SVT documentary exposes Staffan Hildebrand abuse

SVT’s three-part documentary series Pojkarna, regissören och sanningen offers a stark look at the history of Staffan Hildebrand and his sexual abuse of young boys. The series follows journalist Negra Efendić as she confronts Hildebrand in Siem Reap, Cambodia, where he has lived for many years after fleeing Sweden following the exposure of his abuses.

Confrontations and Revelations in Cambodia

The documentary opens with Efendić holding bags containing the remnants of Hildebrand’s former life in Sweden as she phones him from the street. Throughout the series, Hildebrand attempts to defend his actions and protect his legacy, claiming he is botad and arguing that God would not let him live such a good life if he were not forgiven. When Efendić realizes he is not telling the truth, she interrupts the filming and reproaches him before restarting. In his diary, read aloud during the series, Hildebrand notes: Han var vacker, jag föll för det.

The abuse came to light following the 2021 reportage book G som i gärningsman by Sören Sulo Karlsson and Deanne Rauscher, followed by a Svenska Dagbladet podcast earlier in the year. In SVT’s series, Hildebrand admits to utilizing assignments such as a Karolinska Institutet project documenting the global AIDS epidemic to buy sex from young, impoverished men, stating: Jag kan inte lova att det inte fanns en minderårig, men jag tror inte det.

The Impact on Victims and the Return to the Violin

The documentary details the suffering caused by Hildebrand, featuring 13-year-old violin player Mikael Gyllström who met Hildebrand at the Delsbostämman folk music festival when Hildebrand was 29. Gyllström describes facing years of psychological problems, suicide attempts, and daily hurdles resulting from the abuse.

In the final part of the series, Gyllström visits Hildebrand’s old Stockholm apartment and returns to Delsbostämman, where he is reunited with his violin. Visst har det skett en förändring under den här resan. Jag kommer inte att krisa och falla ihop, Gyllström states.