A Royal Affair, the Danish period drama hoping to scoop an Oscar on Sunday, has been picked up by Italian distributor Academy Two.

TrustNordisk had nearly sold out Nikolaj Arcel’s 18th century drama for some time, having premiered the film at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2012.

Ahead of the Academy Awards, where the film is nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, it has been boarded by Italy’s Academy Two.

The deal was negotiated by Academy Two acquisitions manager Beatrice Gulino and TrustNordisk sales manager Nicolai Korsgaard.

Academy Two CEO Vania Traxlar said: “We are very proud to release A Royal Affair, continuing out tradition of releasing great Academy Award-nominees and winners such as Mephisto, The Crying Game, My Left Foot and The Counterfeiters.”

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A Royal Affair

A Royal Affair has now been sold to more than 80 countries. Starring Mads Mikkelsen, Alicia Vikander and Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, it is set at the court of insane King Christian VII of Denmark and centres on the romance between the Queen and the royal physician.