The Fund is proud to be associated to the Swedish film A Man Called Ove and Danish film Land of Mine en route to Oscar glory.

The two films are among five entries competing for Best Foreign-language Film at the 89th Academy Awards. A Man Called Ove by Hannes Holm is also nominated for Best Mask/Make-Up. This will be the second time in a row that make up designing duo Eva von Bahr and Love Larson walk on the red carpet at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre after last year’s nod for The 100 Year-Old Man who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared.

A Man Called Ove has been an overwhelming success, both critically and commercially in 2016. At home the heart-warming film produced by Annica Bellander Rune and Nicklas Wikström Nicastro for Tre Vänner had over 1.7 million admissions in Sweden and picked up three Guldbagge awards. Internationally, it was sold by TrustNordisk to more than 50 territories including in the US (Music Box) where it has grossed more than $3.3 million so far. “An Oscar Nomination gives of course a lot of attention to the film and a chance to close unsold territories,” said TrustNordisk’s Head of Sales Susan Wendt. The film was produced by Tre Vänner in co-operation with Film Väst, SVT, Nordisk Film, Nordsvensk Filmunderhållning and Fantefilm, support from the Swedish Film Institute, Norwegian Film institute and Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

Land of Mine directed by Martin Zandvliet has also had a remarkable international career and was rapidly picked up by Sony Classics for the US after its Toronto 2015 world premiere. The film was sold by K5 International to several other territories including the UK and France. The WW2 drama was nominated for the 2016 Nordic Council Film Prize and won the Dragon Award Best Nordic Film in Göteborg.

Land of Mine was produced by Mikael Ries for Nordisk Film Production, in co-production with Germany’s Amusement Park Film, support among others from the Danish Film Institute and Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

Other Nordic talents nominated include Danish up-and-coming director Aske Bang, competing for Best Short Film-Live Action with Silent Nights produced by 8th time Oscar candidate M&M Productions. Swedish cinematographer Linus Sandgren is nominated for his work on Oscar favourite film La La Land and composer/producers Max Martin and Shellback are nominated with Justin Timberlake for the Original Song of the animated film Trolls.

Petri Kemppinen, CEO at Nordisk Film & TV Fond said:

“It is very rewarding for the Fond to see two of the five nominated originating from our region. The aim of Nordisk Film & TV Fond is to fund films that can travel in the Nordic region and internationally and both these goals have been achieved. The films talk differently, through means of drama and comedy, about the need to forgive, from a collective and individual perspective.”

“I am equally happy about the nomination of Nordic Talents alumnus Aske Bang and the talent lab of M & M Productions in the short film category - not forgetting the three other Swedish nominations.”

The 89th Academy Awards ceremony will take place on February 26 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.