The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the shortlists for 10 categories for the 2025 Oscars yesterday. Two Danish films are among the contenders: Magnus von Horn's ‘The Girl with the Needle’ in the International Feature Film category and Ömer Sami's ‘Eternal Father’ in Documentary Short Film.
The final nominations for the 2025 Oscars will be revealed on January 17, with the ceremony taking place on March 2, 2025 in Los Angeles.
The Girl with the Needle
The film centres on Karoline, a young factory worker, who is struggling to survive in post WW1 Copenhagen. When she finds herself unemployed, abandoned and pregnant, she meets Dagmar, a charismatic woman running an underground adoption agency, helping mothers to find foster homes for their unwanted children. With nowhere else to turn, Karoline takes on the role of a wet nurse. A strong connection is formed between the two women, but Karoline's world shatters when she stumbles upon the shocking truth behind her work.
This is Magnus von Horn's first Danish-language feature film, which premiered to critical acclaim in the main competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The film received great reviews at the World premiere during the Cannes Film Festival. The international critics especially praised the actors' performances and the cinematography. Deadline highlighted Magnus von Horn as a "masterful talent" and called the film “an unequivocal and beguiling triumph" while Screen International wrote the film had “…unrelentingly fascinating performances from Vic Carmen Sonne and Trine Dyrholm."
The film has already received significant recognition, including a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language on December 9, and two European Film Awards for European Production Design (Jagna Dobesz) and European Original Score (Frederikke Hoffmeier) on December 7 in Lucerne, Switzerland.
The Girl with the Needle opened in select theatres in New York and Los Angeles on December 6. Its North American premiere was at the Toronto International Film Festival, earning glowing reviews. Vogue praised its black-and-white cinematography, calling it “a grim, uncompromising masterpiece.”
Magnus von Horn and Line Langebek co-wrote the screenplay and Malene Blenkov produced the film for Nordisk Film Creative Alliance together with Mariusz Włodarski for Lava Films with support from The Danish Film Institute, The Swedish Film Institute, The Polish Film Institute, Nordisk Film & TV Fond and Eurimages, among others.
Eternal Father
'Eternal Father'. Photo: The National Film School of Denmark.
Ömer Sami’s graduation documentary from The National Film School of Denmark, ‘Eternal Father’, has been shortlisted for Best Documentary Short Film.
The film follows three siblings—Hadji (9), Wynette (12), and Fraulein (14)—and their ageing father, Nasar, who has an extraordinary idea. Nasar plans to pay for cryopreservation before his death, hoping to be revived in the future and witness his children's adult lives. Exploring themes of mortality and family, the film raises profound questions: What does the promise of eternal life mean for this small family? And what would it mean for humanity if we could be together forever?
The 30-minute documentary, produced by Alma Dyekjær Giese, has been showcased at prestigious festivals, including IDFA, CPH:DOX, Toronto Hot Docs, Sheffield DocFest, and Camerimage.
Danish Oscar Committee
The Danish Oscar Committee consists of Danish film professional representatives appointed from various film associations and guilds as requested by the The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS):
- Anne Østerud // Danish Film Editing Society
- Louise Mieritz // Danish Actors Association
- Søren Søndergaard // Danish Cinema Owners
- Frederik Villads // Danish Screenwriters
- Jacob Ludvigsen // Danish Film Critics Society
- Sebastian Cordes // Danish Directors Association
- Jacob Neiiendam // The Danish Film Institute
- Lena Juhl Seidelin // The Danish Film Institute
- Lone Korslund // Danish Producers Association
Oscar rules and dates
Each country may submit one film for nomination consideration in the International Feature Film category.
To be eligible in the International Feature Film category a film's domestic release date must be no earlier than November 1 2023 and no later than September 30 2024 and be publicly exhibited for at least seven consecutive days in a commercial motion picture theater.
For films to more easily meet theatrical exhibition requirements, the Academy will allow films to qualify outside the country of origin, provided the film is theatrically exhibited outside of the United States and its territories for at least seven consecutive days in a commercial motion picture theatre.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the US with a predominantly non-English dialogue track.
Full details on rules and eligibility can be found here
The offiical submission deadline is October 2. The Academy will announce all shortlists on December 17, including the 15 films that have a chance to become one of the five nominees in the International Feature Film category. The 97th Oscars take place on March 2 2024 in Los Angeles.