Dracula Opera

At the Royal Opera House in Stockholm, something has come alive in the corridors.

It’s been over 200 years since legendary Irish author Bram Stoker created one of modern history’s most notorious monsters — Dracula. To this day, the story of a Transylvanian count with a taste for blood manages to garner attention, interest, and create a spooky vibe. At the Royal Opera House in Stockholm, something has come alive in the corridors.

– To be able to step into the Royal Opera House, behind the scenes, into the workshops, costume ateliers and rehearsal halls, and tell the story about everything that goes behind this kind of production, made me want to do this documentary, says Anna ”Aja” Hylander.

It is almost a recognized notion that everyone knows about Dracula, but for director Aja the original story was not something she was too familiar with.

– I knew quite little about Bram Stokers novel, which Francis Ford Coppolas film and this opera is based on. Dracula is a really exciting story filled with powerful emotions. That was something that pulled me in, I was curious about it and now Dracula has won me over, Aja continues.

For Aja, portraying creative people is nothing new. But to step into a grand opera house, she describes as an entirely new experience. For any documentary process, it’s about gaining the trust of the people you’re portraying.

– The Royal Opera has been extraordinary in giving us access and through this, a trust has been formed between the film team and the Opera. It’s been a truly warm and honest experience, which has allowed us to tell the story of how the Dracula opera came to life.

Production Company Anna&Paul & Co
Director Anna "Aja" Hylander
Distribution TV Sveriges Television, SVT
Production year 2017