With 2024 almost over, all eyes are on the imminent awards season. Who and what will get nominated at this year’s Oscars and Golden Globes? In the case of the Academy’s Best International Feature Film, it’s a tight race, even with an apparent frontrunner in Jacques Audriard‘s “Emilia Peréz.” That begs the question: will any other 2024 Cannes Film Festival films get a BIIF nod?
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Payal Kapadia‘s “All We Imagine As Light” shockingly didn’t get entered for consideration, but maybe that allows Halfdan Ullman Tøndel‘s Camera d’Or-winner “Armand” to sneak in. Starring “The Worst Person In The World” and “A Different Man” actress Renate Reinsve, Tøndel’s feature film debut follows a disgraced actress thrust in the middle of a school fight between two six-year-old boys.
Here’s an official synopsis for “Armand,” courtesy of IFC Films:
When defamed actress Elisabeth (Renate Reinsve) is abruptly called into a parent-teacher meeting after hours, she is presented with scathing allegations that trigger a tangled web of accusations between parents and faculty. As Elisabeth struggles to uncover the truth amid the empty school rooms and dark corridors, a chaotic fight for redemption arises where desire, madness and obsession prevail.
Along with Reinsve, “Armand” also stars Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Thea Lambrechts Vaulen, Endre Hellestveit, Øystein Røger, and Vera Veljovic.
Along with directing, Tøndel also writes the script for “Armand.” Andrea Berentsen Ottmar produces the film.
As noted earlier, “Armand” won the Camera d’Or at Cannes this year, awarded by the festival jury to what they consider the best first feature film. That accolade should help Tøndel’s film’s consideration by the Academy, although “Armand” will have to be the likes of “I’m Still Here,” “Kneecap” and others for the nod.
But based on their theatrical rollout, IFC Films looks confident in Tøndel’s chances to secure a nomination. “Armand” gets a qualifying theatrical run in NYC on November 29 before an official limited theatrical release next year on February 7, 2025. The film then opens everywhere on February 14, 2025.
Watch a trailer for “Armand” below.
