Johan Renck is a prominent Swedish director who has established himself as one of the most respected and sought after directors working today. He began his career directing music videos for top artists, most recently David Bowie’s final two videos Blackstar and Lazarus. His debut film Downloading Nancy premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival, which he followed with acclaimed Swedish limited series The Fat And The Angry. Johan directed the pilots for Vikings, Bloodline and Shut Eye as well as episodes of Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Halt And Catch Fire and Bates Motel. He directed all episodes and co-produced BAFTA nominated limited series The Last Panthers starring John Hurt and Samantha Morton. Johan’s Chernobyl is the highest-rated TV-show ever on IMDb, with 19 Emmy Nominations, 10 Emmy wins, including Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series and Outstanding Limited Series. He has also contributed to Historia (2025), an interdisciplinary collaboration between Karl Ove Knausgård and Glenn Kotche, in which Renck's video installation The Left Shore, based on photographs by Anders Petersen, was used as part of the performance.
