ICELAND FOOD CENTER - dir. THORSTEINN J.

Synopsis
This is a documentary about how a small country wants to conquer the world with big ideas. The Icelandic government, along with Icelandair and a number of other travel companies, opened an Icelandic restaurant in 5th Lower Regent street in London in December 1965. But the locals showed little or no interest in the traditional or modern “delicacies” of Icelandic cuisine and the whole venture was an almighty flop. The restaurant was closed down after a disastrous year and a half of heavy losses, leaving the government to foot the bill. This was an ominous precursor of what was yet to come when Icelandair started buying banks in the UK, as well as fashion stores and the most exclusive hotel in Copenhagen. They thought they could teach the bankers how to do business and failed miserably, fuelled by the misguided assumption that the mere fact of being Icelandic was sufficient to do well in the world! But this was the type of hubris and ignorance that spelt doom for The Icelandic Food Centre from its very inception.

Original title: Iceland Food Centre
English title: Iceland Food Centre
Genre: Documentary
Language: Icelandic

Director: Thorsteinn J.
Scriptwriter: Thorsteinn J., Sólveig Ólafsdóttir
Editor: Eiríkur Ingi Bödvarsson
Cinematographer: Bjarni Felix Bjarnason
Sound design: Hjörtur Svavarsson
Music: Pétur Grétarsson
Producers: Lárus Halldórsson
Production company: This life. This life ehf I
nternational sales & distribution: This life. This life ehf
Website: www.thorsteinnj.is

Country: Iceland
Sound: Stereo
Length: 80 minutes
Screening format: dvd
Production format: Sony hdv
Film gauge/aspect ratio: 16:9
Premiere date and year: May 2010

Additional information
The Menu from the Icelandic Food Centre