Three films have been shortlisted for the Danish entry in the Best Foreign Language Film award at the 2016 Oscars – a category in which Denmark boasts a brilliant recent record, having made the final five-film shortlist in four of the last six years.
Runners and riders
The films, which are selected by a seven-person committee encompassing the Danish Film Institute and the Danish movie industry, are ’Kollektivet’, ’De standhaftige’ og ’Under sandet’.
Thomas Vinterberg’s ’Kollektivet’, the tale of a Danish commune in 1970s Copenhagen, is the best known of the trio. Released as ‘The Commune’ in the UK in late July, it has been gathering pace in 20 countries worldwide.
In contrast, Lisa Ohlin’s romantic drama ’De standhaftige’ (‘Walk with Me’), which depicts a ballerina’s efforts to help a soldier walk again, has only been released in Denmark and Sweden.
Also with a wartime theme, Martin Zandvliet’s post-World War II drama ‘Under sandet’ (’Land of Mine’) follows a troop of German POWs digging up landmines laid by their own army years earlier. Despite the acclaim, it has not yet been released in any major film markets.
Plenty of mines ahead
The committee will reconvene on September 19 to choose a film, and then the Academy will select a nine-film shortlist in either December or January – a list Denmark has only failed to make once in the last six years – ahead of confirming the final shortlist on January 24.
The Oscars this year are on February 26.
