Anna Carolina Odell is a Swedish artist and film director. She won two Guldbaggen Award for in 2014 for her filmThe Reunion in the categories Best Film and Best Screenplay. In 2009, her film Okänd, kvinna 2009-349701 received a lot of attention after she faked and filmed a suicide attempt at Liljeholmsbron in Stockholm as part of the film. Two films she has been involved in The Reunion and Amalimbo has both been nominated in categories and presented at the Venice Film Festival.
The film Okänd, kvinna 2009-349701 was Odell's student work for her time at the Konstfack. The art film was part of Konstfack's exhibition for 2009 and was shown also the same year at Kalmars Konstmuseum. The art film was made to reconstruct Odell's own psychological breakdown in 1995, not as therapy but to prove the power structures within the healthcare and the Swedish society's view of psychological illnesses. The recording of the art film led to controversy. On 21 January 2009 Odell on Liljeholmsbron in Stockholm staged her own suicide attempt and psychological breakdown and psychosis. Police took her to a psychiatric ER at S:t Görans hospital in Stockholm. The day after she revealed to the staff at the hospital that she had faked her mental illness for her art film. Odell's actions during the filming were criticized by David Eberhard, at the time head of the hospital. Odell was also criticized for using resources at the hospital that could have been used on actual mentally ill people seeking help that same night. She was accused of violent resistance to police arrest, and for making a false alarm. The court found Odell guilty and imposed a 2500 SEK fine on her. The reduced sentence was because the courts thought she had no criminal intent in her actions. She did not appeal the sentence. In 2013 Odell made her directorial debut with the film The Reunion. The film brings up the subjects of bullying, power structures in the society and unhealthy hierarchy in schools. Odell brought a lot of her own experiences from her own school time, and also the experiences from her school reunion. The film had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival that year. The film had its Swedish premiere on 15 November 2013 and received positive reviews. Återträffen won two Guldbagge Awards for Best Film and Best Screenplay. In 2016, she made a voice role in the animated short film ”Amalimbo" by Juan Pablo Libossart, the film was nominated in the short film category at the 2016 Venice Film Festival. In 2018, Odell directed and played one of the leading roles in a film starring herself called X & Y, along with co-stars Mikael Persbrandt and Shanti Roney. The film was filmed in Trollhättan.
