Tobias Lindholm’s film ‘Krigen’ (‘A War’) is one of the nine films to have made it onto the shortlist for the Oscar category of Best Foreign Language Film for 2015.
READ MORE: ‘A War’ has won the battle, but can it win the … Oscar
Since its release in September, the film, which tells the story of a company commander stationed in Afghanistan and his family back in Denmark, has been received positively during its tour of international film festivals and in international media.
Not a favourite
Henrik Bo Nielsen, the head of the Danish Film Institute, commended Lindholm and the others involved in getting the film this far.
“To have to choose nine films from a field of 80 strong titles from the whole world has surely not been an easy job for the Academy. Tobias Lindholm and the whole of Nordisk Film should be incredibly proud that ‘Krigen’ managed to slip through that pinhole,” he said.
“It’s not least a tribute to Lindholm’s sure hands as a director and to the actors’ strong performances. Together they carry the story of the war’s dilemmas and its human cost surely and beautifully home.”
Danish films have picked up the award three times in the past – most recently Susanne Bier’s ‘Hævnen’ (‘In a Better World’) for 2010.
The inclusion of ‘Krigen’ on the shortlist continues an incredible run for Denmark, which has now made the final nine five of the last six years.
Bookmakers don’t favour the film to win this time though. The Hungarian film ‘Son of Saul’ is a strong favourite, while ‘Krigen’ is a 20/1 rank outsider.
The five nominations will be announced on January 14 and they will go on to battle for the golden statuette on February 28.
