Svenska Filminstitutet har idag utsett Ruben Östlunds De ofrivilliga till Sveriges Oscarsbidrag.
Director Ruben Östlund, line producer Marie Kjellson and producer Erik Hemmendorff. Photo: Fredrik Zillén, Filmnyheterna.se
Involuntary is a tragic-comedy or comic-tragedy, comprising five stories on the theme of inexorable group pressure on the individual. Made by Ruben Östlund (director, screenwriter) and Erik Hemmendorff (producer, screenwriter) at Plattform Produktion, the cast includes Maria Lundqvist (Heaven’s Heart and Mother of Mine) and Cecilia Milocco.
Involuntary has screened at numerous international festivals. Selected to compete in the Certain Regard section in Cannes, the film has also been shown in Los Angeles, Rotterdam, Sarajevo, London, Rio de Janeiro, Pusan and Warsaw. It has scooped international awards in Milan, Brussels, Mar del Plata and Geneva, and recently picked up the FIPRESCI jury prize in Miami.
At home in Sweden the film received 5 Guldbagge award nominations, including best film and best director, and it picked up the Swedish critic's award (Greta) for the best film of 2008. Erik Hemmendorff went to Cannes as the 2009 Producer on the Move, and Plattform Produktion was awarded Cinemateket's Gold Card.
The Oscars' jury is set to announce its selection of films to compete for Best Foreign Language Film on 2 February 2010. The awards ceremony will take place on 7 March.
Involuntary received production funding from the Swedish Film Institute, feature film commissioner Peter ”Piodor” Gustafsson and was produced by Plattform Produktion in conjunction with Film i Väst and Sveriges Television.
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