Sweet Land

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

A European exile finds herself a stranger in a strange land when she comes to the United States in this independent romantic comedy-drama. As a man ponders what to do with his family's estate after the death of his grandmother, he thinks back to how she first came to America shortly after World War I. Olaf (Tim Guinee) is a Norwegian-American farmer looking for a wife to share his home on the Minnesota prairie, and with eligible women in short supply locally, he sends away for a mail-order bride. Inge Ottenberg (Elizabeth Reaser) soon arrives at Olaf's doorstep, but while she's pretty, smart, and amiable, he's taken aback to discover she's not Norwegian but German, which after several years of anti-German propaganda does not make her popular with her new neighbors. Inge isn't very good with English, making it even harder to keep her background a secret, and the local pastor, Rev. Sorrensen (John Heard), is so outraged at the presence of a presumed Hun he refuses to perform their wedding. But Inge struggles to make friends with her new neighbors, in particular Olaf's best friend, Frandsen (Alan Cumming), a gadget fancier whose wife, Brownie (Alex Kingston), is better with mechanical items than he is. In time, Inge's cheerful nature and love of music begin to make an impression on the community as she shares her favorite tunes on her ever-present gramophone. Sweet Land was the first feature film from writer and director Ali Selim. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 (Alternate Wide Screen)
• Features:
  • Commentary by cast and crew
  • Sweet Land: A Labor of Love Story featurette
  • Theatrical trailer

AWARDS

• Independent Spirit Awards

•     Won Best First Feature - 2006
•     Nominated Best Actress - 2006 (Elizabeth Reaser)

• Newport Beach International Film Festival

•     Film Presented - 2006

• Women Film Critics Circle

•     Won Best Female Images in a Movie - 2006 (Elizabeth Reaser)
•     Won Karen Morley Award - 2006 (Elizabeth Reaser)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Elizabeth Reaser - Inge Ottenberg
       Tim Guinee - Olaf
       Alan Cumming - Frandsen
       Lois Smith - older Inge
       Ned Beatty - Harmo
       John Heard - Rev. Sorrensen
       Alex Kingston - Brownie
       Patrick Heusinger - Lars
       Paul Sand - older Frandsen
       Stephen Pelinski - older Lars
       Jodie Markell - Donna Torvik
       Tom Gilroy - Comrade Vik
       Sage Kermes - Mae Torvik
       Robert Hogan - older Olaf

• Director:

  Ali Selim

• Producer:

  Alan Cumming, Jim Bigham, Ali Selim

• Screenwriter:

  Ali Selim

• Cinematographer:

  David Tumblety

• Composer (Music Score):

  Mark Orton

• Editor:

  James Stanger

• Production Designer:

  James R. Bakkom

• Co-producer:

  Gil Bellows, Robin Selim, David Dancygyer, Thomas Pope

• Executive Producer:

  Terry Moore, Gill Holland, Lillian LaSalle, Stephen Hays, Thomas F. Lieberman, Edward J. Driscoll, Gary S. Kohler

• Costume Designer:

  Eden Miller

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Randy Bobo

• Casting:

  Lynn Blumenthal, Joan Lynn