BEAUTIFUL BEINGS Chosen as Iceland's 2023 Oscar Entry
The Icelandic Film and Television Academy has selected Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson’s Beautiful Beings as Iceland's official entry in the Best International Feature Film category for the 2023 Academy Awards.
Beautiful Beings is the second film from Gudmundsson, after his award-winning debut feature Heartstone. The film world-premiered in Berlin Panorama this year, where it won the Europa Cinemas Label and then went to play over 30 festivals and won 8 awards to date. It’s currently selected for the European Film Awards’ longlist.
The film follows Addi, a teenage boy raised by a clairvoyant mother, who adopts a bullied kid into his group of violent misfits. When the boys’ own aggressive behavior escalates toward life-threatening situations, Addi starts to experience a series of dreamlike visions. Will his newfound intuition guide him and his friends toward a safer path, or will they dive further into violence?
In its justification the Icelandic jury states: “Beautiful Beings is an intimate and heart-rending story, presented in an honest and measured manner. A major part of the film‘s effectiveness is the commendable and singular performance of a young and courageous cast. The tone, spirit, and emotion of the narrative utilize the film form in a remarkable way, resulting in a raw and powerful experience.”
Beautiful Beings is produced by Anton Máni Svansson at Join Motion Pictures in Iceland, in coproduction with Motor Productions (Denmark), Hobab and Film i Väst (Sweden), Bastide Films (The Netherlands) and Negativ (Czech Republic). The film was supported by the Icelandic Film Centre, Iceland’s Ministry of Industries and Innovation, the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service RÚV, Sena, Danish Film Institute, DR, Scanbox, Swedish Film Institute, Film i Väst, Netherlands Film Fund, Netherlands Film Production Incentive, Czech Film Fund, Nordisk Film & TV fond, and Eurimages.
International sales for Beautiful Beings are handled by New Europe Film Sales: (jan@neweuropefilmsales.com).
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the nominated films on January 24, 2023, and the 95th Academy Awards will take place on March 12, 2023.