“A Royal Affair” period drama picked as Denmarks’s Oscar entry

PanARMENIAN.Net - Denmark has anointed Nikolaj Arcel's period drama A Royal Affair to be the country's entry for the 2013 Oscar race for Best Foreign Language Film, The Hollywood Reporter said.

Based on a true story from the 18th century, the film looks at the love affair between Denmark's young queen and her royal physician - a romance that will transform the country even as it dooms the pair.

A Royal Affair stars Mads Mikkelsen as the doctor, Alicia Vikander as the queen and newcomer Mikkel Boe Folsgaard as the mad King Christian VII, a role which won Folsgaard the best actor honor at the Berlin International Film Festival in February. Arcel and co-writer Rasmus Heisterberg also took Berlin's best screenplay prize.

The drama is already being tipped as one of the Foreign Language Oscar frontrunners. Denmark won the Best Foreign Language prize this year with In A Better World from director Susanne Bier.

In addition to its criticial honors, A Royal Affair has been a commercial success. At home, the film has earned $6.2 million at the Danish box office, and has broken records abroad. In the U.K. A Royal Affair earned more than $580,000 at the till, a record for a Danish film, and in Australia it has taken in more than $1.6 million to date. Magnolia has domestic rights to A Royal Affair and will bow the film stateside on Nov. 9.

TrustNordisk, which is handling international sales for the title, has sold A Royal Affair to more than 78 countries worldwide.