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 The power ballad "Husavik (My
Hometown)", which featured as the climactic
moment in the movie about a couple bumbling
their way through the Eurovision Song Contest,
is nominated for Best Original Song, and
residents are fired up.
The Oscar nomination came after a locally
produced video extolling the song, presented by
fictional Husavik resident Oskar Oskarsson, went
viral, adding to the small fishing town's
emotional investment in the song's success.
Local schools and shops will remain closed on
Monday, the morning after the Oscars, to give
residents a chance to watch the awards show
live. The ceremony will be broadcast from
Hollywood on Sunday, which will be late at night
in Iceland.
Husavik Mayor Kristjan Thor Magnusson said local
schoolchildren were very proud and excited, and
could be heard singing the song daily in the
town.
"The grassroots campaign for an Oscar for
Husavik has really blown up," he told Reuters.
"We are certainly hoping that this attention
will strengthen our tourism here."
Husavik, which counts only 2,300 residents,
usually relies on tourists attracted to its
geothermal spas and whale-watching spots, but
with international travel hammered by the
COVID-19 pandemic it has seen few foreign
visitors these past 12 months.
The town is preparing to open a
Eurovision-themed museum in late May showcasing
costumes, movie props and other memorabilia,
which it hopes will attract fans of the contest.
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 "Husavik (My Hometown)" is the
most popular song among punters placing bets
ahead of the Oscars, according to betting site
Oddschecker.
In the 2020 movie "Eurovision Song Contest: The
Story of Fire Saga", Will Ferrell and Rachel
McAdams play a fictional pair of Husavik
residents intent on competing in the glitzy
singing competition.
Swedish pop singer Molly Sanden, who performed
the song in the movie, visited Husavik over the
weekend and is set to appear on the official
Oscars pre-show broadcast from Iceland.
During her visit to the town, Sanden danced with
local choir girls and performed the song in the
town's wooden church, accompanied by an organ.
"Locals are very proud of their community and in
the long history of Husavik we have never had
global attention like we are experiencing right
now," said Hinrik Wohler of the Husavik Chamber
of Commerce and Tourism.
(Reporting by Ilze Filks, Tommy Lund and Jagoda
Darlak, editing by Sarah Morland and Estelle
Shirbon)
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