In 2018, the collaboration between Nazira Abzalova and Karin Wegsjö was initiated through the making of the short film “Neighbours” for Swedish TV and for cinema (Folkets Bio). More than 600 000 people watched the film when it was broadcasted. We realised that together we could tell a story about reality in such suburbs that few others can do using our access and feeling of trust from those who live there.

We need more stories that dare to face the existing difficulties but that also show that the vast majority of people living there only want to live ordinary lives and to give their children the very best.

It can be hard though, as Sweden is becoming increasingly unequal. According to the OECD, Sweden is the country in the western world where the differences between rich and poor have increased the most since 1995.

Tensta is situated 20 minutes by metro from Stockholm Central Station. It's a suburb built in the beginning of the 70`s during the so-called Million programme to quickly solve housing problems for workers, initially, most of them from the north of Sweden. Now, in Tensta, almost 90% are either first or second generation immigrants.
We know from our previous film that the number of people who vote and participate in the democratic processes are very low in the areas the police call "vulnerable areas". A low socio-economic level, low trust in authorities and a high level of criminal networks are some of the other aspects that define "vulnerable areas”. In Sweden today, more than half a million people live in so-called "vulnerable areas”. Tensta is one of those areas.