- Share this article on Facebook
- Share this article on Twitter
- Share this article on Flipboard
- Share this article on Email
- Show additional share options
- Share this article on Linkedin
- Share this article on Pinit
- Share this article on Reddit
- Share this article on Tumblr
- Share this article on Whatsapp
- Share this article on Print
- Share this article on Comment
Iceland has picked Lamb, a folkloric horror film starring Noomi Rapace (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), to represent the country in the 2022 best international feature Oscar category.
The film, from first-time director Valdimar Johannsson, premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes this year, where it won a special prize for originality. Lamb also screened at Spain’s acclaimed Sitges fantasy film festival, winning the top prize for best feature as well as the best actress honor for Rapace.
Lamb combines Nordic folk legend with horror elements in its story of a childless farming couple (Rapace and Icelandic actor Hilmir Snær Gudnason) who, during lambing season, make a startling discovery in their sheep barn — a discovery that will tear their world apart. A24 picked up North American rights for the film and bowed Lamb on limited release earlier this month.
Genre films, particularly international ones, can have a tough time at the Oscars, but there is precedent for folk-flavored Nordic horror winning over the Academy. In 2019, the Swedish drama Border, about mythical trolls living in modern-day Scandinavia, picked up an Oscar nomination for best hair and makeup.
Iceland has only once been nominated for an Oscar: for Fridrik Thor Fridriksson’s Children of Nature in 1991. The tiny nation has yet to win an Academy Award.
The shortlist for the 2022 Oscars will be unveiled on Dec. 21. Nominations will be announced on Feb. 8. The 94th Academy Awards will be held on March 27, 2022.
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day