Denmark Picks ‘The Girl With the Needle’ for International Oscar Race

Denmark has selected Magnus von Horn’s period drama The Girl With the Needle as its nominee for Best International Feature at the 2025 Oscars.

Set in Copenhagen in 1919, the feature stars Vic Carmen Sonne (Holiday, Godland) as Karoline, a young seamstress who is left high and dry when her wealthy lover (Joachim Fjelstrup) gets her pregnant but refuses to marry her. When she finds herself unemployed and expecting, Karoline has the choice of two bad options: Give herself an abortion with a knitting needle or work with the shady backstreet adoption agency.

The Girl With the Needle premiered in competition in Cannes and had its North American premiere at the Toronto Film Festival earlier this month. The strong critical reception for the film — THR‘s review called it a “dark, urgently timely Danish drama” that “builds to a devastating climax, taut as piano wire” — as well as the timely subject matter should make The Girl With the Needle a strong International Feature contender.

Mubi picked up the film in a multi-territory deal out of Cannes and has rights for The Girl With the Needle across North America, U.K.-Ireland, Latin America, Germany, Austria, Italy, Turkey and India.

Denmark has long punched above its weight at the Oscars, with 14 nominations and 4 Oscar wins, most recently for Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round in 2021.

The deadline for submissions for the 96th Oscars is Nov. 14, 2024. The shortlist for best international feature contenders will be released Dec. 17. Nominations will be announced Jan. 17, 2025. The 2025 Academy Awards will be held Sunday, March 2.