As It Is in Heaven is a moving and wonderfully acted story about an internationally acclaimed conductor, forced to rethink his life after a mental and physical collapse, who returns to his small community in northern Sweden where he spent his youth. As he confronts his past demons, he also upsets the insular town's social balance when he takes over as leader of the church choir. His life, as well as life in the village, truly changes.The film is directed by Kay Pollak and stars Michael Nyquist and Frida Hallgren in the leading roles.This is the second consecutive year that a Swedish film is nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. Last year's nominee, Mikael Håfström's Evil , has been acquired by Magnolia Pictures and will be distributed in the U.S. in the spring of 2005.For more about the Academy Award nominations: www.oscar.comPhoto: Swedish Film Institute© Anders Birkeland