The hit film about Hövding has been viewed over 20 million times

Fredrik Gertten’s short film about the Hövding bicycle helmet has been a hit on Vimeo and other digital platforms and has been viewed over 20 million times. The film is part of a series of short films about ideas that change the world.

Malmö filmmaker Fredrik Gertten’s film “The Invisible Bicycle Helmet” is a short film in the “Focus Forward” series that is designed to highlight exceptional people and ideas that change the world. The initiative for the films came from the US documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, whose films include “Super Size Me”. He asked 30 directors around the world to make a three-minute film on the subject. Fredrik Gertten is the Swedish documentary filmmaker who was asked, and he chose Hövding.

“It is awesome that there are two female designers in my own home town of Malmö who think so far outside the box. Most designers would just try and make a cooler bicycle helmet. They were able to think a thought that no one had previously had,” says Fredrik Gertten.

As well as being viewed widely online, the film about Hövding has been shown at a number of film festivals around the world. After its premiere in Sydney in 2012, it was shown at festivals including IDFA in Amsterdam, the Tribeca and Sundance festivals in the USA and the Berlin Film Festival. It is unique for a Swedish documentary film to be shared and viewed more than 20 million times online.

“It’s great when something you do takes off like this. I think there are several reasons for the film’s success. First and foremost, the invention itself is a fantastic story. Secondly, the documentary contains both conflict and success, and affects you more than a commercial does. A third factor is that the world of cycling is growing explosively and those involved communicate a lot and send inspiring stories to each other,” says filmmaker Fredrik Gertten.

To see the film, visit http://vimeo.com/43038579