ANGELONIA

Angelonia is the story of a female pioneer in long-distance running named Gulli Nilsson (1932-2018). The story is based on the extensive material she left behind: photos, diapositives, articles, diplomas, letters, postcards, souvenirs, and various other personal belongings.

Gulli started running marathons in 1974, at the age of 42, just a few years after women were allowed to participate in such races. Gulli's goal was to become the first Swedish woman to run 25 marathons. She achieved this goal eight years later, in 1982. In addition to marathons, she also ran several ultramarathons (each 100 kilometers) and participated in many other running and cycling races until the age of 84.

Running marathons took her around the world; she ran in New York, Sao Paolo, Melbourne, Athens, and many other places. Her life journey is quite remarkable considering she came from a background with limited resources, at a time when the majority of women were still primarily mothers and wives.

I have long wanted to tell this story. Gulli was my aunt, and she was an important source of inspiration for me growing up. She encouraged me to follow my dreams and not to listen to those who said my dreams were impossible. She used to say, “Don’t worry about what they say; let them talk.”

Gulli had no family of her own, and before she died, she gave her closest relatives different tasks, such as taking care of her grave. My task was to take care of all her personal belongings, and she made me promise to at least look through everything before throwing anything away. I kept my promise, and as I went through her things, I became more and more curious about finding the answers to what drove her to keep running through life and its challenges.

I tell Gulli’s story by visualizing different time periods and environments in her life, that I believe pushed her forward, connected to external events happening in society at the same time. The audience is taken on a journey through Gulli’s life and I choose VR to tell the story for its ability to create a strong sense of presence, beyond time and space, the same feeling Gulli described having when she ran.

Pernilla Belfrage, director

Angelonia premieres in 2024.

Team: VR-developer Mads Vadsholt, Producer Pernilla Belfrage/Anna J. Ljungmark

Angelonia is a co-production with Film i Skåne/commissioning editor Lisa Nyed, and is produced with support from the Swedish Film Institute/commissioner Anna Weitz, the Swedish Arts Grants Committee, the Längmanska Cultural Fund. Angelonia is developed through ANIDOX:LAB and Malmø Doc Lab.