Three nominations for Sweden's Oscar submission

Aniara (SF Studios), The Perfect Patient (Nordisk Film) & And Then We Danced (TriArt).

Ahead of the 92nd edition of the Academy Awards, the Swedish Oscar Committee has nominated three films in the first phase this year, thus to further highlight the quality and diversity of the films that are being made in Sweden.

– The fact that we choose to nominate three films as part of the first phase, symbolizes our intention to spotlight several of our wonderful films and place them a larger context, says Steffen Andersen-Møller, Head of the International Department at the Swedish Film Institute, and Chairman of the Oscar Committee.

The nominated films are:

• Aniara (2018)
  The existential space epic first premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival in the Discovery category, it was also screened earlier this year at the Göteborg International Film Festival. The film is based on the 1956 novel with the same name written by the Nobel laureate in Literature, Harry Martinson. Aniara is directed by Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja. In Variety's review, the film is described as "impressive in its scope". The film is distributed by SF Studios and premiered in Swedish theatres on February 1st. Aniara is distributed by Magnolia Pictures in the United States.
  
  
• The Perfect Patient / Quick (2019)
  ​Mikael Håfström's first Swedish feature film in 15 years tells the story of Sweden's biggest legal scandal in recent history. The lead role is played by David Dencik (Chernobyl, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and upcoming Bond 25) with supporting actors Jonas Karlsson (The Snowman), and Alba August (Netflix's The Rain as well as selected Shooting Star at the Berlin Film Festival 2019). Håfström has previously directed films such as 1408, Escape Plan and Evil, which were nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 2004. The Perfect Patient / Quick is distributed by Nordisk Film and premieres in Swedish theatres on September 20th.
  
  
• And Then We Danced (2019)
  Levan Akin's coming-of-age film about male dancers in Georgia currently has a rating of 9.1 on IMDb. Earlier this year, it was selected for Director's Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival as well as nominated for the Queer Palm. In July, it was awarded three prizes at the Odessa Film Festival - Grand Prix and Best International Film along with lead actor Levan Gelbakhiani winning the prize for Best Actor. As of today, the film has been sold to over 30 countries. And Then We Danced is distributed by TriArt Film and premieres in Swedish theatres on September 13th.

The final Swedish Oscar submission in the category of Best International Feature Film will be revealed at a press conference during the Swedish film industry event Malmö Filmdagar on August 28th.

Seven members in the Swedish Oscar Committee nominate the Swedish submission. To be eligible, the film must have premiered in Swedish cinemas between October 1st and September 30th and meet the criteria as stated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). The committee is headed by Steffen Andersen-Møller, head of the International Department at the Swedish Film Institute.

Members of the Swedish Oscar Committee:

Jan Lumholdt, The Swedish Film Critics Association
Stephan Apelgren, The Swedish Union for Performing Arts and Film – director
Sanna Lenken, The Swedish Union for Performing Arts and Film – director
Zoran Slavic, The Swedish Film and Television Cooperation Committee
Tomas Michaelsson, The Swedish Film & TV Producers Association
Lizette Jonjic, The Swedish Film & TV Producers Association
Mirja Wester, Göteborg International Film Festival

The 92nd Academy Awards will be held on February 9th, 2020.

Read more about Swedish film at the Oscars.

For more information about the Oscars process, please contact: Theo Tsappos, festival manager at the international department, the Swedish Film Institute. E-mail: theo.tsappos@sfi.se phone: +4686651133.