This year, the Nordic & Baltic Oscar Contenders series returns to Scandinavia House in a hybrid format! In coordination with Scandinavian Film Festival L.A. with BalticFilmExpo@SFFLA, Scandinavia House is pleased to offer virtual screenings of films chosen by the Nordic & Baltic countries to compete for the Oscar nomination for the Best International Feature Film, available to viewers across the U.S. on weekends in January, as well as select in-house screenings. During the weekend of January 13-16, the event program includes regular screenings of Lamb (dir. Valdimar Jóhannsson, Iceland, 2021), Iceland’s official nomination for the 94th Academy Awards; On The Water /Vee peal (dir. Peeter Simm, Estonia, 2021), Estonia’s official nomination; both tickets are available for purchase individually and are included in the Nordic & Baltic Oscar Contenders series pass.
The program will also include two special film events on January 15, available only with a Nordic & Baltic Oscar Contenders series pass and available only to viewers based in New York, New Jersey, and California: Flee (dir. Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Denmark, 2021), Denmark’s official nomination for the 94th Academy Awards, and The Worst Person in the World (dir. Joachim Trier; Norway, 2021), Norway’s official nomination for the 94th Academy Awards. *Films will be available from 8 AM ET on Saturday, January 15 and available to watch for 24 hours after starting viewing. Individual tickets are not available.*
Festival films will be available to ticket holders all over the U.S. Each session is limited to 300 tickets in an effort to preserve the intimate and communal experience. The session for Lamb and On The Water will take place over four days (Thursday — Sunday), and both films from the session will be available for viewing on a virtual cinema screening platform throughout this period. Screenings of Flee and The Worst Person in the World will be included with the Nordic & Baltic Oscar Contenders series pass and will be available to viewers based only in New York, New Jersey, and California, beginning on Saturday, January 15 and available for 24 hours after release.
To download viewing instructions and an FAQ, please click here.
FILMS—REGULAR PROGRAM
Lamb (dir. Valdimar Jóhannsson, Iceland, 2021)
Childless couple Maria (Noomi Rapace) and Ingvar (Hilmir Snær Guðnason) live together on a remote farm in Iceland with their herd of sheep, where their life is one of routine and calm. One day they make an alarming discovery in their sheep barn — a newborn lamb, whom they decide to raise as their own. But sinister forces are determined to return the creature to the wilderness that birthed her, and they soon begin to face the consequences of defying the will of nature. A dark and atmospheric folktale, this striking debut feature from director Valdimar Jóhannsson has been hailed as “grippingly assured” (RogerEbert.com) and “a cult movie in the making” (Rolling Stone). (106 min. In Icelandic with English subtitles) “An ominous warning about the danger of seeking happiness through delusion”—NYTimes
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On The Water /Vee peal (dir. Peeter Simm, Estonia, 2021)
Based a novel by Olavi Ruitlane, On the Water focuses on the life of preadolescent boy Andres, a gentle soul growing up in the care of his grandparents in small-town Soviet Estonia. He has no friends his own age, and his knowledge and friendships are limited to a few men living in his backyard – a former prisoner and hapless fishermen. His only escape is taking a fishing rod out onto a local lake where, as a skilled angler, he is at his happiest. A coming-of-age drama that balances comedy and adventure with more brutal realities, On The Water has been acclaimed as “a pleasant feel-good dreamed, characterized by a whimsical sense of humor and a charismatic young lead” (Cineuropa). (106 min. In Estonian with English subtitles)
FILMS—SPECIAL SCREENINGS
The Worst Person in the World (dir. Joachim Trier; Norway, 2021)
The third in director Joachim Trier’s Oslo Trilogy, this dark romantic dramedy introduces Julie (Renate Reinsve) on the cusp of her 30th birthday — struggling with commitment issues, about to switch her college major, and on the verge of leaving her long-term boyfriend. Over the course of the next four years of life-altering changes of heart, she must navigate the troubled waters of her love life and struggle to find her career path, while learning to take a realistic look at who she really is. Winner of numerous awards including Best Actress — Renate Reinsve, Cannes Film Festival, and best Foreign Language Film, New York Film Critics Circle, The Worst Person in the World is acclaimed as “a romantic drama for people who hate romantic dramas” (Toronto Star) with a performance by Reinsve as “masterful as Julie, throwing light on every facet of the art of being a total mess” (Chicago Reader). (128 min. In Norwegian with English subtitles)
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Flee (dir. Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Denmark, 2021)
Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner Flee tells the story of Amin Nawabi as he grapples with a painful secret he has kept hidden for 20 years, one that threatens to derail the life he has built for himself and his soon-to-be husband. Director Jonas Poher Rasmussen depicts the refugee experience through vivid animation in a moving memoir hailed as “a feat of humanistic filmmaking… a movie we will be celebrating all through next year’s awards season and talking about long after” (Harper’s Bazaar) (89 min. In Danish with English subtitles)
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