The nominations for the 2008 Golden Beetles — Sweden's version of the Academy Awards — have been announced.
Roy Andersson's best picture nominee You, the Living (above), a low-key comedy about the day-to-day difficulties of human life, was Sweden's entry for the 2008 best foreign-language film Academy Award. Late last year, Andersson received a best director nomination at the European Film Awards.
Johan Kling's Darling, the year's most nominated film and the Swedish Film Critics' Association's best film pick, is a Stockholm-set dark comedy of manners about a young woman whose path crosses that of a 60-year-old man. Darling had its production funding suspended by the Swedish Film Institute and had to be financed independently.
The third best film nominee, Josef Fares' Leo, is a low-budget drama about street violence, in which a man wants to avenge his girlfriend's random murder.
Among the other nominees is veteran Bibi Andersson. The former Ingmar Bergman star received a best supporting actress nomination for Arn: The Knight Templar, the most expensive Swedish film to date. Andersson has already won three Golden Beetles: as best actress for Persona (1966), and as best supporting actress for Det blir aldrig som man tänkt sig / Shit Happens (2000) and Elina – Som om jag inte fanns / As If I Didn't Exist (2002).
A new jury system has been introduced in 2008. Whereas in the past a few dozen representatives of the Swedish film industry picked the winners, this year a group of seven will decide who takes home the Golden Beetle statuettes.