Oscars 2024: Knight of Fortune - The Lone Nordic Film Contending
NOTE: This article is a republication- Source: Nordisk Film & TV Fond (by ULRIK BOLT JØRGENSEN).
The Danish short film Knight of Fortune and Swedish composer Ludwig Göranson receive Academy award nominations.
The forthcoming Academy Awards ceremony, slated for March 11th in Los Angeles, will spotlight Danish filmmaker Lasse Lyskjær Noer's work, Knight of Fortune (Ridder Lykke), the sole Nordic film entrant in the final competition. The film, backed by the Vest Danish Film Fund and TV2/Denmark, has secured its place running for Best Live-Action Short.
After a nerve-wracking run with three Nordic films among the previous short list of the best fifteen international fiction films were Danish The Promised Land (Bastarden) directed by Nikolaj Arcel, Icelandic Godland (Volaða land) directed by Hlynyr Pálmason and Finnish Fallen Leaves (Kuolleet lehdet) directed by Aki Kaurismäki.
The short film Knight of Fortune narrates the somber tale of Karl, who journeys to bid a final farewell to his late wife, Karen. Struggling under the weight of grief, he finds himself unable to confront the harsh reality of Karen's departure. With no offspring and friends who once relied on Karen's care, Karl grapples with a profound solitude. A chance encounter with Torben, who navigates grief through candor, sets Karl on a path of introspection. Yet, this encounter holds hidden depths.
Aarhus based Lasse Lyskjær Noer, brings with him a background in advertisement. In a conversation with the Danish newspaper Politiken, he shared the sentiment, "When you meet someone in grief, you are obliged to reach out," offering a glimpse into the film's emotional core. It is the first time Jalabert Production is in the running for an Oscar statuette. On the other hand, they have teamed up with the experienced production company in M&M Productions and Kim Magnusson, who has been nominated 10 times before for an Academy Award in the Live Action short film category and won the coveted gold statuette four times (Election Eve 1999, Der er en Yndig Mand 2003, De Nye Lejere 2010, Helium 2014). It is three years in a row that M&M Productions, and the first time Jalabert, has been nominated for an Oscar. Christian Norlyk and Kim Magnusson are the producers behind the film.
Another good Nordic news is that Swedish composer and previous Oscar winner (for the music of Black Panther) Ludwig Göransson received a nomination for best original score (Oppenheimer).
The Oscars landscape for 2024 sees Oppenheimer leading with 13 nominations, closely trailed by Poor Things with 11, and Killers of the Flower Moon with 10 nods.