Opportunity knocks for Danish-American documentary in the running for an Oscar

Danish connection in ‘Amanda Knox’ difficult to ignore

Most Danish film connoisseurs are probably well aware that the Danish film ‘Land of Mine’ is among the films being considered for this year’s Best Foreign Film Oscar nomination.

But actually, there is another film with a Danish link in the Oscar running.

Produced by Danish production firm Plus Pictures in co-operation with Netflix, the Danish-American documentary ‘Amanda Knox’ is among the docs in contention for the Best Documentary Feature award.

‘Amanda Knox’ tells the dramatic story about how the American exchange student Amanda Knox was convicted and later acquitted for the gruesome 2007 murder of a British exchange student in Italy.

READ MORE: War film submitted as Denmark’s Oscar entry

Hooray for Heide
Plus Pictures producer Mette Heide, the wife of British actor Ian Burns, was also the executive producer on the Oscar-winning ‘Taxi to the Dark Side’ in 2007, and her confirmation at the helm of ‘Amanda Knox’ was pleasing to its co-directors Brian McGinn and Robert Blackhurst.

“Beyond Brian’s positive experience of working with Mette, we wanted to team up with a European producer because of the global nature of the story,” said Blackhurst.

“The Danes, through the support of the Danish Film Institute, encourage and foster a creative environment that supports filmmakers as they begin to pursue new work. That, combined with Mette’s experience making films about sensitive stories, made her the perfect producer for the project.”

The members of the Oscar Academy will choose a shortlist of 15 films in December, before announcing the final five on January 24. The final winner will then be revealed during the 89th Oscar Awards on February 26.

‘Amanda Knox’ premiered on Netflix on September 30.

 





  • How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    Being part of a trade union is a long-established norm for Danes. But many internationals do not join unions – instead enduring workers’ rights violations. Find out how joining a union could benefit you, and how to go about it.

  • Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals are overrepresented in the lowest-paid fields of agriculture, transport, cleaning, hotels and restaurants, and construction – industries that classically lack collective agreements. A new analysis from the Workers’ Union’s Business Council suggests that internationals rarely join trade unions – but if they did, it would generate better industry standards.

  • Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    The numbers are especially striking amongst the 3,477 business and economics students polled, of whom 31 percent elected Novo Nordisk as their favorite, compared with 20 percent last year.