Surprisingly, Jens Lien's Den Brysomme mannen / The Bothersome Man, one of the best-received Norwegian films in recent years and the winner of the Best Director and Best Screenplay Amandas — Norway's top film awards — was passed over as that country's submission for the 2006 Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award. Instead, Joachim Trier's feature-film début , Reprise, has been chosen as Norway's entry. Reprise, the story of two writer wannabes — only one of whom becomes successful — won the Best Director Award at this year's Karlovy Vary Film Festival. (More on Reprise.)
Sweden's entry is Jesper Ganslandt's feature-film début, Farväl Falkenberg / Falkenberg Farewell, a coming-of-age tale about five friends who spend their last summer together in the small town of Falkenberg.
Denmark will be represented by Susanne Bier's Efter brylluppet / After the Wedding, a psychological drama about a dying man who believes he knows the right person to take his soon-to-be vacant place at home.