# Ulla-Britt Söderlund

Ulla-Britt Söderlund (August 12, 1943 – July 21, 1985) was a Swedish costume designer. She is best known for her collaborations with directors Jan Troell and Stanley Kubrick. She won an Academy Award in the category Best Costume Design for the film Barry Lyndon (1975).

## Career

Söderlund began her career creating the costumes for various Danish-Swedish screen co-productions. Her first major film credit was in Henning Carlsen's 1966 black-and-white drama Hunger, which was based on Knut Hamsun's 1890 novel of the same name. She again worked with Carlsen the following year, this time on the romantic comedy People Meet and Sweet Music Fills the Heart, which was an adaptation of Jens August Schade's 1944 novel. She then designed costumes for Mai Zetterling's 1968 dramatic adaptations, Doctor Glas and The Girls.
In the following years, Söderlund collaborated with many renowned directors, such as Gabriel Axel, Jan Troell, Stanley Kubrick, and Hans Alfredson, among others. In particular, her meticulous work on Troell's 1971 historical drama The Emigrants as well as its 1972 sequel, The New Land, garnered a great deal of attention and launched her to international prominence. Along with other career prospects, she and Milena Canonero worked together on the authentic 18th-century wardrobes for Kubrick's 1975 epic Barry Lyndon. That ambitious project required a year and a half of preparing the costumes, studying paintings, and reading books to reproduce garments for the screen. Their remarkable efforts received critical and audience admiration, ultimately winning them the Academy Award for Best Costume Design. Söderlund was the first Swedish designer ever to win in the category.
In the late 1970s, Söderlund worked on the acclaimed Danish television series Matador. Among her last notable film credits was designing the wardrobe for Alfredson's 1982 drama film, The Simple-Minded Murder.

## Selected film credits

| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1966 | Hunger | Henning Carlsen | with Ada Skolmen |
| 1967 | Hagbard and Signe | Gabriel Axel | aka The Red Mantle |
| 1967 | People Meet and Sweet Music Fills the Heart | Henning Carlsen | with Lotte Dandanell |
| 1968 | Doctor Glas | Mai Zetterling | |
| 1968 | The Girls | Mai Zetterling | |
| 1969 | Jazz All Around | Knud Leif Thomsen | with Elva Nordli |
| 1971 | The Emigrants | Jan Troell | |
| 1971 | Med kærlig hilsen | Gabriel Axel | with Elva Nordli |
| 1971 | Bedside Dentist | John Hilbard | with Elva Nordli |
| 1972 | 1001 Danish Delights | Sven Methling | with Berit Mørkeberg |
| 1972 | The New Land | Jan Troell | |
| 1975 | Barry Lyndon | Stanley Kubrick | with Milena Canonero |
| 1977 | The Assignment | Mats Arehn | |
| 1981 | Jeppe på bjerget | Kaspar Rostrup | with Annelise Siegstad |
| 1982 | The Simple-Minded Murderer | Hans Alfredson | |

## Awards and nominations

| Award | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
| Academy Awards | 1975 | Best Costume Design | Barry Lyndon | Won | |
| British Academy Film Awards | 1975 | Best Costume Design | Barry Lyndon | Nominated | |

## Illness and death

Söderlund died of cancer on 21 July 1985. She was diagnosed with the disease in the spring of that year.