Sweden Selects Tigers Biopic For Oscars
The Swedish Oscar Committee has announced that Tigers (Tigrar), written and directed by Ronnie Sandahl, will be submitted as its entry for Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards.
Tigers is the true story of how 16-year-old football prodigy Martin Bengtsson (played by Erik Enge) was sold to an Italian top club, whereupon a childhood dream turned into nightmare. A coming-of-age drama about a young man’s burning obsession in a world where everything, and everyone, has a price tag.
Oscar committee chairman, Petter Mattsson, said: “In Tigers, we get to see the flip side of a much-admired world. A world that oozes fame and success and carries the hopes and dreams of millions of people around the world. Ronnie Sandahl’s film shows us the reality of a talented young boy who is thrown into a life of jealousy and almost inhuman demands, and it really gives you perspective.”
Ronnie Sandahl added: “I could not be more happy, proud or grateful. This is a great honour. Making films is a team sport and we are many who have shared the dream of this film, many who have worked hard. We hope that the nomination itself will help the film reach even more people… but as an incurably competitive person, I must admit that of course I also hope that this is just the beginning. We want to win the whole goddamn thing.”
The 94th Academy Awards will be presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences during a gala ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday 27th March 2022. A shortlist of fifteen films will be announced by the Academy on 21st December 2021 and the final five nominees will be revealed on 8th February 2022.
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