Torben Kjelstrup Directs a Western Showdown for Telia and iPhone 16 Pro

Ah, to be eaten by a killer bear, because an uncompromising director needs to 'get the shot'. Surely many in our industry will relate … if not to the specific scenario, at the very least to the sentiment.

And so the scene is set for Apple and Telia’s latest campaign for the iPhone 16 pro - which places the well loved Swedish action hero, Jens Hulten, very much in harms way. All for good reason of course, as the shot is captured in glorious slow motion by the iPhone 16 pro.

The spot – produced by Immigrant and directed by Danish director Torben Kjelstrup – was created by the creative agency Åkestam Holst in Stockholm.

Set in a classic western set, with saloons and wagon wheels aplenty, the film embraces familiar genre tropes, tipping it’s hat at both westerns and Hollywood itself. Playing the leading man at the centre of it all, doomed to be chased down by a real life killer bear, Åkestam Holst convinced the Swedish actor, Jens Hulten to make his commercial debut - playing … well, himself. A nice bit of tongue in cheek casting for Swedish audiences as he’s a mainstay of not just the Swedish film series Johan Falk, but also international franchises like Mission Impossible and James Bond.

Reflecting on what drew him to the project, director Torben Kjelstrup highlighted “Blending a spaghetti western showdown with a bit of meta commentary was really quite enjoyable. It was nice to take a bit of a poke at all the absurdities of film sets and just how hard we fight for (what some would call trivial) details”.

He added “Also - It’s not every day you get to orchestrate a cowboy-versus-bear chase scene, and play with the juxtaposition of death and product specs”

The new commercial marks the latest installment of the ongoing 'this is not Telia' campaign, which is well known in Sweden for its self-deprecating humour and cultural wink at the absurd. Since it was conceptualised by Åkestam Holst two years ago, the phrase “this is not Telia” has practically insinuated itself in the Swedish language as an idiom to describe moments of frustration or disbelief.

True to form, Telia & Apple, remind viewers that nothing – not even being the prospect of being eaten– is really that bad, when you have a cell phone and good, reliable 5G coverage at hand.