The Fencer (2015) (Miekkailija)

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Finland's submission for "Best Foreign Language Film" at the 2016 Academy Awards


The Fencer tells about an Estonian fencer in 1950s, who is on a run from the secret service of Soviet Union. He gets a teacher’s position from a school in Haapsalu and starts a fencing club for students there. A dilemma arises, as he has to decide whether or not to return to Leningrad, where a fencing tournament is arranged.




An update on this film

The Fencer (Miekkailija), directed by Klaus Härö, has advanced to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 88th Academy Awards®. Eighty films had originally been considered in the category. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce its nominations on 14th January, 2016.

The Fencer has also been selected to open the Palm Springs International Film Festival on January 1st, 2016. Last week the film was nominated for the Golden Globe Award in the Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language category.

The Fencer is a story about an Estonian fencer in 1950s, who is on a run from the secret service of Soviet Union. He gets a teacher’s position in a school in Haapsalu and starts a fencing club for students there. A dilemma arises, as he has to decide whether or not to risk returning to Leningrad, where a fencing tournament is arranged.

The Fencer was directed by Klaus Härö. It is Härö’s fifth feature-length film. The original screenplay was written by Anna Heinämaa. The film has been produced by Kai Norberg and Kaarle Aho for Making Movies Oy. The Fencer premiered in Finland on 13th March and is distributed in Finland by Nordisk Film. International sales are handled by Little Big Company.