Young Swedish director aims for an Oscar with his debut film.

The Swedish Film Institute has named Farewell Falkenberg as Sweden's official selection for the Oscar nominations for Best Foreign Language Film.

The film opened in cinemas across Sweden on September 22 and has received glowing reviews from the Swedish press. It was also highly acclaimed when screened at the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals.
The west coast town of Falkenberg is home to director Jesper Ganslandt, Born in 1978, Granslandt is a self-taught director who has previously worked with music videos and feature films.

With Farewell Falkenberg - Granslandt's feature film debut - he will be attempting to add a fifth Oscar to the Swedish trophy cabinet. Ingmar Bergman is a three-time winner, while Bille August picked up a statuette for Pelle the Conqueror in 1988.

The film is about five childhood friends growing into young men in a small Swedish town. Europeanfilms.net describes it as "a freewheeling dive into the hermetically sealed world of all-male friendships that […] feels natural and true."

Granslandt was not exactly overcome by emotion upon being told that his film was to Sweden's official selection. "I plan to celebrate in the Swedish way, with a cup of coffee", he told Metro.

The young director will have to wait until January 23 to find out whether his film is to be one of the final five nominees for Best Foreign Language Film.

Paul O'Mahony   The Local