Animated short YES-PEOPLE and song HUSAVIK nominated for Oscars
The Icelandic short film Yes-People, by Gísli Darri Halldórsson, and the song Husavik from the Netflix film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, which features contributions from Icelandic composer Atli Örvarsson and orchestra Sinfonia Nord, have both been nominated for Oscars. Yes-People is nominated for Best Animated Short Film and Husavik for Best Original Song.
Yes-People had its world premiere in January 2020 at the Minimalen Short Film Festival in Trondheim, Norway, and has been winning awards on the festival circuit since then. The film tells the story of an eclectic mix of people who one morning face everyday battles such as work, school, and washing the dishes. As the day progresses, their relationships, and their capacity to cope, are tested.
The trailer for Yes-People can be seen here:
Yes-People was written and directed by Gísli Darri Halldórsson and produced by Arnar Gunnarsson and Halldórsson for the production company CAOZ. International sales are being handled by Magnetfilm. The film was supported by the Icelandic Film Centre.
The song Husavik, which celebrates life in the northern Iceland seaside town where much of Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga takes place, was written by Fat Max Gsus, Rickard Göransson, and Savan Kotecha and performed by Will Ferrell and Molly Sandén. Icelandic composer Atli Örvarsson, who wrote the film's score, conducted the song's string arrangements, which were recorded by the Icelandic orchestra Sinfonia Nord in Akureyri, Iceland.
Over the years, nine other Icelanders have been nominated for Academy Awards, with one win. Last year composer Hildur Gudnadóttir won for her score for the film Joker. In 2016 Jóhann Jóhannsson was nominated for Best Original Score for the film Sicario and in 2015 for his score for The Theory of Everything. In 2006 Rúnar Rúnarsson and Thor Sigurjonsson were nominated for Best Live Action Short for The Last Farm. The sound mixer Pétur Hliddal has been nominated twice: in 1996 for Best Sound for Batman Forever and in 2005 for Best Sound Mixing for The Aviator. In 2001 performer Björk and writer Sjón were nominated for Best Original Song for “I've Seen It All” from Lars von Trier's Dancer in the Dark. In 1992 Fridrik Thór Fridriksson was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film for Children of Nature. And in 1983 Sturla Gunnarsson was nominated for Best Feature Documentary for After the Axe.
The 93rd Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, April 25.