Nordic films at the 2025 Academy Awards
By Anders Lorenzen | Photo: Lava Films

After last month’s submersion into ready-to-stream content, this month, we present the Nordic films that have been submitted for the world’s most prestigious Film award – the 2025 Academy Awards, to be held in Hollywood on 3 March.
Depending on the final selection, plenty of Nordic talent could be on display when the red carpet is rolled out.
We start with Norway, where Armand is the country’s official submission. In the film, a six-year-old boy is accused of crossing the boundaries of his best friend in elementary school. While it is a mystery what happened between the two boys, a series of life-changing events unfolds as redemption madness, desire, and obsession arise.
Iceland’s submission, the drama Touch (Snerting), extends far beyond the country’s borders as Kristófer, a retired seventy-year-old widower, embarks on a journey to discover what happened to his girlfriend, who disappeared without a trace 50 years earlier. His journey takes him across the globe to Japan.
Family Time (Mummola), the submission from Finland, is something as rare as a Finnish comedy. The film offers a sharp study of family relations, unsuccessful connections and individual issues.
Like Iceland, Sweden’s entry also offers a bit of international flavour. In The Last Journey (Den Siste Reisen), a retiring French teacher retreats into isolation and exhaustion, missing the opportunity to enjoy a relaxed, holiday-flavoured retirement. To rekindle his joy in life, his children take him to his beloved France.
There’s not much surprise surrounding Denmark’s entry, the highly anticipated The Girl with the Needle (Pigen med Nålen). Having already picked up several other festival nominations and wins, the WW1 drama could very well be a contender to make the final selection of the Best International Feature Film category – and win it. The plot centres around a young factory worker struggling to survive post-WW1 Copenhagen. When she finds herself unemployed, abandoned and pregnant, she meets a charismatic woman running an underground adoption agency, helping mothers find homes for their unwanted children. With nowhere else to turn, she takes on the role of a wet nurse, and a strong connection is formed between the two women, but her world shatters when she stumbles upon the shocking truth behind her work.

Anders Lorenzen is a Danish blogger and film and TV enthusiast living in London.
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