OSCARS 2011 Iceland
Fridriksson in the running, again
by Annika Pham
29/09/2010 - Appropriately enough, Fridrik Thor Fridriksson’s Mamma Gógó [trailer] – a semi-biographical parody about an ambitious filmmaker’s aspirations for an Oscar nomination – has been selected as this year’s Icelandic entry in the Oscars race for a Best Foreign Language Film nomination.
Fridriksson is the Icelandic director who has represented his country the most times (six) at the Oscars nominations, and his 1991 drama Children of Nature made it to the shortlist.
In Mamma Gógó, Fridriksson makes an ironic reference to Children of Nature while paying tribute to his mother, who slowly drifts into Alzheimer’s. The film won three national Edda Awards last March, for Best Actress (Kristbjörg Kjeld), Best Composer (Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson) and Best Production Design (Árni Páll Jóhannsson) and recently screened at the Toronto Film Festival.
The film was produced by Fridriksson and Gudrún Edda Thórhannesdóttir for Spellbound Productions, in co-production with Filmhuset (Norway), Pandora (Germany) and Berserk Films (UK). Bavaria Film International handles world sales.
The final nominees for Best Foreign Language Film will be announced on January 25 and the 2011 Oscars will be awarded in Los Angeles on February 27, 2011.
