Johanna Emanuelsson

Emanuelsson was born in 1986.^[1] She has an older sister and was raised in the Bergsjön neighborhood of Gothenburg.^[2][3] For upper secondary school she attended Munkebäcks Gymnasium [sv].^[4]

Her first play was Syster i krig (English: Sister in war), which debuted in 2008.^[5]

She attended the Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts.^[6] While studying there, she staged Älvsborgsbron at Unga Dramaten [sv], which won two awards.^[7][8] It received a positive review from Karin Helander [sv] in Svenska Dagbladet and a mixed review from Maria Edström in Sveriges Radio.^[9][10] She then received a scholarship from the Colombine Theatre Agency to study at the Royal Court Theatre in London.^[11]

In 2017, she made her screenwriting debut with Beyond Dreams, which received positive reviews from critics.^[6][12] It won the Church of Sweden's Film Prize, the Audience Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film, and the FIPRESCI Prize at the Norwegian International Film Festival.^[13][14] Beyond Dreams also won the Golden Leaf for Best Film at the Duhok International Film Festival, which is the most significant Kurdish film festival.^[15] It was also screened at Berlin Feminist Film Week.^[16]

Her 2019 adaptation of Elin Wägner's novel Pennskaftet was staged at Uppsala City Theater in 2019, with direction by Maria Löfgren [sv]. The play received a generally positive review by Maina Arvas in Dagens Nyheter and from Sara Granath in Svenska Dagbladet.^[17][18]

She wrote Ett svenskt brott (English: A Swedish crime), which premiered at Uppsala City Theater on 1 February 2025.^[19] It was inspired by the death of Emanuelsson's mother, a nurse who died after being injured at work. The play was a commentary on crisis in the Swedish welfare state and its effects on working-class women.^[20][21]