Mikael Södersten (born May 6, 1961, in Stockholm, Sweden) is a Swedish writer, director, script consultant, and film editor. He has worked on over 90 film and television projects in Europe and Sweden.

Mikael Södersten studied film theory at Stockholm University and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with a BA in Visual and Environmental Studies and Psychology.^[1] He also trained in acting under Larry Moss and Melissa Leo.

Södersten has directed and written two novella-length films, Pass (starring Michael Nyqvist) and Fissura,^[1][2][3] both broadcast on Swedish National Television. He has also directed several short films, including The Other Woman, White Man's Blues, and Five Feelings About Food,^[1][2] which have been screened at various international film festivals.

As an editor and producer, he contributed to the feature documentary Moving Stories, along with Cornelia Ravenal.^{[4][5][6][7][8]} which premiered at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and was shown at multiple international film festivals before its release on Amazon Prime.

As a script consultant, he has worked on several films, including Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Let the Right One In,^[3] and The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (2013).^[9]

Södersten co-wrote the romantic comedy I Love You: A Divorce Comedy (2016) along with Martina Haag and Johan Brisinger.^[10] He co-created the TV mini-series Raoul Wallenberg for Viaplay. He also adapted Astrid Lindgren’s novel The Brothers Lionheart for Tomas Alfredson and co-wrote Stockholm Stories for Karin Fåhln.

Since 2014, Södersten has taught Directing Actors at Columbia University's Graduate Film Program.^[3] He has also taught story structure at the Swedish Royal Academy of Fine Arts. From 2006 to 2009, he served as Senior Script Consultant at the Swedish Film Institute, where he was involved in developing over 25 films, including King of Ping Pong, which won the 2008 Sundance World Cinema Grand Jury Prize.

At the Gothenburg Film Festival, he chaired Swedish Film Day and contributed to programming Swedish shorts and features.^[9]

Södersten is a co-founder of Wilderness Films and has collaborated with international partners on script development.^[1][9] His recent projects include script consulting for Borg vs. McEnroe (2017), Euphoria (starring Alicia Vikander), and Mother Couch (2024), featuring Ewan McGregor, Ellen Burstyn, and Taylor Russell.

• Moving Stories (2018) – producer, editor
• The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (2013) – script consultant
• I Love You: A Divorce Comedy (2016) – writer
• Pass (2002) – director
• Fissura (2005) – director
• The Other Woman (2007) – director
• White Man’s Blues (2006) – director
• Five Feelings About Food – director

• 2008 Honorable Mention, Best Narrative Short for The Other Woman, Ojai Film Festival
• 2018 Best Documentary for Moving Stories, Chesapeake Film Festival
• 2019 Chita Rivera Award for Best Documentary for Moving Stories