Press Release - Three Norwegian features on the shortlist for the Oscar candidature

Norway’s submission for the Oscar nom as Best Foreign-Language Feature will be Izer Aliu’s Hunting Flies, Jorunn Myklebust Syversen’s The Tree Feller or Joachim Trier’s Thelma.


The Norwegian Oscar Committee announced yesterday (30 August) that three Norwegian features (out of 28 premiered in 2016/2017) are considered to be Norway’s candidate for the Oscar nomination as Best Foreign-Language Feature: Izer Aliu’s Hunting Flies (Fluefangeren), Jorunn Myklebust Syversen’s The Tree Feller (Hoggeren) and Joachim Trier’s Thelma.

The producers of the films will now have the opportunity to present their plans for an Oscar campaign to the committee, which will decide the Norwegian runner for the trophy on 5 September.

The Foreign Language Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the five nominees on 23 January 2018. The Oscar ceremony will take place on 4 March.

Hunting Flies (Fluefangeren)
Dir/Scr: Izer Aliu. Prod: Khalid Maimouni for Storyline Pictures


The drama about the rise and fall of dictatorship takes place in a classroom, where the idealistic teacher Ghani loses his job on the first day of school. In an attempt to get it back he locks his students up in the classroom, trying to force them to resolve a generation long conflict between their villages.

Hunting Flies was screened in the Toronto International Film Festival 2016, it received the Amanda – Norway’s international Film Prize – for Best Director, and is Norway’s candidate for the Nordic Council Film Prize 2017. Norwegian premiere: 21 April 2017

The Tree Feller (Hoggeren)
Dir/Scr: Jorunn Myklebust Syversen. Prod: Maria Ekerhovd for Mer Film


39-year-old Anders decides to give up his ordinary life in the city and moves to a small farm with the only desire of being out in nature and lose himself in physical work. But his attempt to escape is constantly interrupted by pushy relatives – he soon realises he has just traded in one claustrophic existence for another.

The Tree Feller received two nominations for the Amanda, Norway’s national film prize. Norwegian premiere: 7 April 2017

Dir: Joachim Trier. Scr: Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier. Prod: Thomas Robsahm for Motlys


The supernatural thriller portrays Thelma, a young student in Oslo. When she is drawn to another woman, she is overwhelmed by emotions she does not dare acknowledge - and frightening and inexplicable powers are forcing themselves into the open.

Thelma opened this year’s Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund, where it received the Norwegian Critics Prize. It has also been invited to the film festivals in Toronto and New York. Norwegian premiere: 15 September 2017

Previous Norwegian Oscar nominées include Norwegian directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg’s Kon-Tiki (2013), Petter Næss’ Elling (2001), Berit Nesheim’s The Other Side of Sunday (Søndagsengler/1996), Nils Gaup’s Pathfinder (Veiviseren/1987) and Arne Skouen’s Nine Lives (Ni liv/1957).