‘Conclave’ Scores Eight Oscar Nominations
“Conclave,” director Edward Berger’s gripping film about a papal election, is in the running for this year’s Oscars with eight nominations, including “Best Picture.” The film is based on the eponymous thriller by Robert Harris, published by Penguin Random House in 2016. Fremantle’s Italian subsidiary Wildside also supported Berger in the production of “Conclave” as a “service producer” in Italy.
“Conclave,” the thrilling feature film about a papal election directed by Edward Berger, enters the competition for this year’s Academy Awards with eight nominations, including “Best Picture.” The film is based on the eponymous thriller by Robert Harris, which was published by Penguin Random House in 2016. The Italian Fremantle subsidiary Wildside Berger was also involved in the movie’s production in Italy as a Service Producer.
Fremantle and Penguin Random House also contributed to the success of “Conclave.” The movie is based on British bestselling author Robert Harris’ eponymous thriller, which was originally published by Penguin Random House in 2016. In the U.K., Hutchinson Heinemann published the book, in the U.S. and Canada it was Knopf, and in Germany Heyne Verlag – and as is so often the case with Robert Harris novels, “Conclave” was a proper bestseller for the Penguin Random House imprints. Commenting on the film in a recent interview with “NDR Kultur,” Robert Harris praised the screen adaptation as “an excellent work” and commended director Edward Berger for sticking closely to the novel. “It’s an entertaining movie, but it also has a serious side. It’s about a big issue. The whole spectacle is extraordinary, and I think Edward Berger is a brilliant director and Ralph Fiennes an especially brilliant actor. It’s an important movie.”
But Bertelsmann didn’t just publish the book on which the film is based, the group was also involved in the production of its Oscar-nominated film adaptation. “Conclave” was shot entirely in Italy in 2023, and Fremantle supported the production at the time. Its Italian subsidiary Wildside acted as service producer, so while it did not work on the script, it handled a lot of the actual production work on site. The series was also filmed at the Cinecittà film studios in Rome, with whom Fremantle signed a comprehensive usage agreement in 2022. Fremantle and the Austrian-Swiss director Edward Berger have a long-standing relationship. In 2015, e.g., Berger directed five episodes of the internationally successful TV series “Deutschland 83” for UFA Fiction and RTL. And at the beginning of 2023, Fremantle announced a cooperation agreement with Berger’s new production company Nine Hours, securing first-look access to its TV productions.
But back to “Conclave”, the exciting story of a papal election full of surprises. When the old Pope dies, various factions quickly form in the College of Cardinals, vying for the Holy See: traditionalists and modernists, but also Europeans, North Americans, Sub-Saharan Africans and South Americans – the conflicts run along these ideological and geographical lines. The main character in the story is Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), who is tasked with organizing the papal election and finds himself confronted with the intrigues of power-hungry cardinals. As the doors close behind the 117 cardinals, an unknown latecomer suddenly arrives. The late Pope had secretly appointed the Bishop of Kabul, who is originally from Mexico, as a cardinal. Is this upright churchman the new beacon of hope in times of war and terror – or a rival with plans of his own? The world watches and waits for the white smoke to rise from the Sistine Chapel chimney ...
