Husavik, the tiny Icelandic fishing town dreaming of Oscars glory
REYKJAVIK: In just a year the small Icelandic village of Husavik has shot to fame as the setting of the kitsch musical comedy “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga” — and now it dreams of winning an Oscar. The song “Husavik — My Home Town,” a ballad from the movie sung by Swedish pop singer Molly Sanden, has been nominated for an Academy Award for best original song. In the quiet litle harbour town near the Arctic Circle, the 2,300 residents are in a tizzy ahead of Sunday’s Oscars festivities, which will feature a performance of the tune by Sanden recorded in the village itself. “The atmosphere is filled with excitement,” town mayor Kristjan Thor Magnusson said. “People are anxiously waiting.” With just days to go, Husavik’s main road has been painted red so that residents can also experience the feeling of walking the red carpet, like Hollywood’s biggest stars will do in Los Angeles on Sunday. The town has until now been known for its whale watching tours, drawing tourists almost guaranteed of seeing one of the massive creatures. But that’s all changed now.
“The Story of Fire Saga” is about two musicians, played by Will Ferrell and Rachel Mcadams, who end up representing Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest ater all of the country’s music stars perish in a boating inferno. The ballad, with lyrics about the town’s “gentle people,” whales and Northern Lights, is the climax of the movie, performed by Mcadams’ character to Sanden’s tracks. While the movie didn’t win the praise of critics, the song has most certainly won the hearts of Husavik locals.
“It’s become the town’s anthem since the movie came out,” Magnusson said. “People all over the place can relate to that type of feeling, of either being homesick or loving your hometown.” The town even launched a whimsical online campaign in early March, “An Oskar for Husavik,” in the hopes of seeing the town honoured with an Academy Award. But Husavik’s dream doesn’t look set to come true. “Speak Now” from “One Night in Miami”, writen and sung by Leslie Odom Jr, is widely predicted to win on Sunday. Husavik isn’t giving up hope just yet though. “I think we can win,” says Icelandic actor Sigurdur Illugason, who has lived in the village for 40 years and who plays the role of Oskar Oskarsson in two of the campaign videos with more than 90,000 views on Youtube. “I’m trying to keep both feet on the ground: there is, of course, a chance to win but I’m not expecting it,” says Hinrik Wohler, who’s in charge of tourism for the town. Still, he says all the media atention is welcome publicity. “The exposure and everything around the movie and the Oscars have been so enormous for us that I can’t be disappointed if we don’t win.”
Husavik, which counts only 2,300 residents, usually relies on tourists atracted to its geothermal spas and whale-watching spots, but with international travel hammered by the COVID-19 pandemic it has seen few foreign visitors these past 12 months. The town is preparing to open a Eurovision-themed museum in late May showcasing costumes, movie props and other memorabilia, which it hopes will atract fans of the contest. Swedish pop singer Molly Sanden, who performed the song in the movie, visited Husavik over the weekend and is set to appear on the official Oscars pre-show broadcast from Iceland. During her visit to the town, Sanden danced with local choir girls and performed the song in the town’s wooden church, accompanied by an organ.
“Locals are very proud of their community and in the long history of Husavik we have never had global atention like we are experiencing right now,” said Hinrik Wohler of the Husavik Chamber of Commerce and Tourism. Local schools and shops will remain closed on Monday, the morning ater the Oscars, to give residents a chance to watch the awards show live. The ceremony will be broadcast from Hollywood on Sunday, which will be late at night in Iceland. Husavik Mayor Kristjan Thor Magnusson said local schoolchildren were very proud and excited, and could be heard singing the song daily in the town. “The grassroots campaign for an Oscar for Husavik has really blown up,” he told Reuters. “We are certainly hoping that this atention will strengthen our tourism here.”
Meanwhile, the Oscars on Sunday will mirror the movie industry they honour: transformed by the pandemic, forced to experiment with new venues and formats, and likely to be dominated by “Nomadland.” The crowning event of Hollywood’s awards season was delayed by two months, and will mainly be held at Los Angeles’ Union Station, chosen for the social distancing its enormity allows in the age of Covid-19. In a nod to the past year’s unique circumstances, the 93rd Academy Awards will have a large footprint — the presentation of honorary prizes and Musical performances will take place at a Hollywood theatre and the Academy’s new film museum, while Europeans unable to travel will gather at “hubs” in London and Paris.
But the main business of handing out golden statuetes will take place at the station — with one particular film expected to depart with a handful including best picture, the night’s final award. “I can’t imagine that ‘Nomadland’ does not win the big prize. I can’t imagine that Chloe Zhao doesn’t win for director,” Variety journalist Marc Malkin observed. “But I always say about this year — this year has been so weird. You just never know.”
Zhao’s elegiac road movie about older Americans roaming the West in vans ater the global financial crisis won top film festival prizes last fall and has dominated this year’s elongated and largely virtual awards season. The 39-year-old Beijing-born director is “a total lock — they’re going to vote for her even if they haven’t seen the movie,” said Deadline awards columnist Pete Hammond. Stars have been asked to dress to the nines — and reportedly can remove their masks when cameras are rolling. A-list presenters include Harrison Ford and Brad Pit. “Kudos to the Academy for at least trying to have some semblance of a live show, without Zoom,” said Hammond.