Baker Karim

EARLY LIFE

Abu-Baker Karim (Baker Karim) was born on 7 April 1974 in Kampala, Uganda. His family fled Uganda in 1975 as refugees from the regime of Idi Amin when he was about one year old and settled in Sweden. He grew up in Uppsala and Helsingborg. He is the brother of actor Alexander Karim and director Othman “Osmond” Karim. At age 15 he travelled to the United States to assist his older brother Osmond with a graduation film, taking responsibility for lighting. This early involvement sparked his lifelong engagement with filmmaking. He later studied art in Los Angeles and film at Los Angeles City College and the American Film Institute. While in the US he worked as crew at Roger Corman’s Concorde/New Horizons and as a production assistant with John Landis on the HBO series Dream On.

CAREER

Baker Karim is a Swedish film director, screenwriter, producer, and cinematographer known for both Swedish cinema and character-driven stories set in Africa. He has worked across feature films, television, shorts, and institutional roles supporting other filmmakers. Early career: His feature debut was Fyra kvinnor (Four Women, 1999/2001; also written by him), which received critical acclaim and nominations including the Nordic Film Award. He followed with the short Malcolm (2002; starring his brother Alexander), which was nominated for a Guldbagge (Swedish Academy Award), shortlisted for the Oscars, nominated at Cannes Critics’ Week (SdQ), and won Best Nordic Short. Other early works include The Apple Tree (2003), Fragments of an Unfinished Journey (2005), and television directing (e.g., episodes of Orka! Orka!). Television and further film: He wrote, directed, photographed, and edited the semi-autobiographical three-part mini-series Familjen Babajou (The Babajou Family, SVT, 2009), earning a Kristallen (Swedish Emmy) nomination. He directed the Hjalmar Bergman adaptation Swedenhielms for Swedish National Television. He has worked for companies including Memfis Film, Yellowbird, Bob Film, SF, Tre Vänner, and Anagram Produktion in roles spanning directing, writing, editing, and cinematography. Institutional role: From 2013 to 2016 he served as Feature Film Commissioner (långfilmskonsulent) at the Swedish Film Institute, supporting projects such as Tarik Saleh’s The Nile Hilton Incident. Recent and ongoing work: He co-founded the production company Bad Flamingo with his brother Alexander Karim and crime writer Camilla Läckberg. Under this banner he directed Glacier (2021; a major Viaplay hit in Sweden, co-produced with them) and wrote/directed Earthbound (Jordbundna, 2021; the first Afro-futuristic Swedish film, commissioned by SVT). His feature The Dog (also known as Kadzo, 2024/2025) is a gangster love thriller set in Mombasa, Kenya (shot in Swahili/Sheng with local talent). He has described it as a character-driven story focused on loyalty, survival, and redemption rather than typical social-issue narratives about Africa. It premiered in Sweden to strong critical response and aims to shift Western perceptions of African cinema. He is developing the science-fiction series Jonas (based on Alexander Karim’s novel, produced by Frank Doelger of Game of Thrones fame, starring Alexander Karim) and has a development deal with Netflix Sweden through Bad Flamingo. Other projects in development include Sex Crimes, Millionaires, The Kid, Earthbound 2.0, and Uprising.

PERSONAL LIFE

Baker Karim keeps his personal and family life private. He is based in Sweden and has spoken of a long-standing desire to return to Africa (his birthplace) to tell stories rooted in the region, as reflected in recent projects filmed in Kenya.

Baker Karim is recognised for bridging Swedish and African storytelling, promoting diversity, and prioritising human, emotional narratives over stereotypes. He has received multiple awards and nominations. His career spans hands-on crew work in Hollywood B-movies to directing, writing, producing, and institutional support for new filmmakers. He continues to challenge how African stories are told and received internationally.