Tobias Lindholm’s drama A War (Krigen) produced by Nordisk Film with support from Nordisk Film & TV Fond will carry the Danish flag in the runner up to the Oscar nominations for Best Foreign Language Film.
Henrik Bo Nielsen, CEO of the Danish Film Institute and chair of the Danish Oscar committee said: "A War had a fantastic reception at this year's Venice Film Festival, where the international press spoke highly of the film and Lindholm's unique ability to depict the human drama that occurs when we are put under extreme pressure. Lindholm has previously shown Oscar muscle as the scriptwriter behind Thomas Vinterberg's The Hunt which was one of the five Oscar-nominated films in 2014, and he has also garnered great respect for his two previous films A Hijacking and R. With its captivating drama and the director's unique take on the story, we consider A War a strong bid."
The film stars Pilou Asbæk as a company commander based in Afghanistan, faced with a difficult decision that has grave consequences for him and his family back home.
The film was number four at the Danish Top Ten last weekend in its second week on screens via Nordisk Film. Magnolia Pictures has acquired US rights from StudioCanal that has sold another 20 territories.
A War was shortlisted alongside Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Look of Silence and Anders Thomas Jensen’s Men & Chicken.
The five official nominees for the Foreign Language Film Oscar will be announced on Jan 14, 2016. The 88th Academy Awards will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Feb 28, 2016.