Denmark's Three Oscar Submission Finalists for 2023

by Nathaniel R

Mads Mikkelsen in "The Promised Land", a Danish Oscar submission finalist

We've shared this observation before but Germany and Denmark have (so far at least) been to the Oscars of the 21st century what France and Italy were to the 20th century. The two countries cannot be discounted in any upcoming Oscar race. Since 2000 Denmark has received 8 nominations and 2 wins (their grand total now being 14/4) and they've made the finals three additional times in that time span, too. Germany is Oscar's current favourite country scoring 9 nominations, 3 wins, and 5 additional finalists since 2000 (their all time stats are now 21/4). Germany has submitted the contemporary drama The Teacher's Lounge which premiered at Berlinale and will be at TIFF soon for the upcoming Oscar race. Now we know the three Danish finalists for the submission honor though their choice won't be announced until late September. They are...

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Reader's Choice: Babette's Feast (1987)

This weekend's topic, currently streaming on HBOMax and Criterion Channel, was chosen by readers. This article contains spoilers so if you've never seen the film, correct that first.

for such a delicious movie, the first shot of people and food isn't very appetizing!by Nathaniel R

How far does the "foodie" movie subgenre stretch back? It's difficult to tell from the internet alone, which tends to think movies of all genres began in the 1980s; online "best of all time" lists are of little use when you're curious about film history. We know at least that the subgenre was in full swing by the 1990s with arthouse hits such as Like Water for Chocolate, Eat Drink Man Woman, and Big Night arriving semi-annually. Was the watershed moment, at least for US moviegoers, bout a half a year stretch between the fall of 1987 and the spring of 1988? In that time the hilarious Japanese "ramen western" Tampopo (1985) was slowly collecting its fult following and Denmark's Babette's Feast was a hit at arthouse theaters and took home the Oscar.

Whether or not Babette's Feast was the first truly popular foodie title with movieogers, it was at least a grand appetizer or sensational first course for the now robust subgenre...

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'Babette's Feast' next Thursday!

Thank you for voting in the readers poll about what movie we should talk about next week (Thursday March 23rd). So please watch Babette's Feast (1987) before that day. It's only 102 minutes long which used to be a normal movie length but now will feel like a short film! The Oscar-winning foodie classic is currently streaming on both HBOMax and Criterion and is also available to rent on most platforms if you don't have those services.

Somehow I've never seen it despite being a) really into Scandinavian things b) obsessed with the Best International Feature Film category and c) fascinated that Denmark has become Hollywood's "favourite" country other than Germany in the past two decades (if this keeps up those two countries will be to the 21st century what Italy/France were to the Oscars of the 20th century)

Denmark's 3 Oscar finalists and their strong awards history

by Nathaniel R

If you've been reading the Film Experience for some time you know that your host here is fond of Scandinavian cinema. I'm of partial Danish descent and once lived in Norway and the two combined prompted the interest around the time the Oscars took over my life. When it comes to Oscars' Best International Feature Film category the common wisdom is that France, Italy, an Spain reign but that's only because they have the most in terms of "all time" stats. If you look at more recent history, it's a much different story. For instance, in the 22 years of the 21st century to date, Norway has doubled its meager nomination count and Denmark has more than doubled its previous nomination count. In fact, Denmark is currently tied for #1 in terms of Oscar's favourite foreign country of the 21st century thus far (8 nominations and 2 wins... which Germany also has. Only Sweden, once Oscar's favourite scandinavian country, has been losing momentum.

To make a long story short, Denmark should always be watched closely in the Oscar race. After the jump their three finalists for their 2022 Oscar submission plus their rich Oscar history overall...

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Review: Netflix’s ‘Against the Ice’

By Abe Friedtanzer

 Looking at the poster for today’s new Netflix release, you might first think of two possibilities. One is that it’s the latest Liam-Neeson-fights-wolves survival thriller, only Neeson wasn’t available. The other is that it’s a new project you haven’t heard about from Christopher Nolan where the characters defy gravity in their walks like in Inception and Tenet. It turns out it’s neither, but rather just a snow-set drama about a real-life explorer from Denmark.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, best known as Jaime Lannister from Game of Thrones, stars as Ejnar Mikkelsen, the captain of a 1909 Danish expedition whose express goal is to show his country’s claim to Northeast Greenland, which is being challenged by the United States...

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