“The Promised Land” is Denmark’s candidate for the 2024 Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film. It is an epic historical dram film directed by Nikolaj Arcel, 51, who co-wrote the screenplay with Anders Thomas Jensen based on Ida Jessen‘s 2020 novel “Kaptajnen og Ann Barbara“.
Nikolaj Arcel
Arcel was born in Copenhagen, Denmark to Arne Arcel and Libby Tata Arcel. Arne is a Danish architect while Libby is a psychologist from Mytilene, Lesbos, Greece.
In 2001, Nikolaj graduated from the National Film School of Denmark in Copenhagen. He and Rasmus Heisterberg wrote the screenplay of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo“, which was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2010 British Academy Film Awards Awards.
Heisterberg and Nikolaj co-wrote “A Royal Affair“, which was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2013 Academy Awards. Nikolaj directed the film, which starred Danish actors Mads Mikkelsen and Mikkel Følsgaard and Swedish actress Alicia Vikander.
Jensen and Nikolaj co-wrote “The Dark Tower” with Akiva Goldsman and Jeff Pinkner based on Stephen King‘s novel series of the same name. The 2017 film starred Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey.
“The Promised Land“
Originally titled “The Bastard”, “The Promised Land” had its world premiere at the 2023 Venice International Film Festival in Venice Lido, Italy on August 31, 2023. It premiered in Denmark on October 5, 2023.
In the film, Mikkelsen plays Ludvig Kahlen, a former army captain with a modest pension. In 1755, the character arrives on the barren heaths of Jutland to farm land he has been granted by the king.
Amanda Collin and Morten Hee Andersen play Ann Barbara and Johannes Eriksen, a couple hired by Ludwig to work on the land. Johannes is a former serf of Simon Bennebjerg‘s character Frederik De Schinkel, a ruthless landowner trying to monopolize ownership of the heath.
Ludwig comes in conflict with Frederik. The latter does everything to drive the former off the land and exact revenge.
In an interview with Screen Daily, Mikkelsen was asked about differences of opinion between him and Nikolaj about Ludwig. The Danish actor said, “With the character of Ann Barbara, a few times she speaks her own mind and I was thinking it’s the 1750s, maybe Ludvig would shut her down. I knew Nikolaj didn’t disagree with me that that would have been the case but he said ‘At this time in the story, we don’t need to see that’ and I could respect and agree with that.”
2024 Academy Awards
Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, 56, the 2024 Academy Awards will be aired by ABC from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA on March 10, 2024. Directed by Hamish Hamilton, the ceremony will be produced by Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan.
This is the 96th edition of the awards ceremony also known as the Oscars. The ceremony is annually presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which is based in Beverly Hills, California.
On December 21, 2023, it was announced that “The Promised Land” is one of the 15 shortlisted films for the 2024 Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film. On January 23, 2024, the official nominees will be revealed.
CONAN Daily 