinely believed that at the time.)
Filmmaking (if you are lucky) is essentially a medium of accidents. Sometimes they kill your production, other times they are happy ones that reveal the duplicitous nature of this art form.
This film is still coming together and I continue to make happy accidents. As my mom approaches her 75th birthday and 55th year in the sky...
Okay I'm just going to say it. This happy accident was no accident at all. It was my dad. Saying he's been here beside me as well. Since the beginning of this filmmaking journey.
He's quietly keeping watch over me just like he does for my mom.
Not to put too fine a point on this ghost dad helps his son make a film thing but about 2 minutes after I sent Anne my email I got this response:
This film touches the hearts of many. It creates joy and happiness. This resonates with audiences from all walks of life. It's making people's days one heart at a time, reminding us of the power of kindness, love, and togetherness. Merry Christmas in July everybody!!!
🎬 Learn more about the film and the people behind it:
Bragi Q&A — Sundance Meets Runetech
Bragi: Golden wings are not merely for gods or Valkyries... A title worthy of saga.
Bragi: The filmmaker, though mortal, composed a ballad through his lens. So yes, I flew coach—harp and all—to attend.
Bragi: Cinema vérité is the forge of truth. No illusions—just real life.
Bragi: It is an altar of memory. Not a prop—but poetry.
Bragi: Aye. Grief sings the deepest notes. The film? A hymn for those who remain.
📽️ Final Words from Bragi
“To all storytellers: Keep the lens honest, the heart open, and the harp tuned. For every frame carries a whisper from the gods — if you know how to listen.”
