Grímur Hákonarson’s Rams produced by Grímar Jónsson for Netop Films has been picked as Iceland’s Oscar hopeful in the race for Best Foreign Language Film.
The selection was announced on Tuesday as Rams was ending a successful launch at the Telluride Film Festival, known as an open gate to the Oscars season. “Telluride was amazing with lots of buzz around the film and three extra screenings – six in total,” said Jónsson.
US distributor Cohen Media Group is kick starting the campaign for the film in the countdown to the Oscars and will launch it in US cinemas in February, to coincide with the Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on February 26, 2015.
Meanwhile Rams continues its festival tour. The winner of the Un Certain Regard Prize in Cannes will next travel to Toronto, Busan, Helsinki, Ghent, Vancouver and Zurich. Sales agent New Europe Film Sales has closed more than 40 territories on the film.
Rams has also been shortlisted for the European Film Awards nominations, along with the other Icelandic contender Virgin Mountain, Denmark’s Men & Chicken, Finland’s They Have Escaped, Norway’s Louder than Bombs and Miss Julie, Sweden’s A Pigeon Sat on a Wall Reflecting on Existence and The Here After.
The European Film Awards nominations will be announced on November 7, with the awards ceremony set for December 12, 2015.