Iceland has selected Hlynur Pálmason’s family drama The Love That Remains as its candidate for the Best International Feature Film category in the 98th Academy Awards.
The film captures a year in the life of a family as the parents navigate their separation. Through both playful and heartfelt moments, it portrays the bittersweet essence of faded love and shared memories amidst the changing seasons.
It is Pálmason’s fourth feature after Winter Brothers (2017), A White, White Day (2019) and Denmark-set missionary drama Godland (2022), which premiered in Cannes Un Certain Regard and went on to be shortlisted as Iceland’s candidate for 2023 Oscars.
The Icelandic jury, formed by the Icelandic Film and TV Academy, consists of representatives from leading professional associations in Iceland’s film sector, distributors, critics, and the Icelandic Film Centre.
It said of its choice: ““The Love That Remains captivates with strong and effortless performancesand a simple yet powerful visual narrative. It moves seamlessly between social realism and artistic imagery, captivating the viewer from the very first frame.”
“The interactions and interpretations of the actors are so authentic that the viewer feels almost as if looking through a peephole into the life of a real family, rather than witnessing a predetermined structure or staged performance.”
The Love That Remains world premiered in the non-competitive Cannes Premiere section this year, clinching a peripheral prize for its canine cast member, sheepdog Panda, who beat 24 other candidates to win the Palm Dog.
The film is produced by Anton Máni Svansson of Iceland’s Still Vivid and Katrin Pors of Denmark’s Snowglobe.
The cast includes Saga Garðarsdóttir (Woman at War), Sverrir Gudnason (Borg vs. McEnroe), Ída Mekkín Hlynsdóttir (Godland), Þorgils Hlynsson (Nest), and Grímur Hlynsson (Nest).
Pálmason is also the cinematographer credits, with other key crew including regular collaborators, editor Julius Krebs Damsbo, sound designer Björn Viktorsson and production designer Frosti Friðriksson, among others.
Co-producers are Mikkel Jersin and Eva Jakobsen at Snowglobe (Denmark), Nima Yousefi of HOBAB (Sweden), Didar Domehri of Maneki Films (France), Anthony Muir and Kristina Börjeson of Film I Väst (Sweden), Olivier Père and Rémi Burah of Arte France Cinema (France).
New Europe Film Sales handles international sales.
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