Norwegian film industry officials were celebrating after the “Kon-Tiki” film released in Oslo last summer was nominated for Norway’s first-ever Golden Globe award for a full-length feature film. It won the nomination last week as Best Foreign-Language Feature.
Kon-Tiki, about Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl’s efforts to mount his famed voyage on a balsa raft, faces tough competition against other prize-winning films including Amour, A Royal Affair, The Untouchables and Rust and Bone. Kon-Tiki producer Aage Aaberge called the Golden Globe nomination “simply fantastic,” though, and a victory in itself. It’s the first time a Norwegian film has been nominated for a prize at the Golden Globe awards ceremony, which will take place in Los Angeles in January.
Norwegian directors Espen Sandberg and Joachin Rønning said it was with “great pride” that they learned of their film’s nomination, calling it a “true honor.” The film is also Norway’s candidate for an Oscar at the Academy Awards next year.
The film has been popular in Norway, selling around 880,000 tickets in a country of 5 million people. It’s also selling well on DVD in Norway, with 307,000 sold, making it among the five best-selling in Norwegian history.
The Norwegian Film Institute reported that The Weinstein Company of the US has bought the film for viewing rights in the US, Canada, the UK and Italy.
newsinenglish.no staff
