A White, White Day, Queen of Hearts selected for Oscar race

Iceland has just picked Hlynur Pálmason’s drama and Denmark May el Toukhy’s film for the 2020 Academy Awards’ International Feature Film category. 

Both films are also nominated for the Nordic Council Film Prize to be announced October 29. 

Pálmason’s sophomore film A White, White Day has been a festival and critics favourite since its world premiered at the Cannes Critics’ Week where Ingvar Sigurðsson won an acting prize for his performance as an off-duty police officer on an obsessive quest. The film represented internationally by New Europe Film Sales has been sold to more than 20 territories so far including Film Movement in the US. 

It will next screen in competition at the Hamptons International Film Festival. 

A White, White Day was produced by Anton Máni Svansson of Join Motion Pictures, in co-production with Denmark’s Snowglobe and Sweden’s Hobab. Currently number four at the Icelandic Top 10, the film is nearing 9,000 admissions. 

El Toukhy’s Queen of Hearts has also had a strong festival showing since its world premiere last January at the Sundance Film Festival.

Commenting on the film’s selection as this year’s Danish candidate, Claus Ladegaard, CEO at the Danish Film Institute who chairs the Danish Oscar Committee said: "A story of power, passion and denial, Queen of Hearts offers a startling new perspective on current discussions. With a superior grasp of cinematic language, director May el-Toukhy and screenwriter Maren Louise Käehne have created an uncompromising, engaging drama resonating with international audiences and critics alike, as evidenced by the film winning the coveted Audience Award-World Cinema Dramatic section at Sundance. A large share of the credit goes to Trine Dyrholm for her stellar performance – a compelling example of a complex female character we would love to see a lot more of on the big screen."

The film was produced by Caroline Blanco and René Ezra of Nordic Film Production Denmark.

TrustNordisk closed sales to more than 25 territories including Breaking Glass in the US. 

Queen of Hearts is also a success at home with 331,942 admissions, making it the biggest local film released in 2019. 

The nominations for the 92^nd Academy Awards will be announced January 13, 2020. The ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles will take place February 9.