News

Vancouver-based Brightlight Pictures has come on board to produce the drama with Brad Turner of Homeland, Daredevil and 24 fame set to direct.

Zoe Robyn adapted the screenplay from Arlid Ostin Ommundsen’s Norwegian film Eventyrland (It’s Only Make Believe).

Penance follows a young mother who gets out of prison and strives to steer clear of her criminal past while she raises her daughter.

Shawn Williamson (pictured) of Brightlight Pictures and Jessica Petelle will produce along with David Oskar Olafsson and Arni Filippusson of the Icelandic production company Mystery Productions.

Ommundsen will serve as executive producer alongside Gary Cranner of Chezville.

Iram Haq’s debut drama is selected as Norway’s foreign-language Oscar submission.

Iram Haq’s debut feature I Am Yours (Jeg er Din) has been selected by Norway’s Oscar selection committee as the country’s Best Foreign-Language Oscar submission.

Amrita Acharia stars as a young, Norwegian-Pakistani single mother in Oslo who struggles in love until she meets a Swedish film director played by Ola Rapace (Skyfall).

The selection committee described I Am Yours, which screened in the Discovery section at Toronto, as “mature and universal” and said the “personal and authentic” film “raises important questions about being a woman” in a complex society.

Produced by Maria Ekerhovd for Mer Film – and the first feature to be supported by the Norwegian Film Institute’s New Ways scheme - it was released domestically on Aug 16 by Sf Norge.

Runners-up for the Oscar submission were Arild Østin Ommundsen’s It’s Only Make Believe (Eventyrland) and Erik Skjoldbjærg’s [link...

Another week, another 10+ submissions for Best Foreign Language Film Oscar race. We're up to 15 official titles now (which means there are about 50 to go). We previously covered Germany's finalist list but they didn't go with the youthful hit comedy Oh Boy after all but with the drama Two Lives, which we highlighted as a strong possibility given its war themes and the presence of Liv Ullman in the cast list.

But the German news is just scratching the surface of what's going on in the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar race.

Finalists And Speculation

"Thy Womb"'s Nora Aunor won several Best Actress prizes at festivals

The Philippines

They've recently announced a list of 8 finalists although, to make things confusing, they are still willing to look at more films that aren't on the list in case of late arrivals to the cinema. But chances are the film will come from this list: Supremo,...

Cannes winner Blue is the Warmest Colour also picked up a prize at the 41st Norwegian International Film Festival (Niff) awards.

Danish director Per Fly picked up the Nordic Film Prize at the Niff awards last night [Aug 20] for his biopic Monica Z (Waltz for Monica).

The story of legendary Swedish singer-actress Monica Zetterlund stars Edda Magnason in her first film role. Monica Z will be released in Norway on Sept 13.

Fly will next direct Backstabbing for Beginners, based on the true story of Un whistleblower Michael Soussan who called for an investigation of the Un’s dealings with Saddam Hussein. Fly is working on the screenplay with Us writer Daniel Pyne (The Sum of All Fears) and it marks the first project developed for the international market by Creative Alliance - a new company created earlier this year by six Nordic directors and Us outfit Parts & Labor.

Other winners included Abdellatif Kechiche’s Blue Is the Warmest Colour, which...