Three nominations for Sweden's Oscar submission

Clara Sola, The Emigrants and Tigers. Photo by Hobab / SF Studios / Black Spark Film

Today the Swedish Oscar Committee presented the shortlist for Sweden's submission to the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Selected for the shortlist are Clara Sola, The Emigrants and Tigers.

”What I love about this year's three selected films is that they depict such strong personal journeys. They are authentic, feature strong and engaging performances and show a fine combination of craftsmanship and personality, where the form reinforces what the films and characters tell. They also show in a very concrete way that our world is connected, that people's lives and the choices we face are universal”, says Petter Mattsson, Head of the International Department at the Swedish Film Institute and chairman of the Swedish Oscar Committee.

The three films on the shortlist:

CLARA SOLA

In a remote village in Costa Rica, Clara, a 40-year-old woman, takes off on a journey to break free from social and religious conventions and become the master of her sexuality and newfound powers. Clara Sola had its world premiere as part of the Directors’ Fortnight at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and is the feature debut for Costa Rican-Swedish filmmaker Nathalie Alvarez Mesén. The film was written by Mesén and Maria Camila Arias and produced by Nima Yousefi, Hobab, with support from the Swedish Film Institute. International sales are handled by Luxbox, US distribution by Oscilloscope Labs.

THE EMIGRANTS (Utvandrarna)

The Emigrants is the story of Kristina Nilsson, a mother who leaves a poverty-stricken Sweden with her family in the 1850s and sets out on a long, dangerous journey, hoping to find a better life for herself and her children in America. Based on Vilhelm Moberg’s novels and starring Lisa Carlehed and Gustaf Skarsgård, the story is now being told on film for the first time from Kristina’s perspective. Acclaimed Norwegian filmmaker Erik Poppe directs, from a screenplay by Siv Rajendram Eliassen and Anna Bache-Wiig. The film was produced by Fredrik Wikström Nicastro, SF Studios, with support from the Swedish Film Institute. International sales: ReInvent.

TIGERS (Tigrar)

Director-screenwriter Ronnie Sandahl tells the true story of how 16-year-old football prodigy Martin Bengtsson was sold to an Italian top club – a childhood dream turned nightmare. A coming-of-age drama about a young man’s burning obsession in a world where everything, and everyone, has a price tag. Starring Erik Enge, Alfred Enoch and Frida Gustavsson, Tigers world premiered at Rome Film Fest and picked up awards at the Busan and Göteborg festivals, among others. The film was produced by Piodor Gustafsson, Black Spark Film, with a screenplay by Sandahl based on Martin Bengtsson’s autobiography I skuggan av San Siro. International sales by Wild Bunch.

The final Swedish Oscar submission for Best International Feature Film will be presented on October 21.

The 94th Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on March 27, 2022.

About the selection

Each year the Swedish Oscar Committee nominates a Swedish candidate for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Swedish films that have had their domestic premiere between January 1 and December 31, 2021, and meet the requirements for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), have been eligible for the 2022 Oscars.

Members of the Swedish Oscar Committee:

Jan Lumholdt, The Swedish Film Critics Association
Goran Kapetanović, The Swedish Union for Performing Arts and Film – directors
Agneta Fagerström-Olsson, The Swedish Union for Performing Arts and Film – directors
Zoran Slavic, The Swedish Film and Television Cooperation Committee
Lena Rehnberg, The Swedish Film & TV Producers Association
Christer Nilson, The Swedish Film & TV Producers Association
Mirja Wester, Göteborg International Film Festival

Chairman: Petter Mattsson, Head of the International Department at the Swedish Film Institute.

For more information, please contact:
Theo Tsappos, Festival Manager at the International Department at the Swedish Film Institute: theo.tsappos@sfi.se, phone: +4686651133