“Shame on Dry Land is a direct translation of “Skam på torra land”, a Swedish 16th century idiom illustrating that the shame has become so big that its overflowing; like a sea that floods the dry land or an island. The expression is used when describing a really bad scenario, pointing out that whoever is responsible for it ought to be ashamed.

The run-up, the inspiration for the film comes from testimonies of near and dear in who jumped off the hamster wheel and abandoned Sweden many years ago. All of them left their motherland for a life in mental exile somewhere off the chart – too strung out to keep their heads above the surface, too lost to find their way back. A decadent pack of alienated desperados stranded in a place somewhere in between Xanadu and Gomorra.

Escapism and homecoming are themes that I’ve explored before, in Avalon and The Real Estate. Both films with corrupted baby-boomers as protagonists. Once again the two themes are present, only this time the story evolves around my generation, not my parents’, and over and above, redemption and reconciliation has been added to the mix of themes.

The film evolves around the restoration of a long lost friendship between ex colleagues and best friends Dimman and Fredrik, played by acclaimed Swedish character actors Joel Spira and Christopher Wagelin – best friends in real life, but never worked together on screen. Their long and deep friendship has been key in the work around the core of the film –  the relations and the drama.

The film’s protagonist Dimman is the scapegoat, forever tip-toeing around the threshold, desperate to get back in from the cold, and the tax haven island of Malta is the playground, complete with a 10 thousand strong Swedish online gaming industry/colony.”