Six Icelandic films at the Nordisk Panorama festival
A total of six Icelandic films will screen at this year's Nordisk Panorama, the Nordic documentary and short film festival held annually in Malmö, Sweden. The six films are the documentary Out of Thin Air and the short films Salvation, Reflection, Fantasy on Sarabanda, Búi and No Ghosts.
The festival, which will run from September 21 through September 26, gives awards for Best Nordic Documentary, Best Nordic Short, Best New Nordic Voice and Audience Award.
Out of Thin Air – by Dylan Howitt
Out of Thin Air is an Icelandic/UK coproduction directed by Dylan Howitt and produced by Margrét Jónasdóttir for Sagafilm and Andy Glynne for Mosaic Films. It had its world premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in May and screened at the Sheffield Doc/Fest shortly thereafter. It will screen in the Nordic Docs section at Nordisk Panorama.
Synopsis: In 1976 six young people confessed to two violent murders, in a country where such crimes are almost unheard of. This was the biggest criminal investigation Iceland had ever seen, but no bodies were found, there were no apparent motives and no credible witnesses. So why did these young people confess?
Salvation – by Thóra Hilmarsdóttir
Salvation was directed by Thóra Hilmarsdóttir and written by Snjólaug Lúðvíksdóttir. It was produced by Eva Sigurdardóttir and Thóra Karítas Árnadóttir for Askja Films and Kristín Ólafsdóttir for Klikk Productions. It was coproduced by Annika Hellström for the Swedish production company Cinenic Films and Anna Sæunn Ólafsdóttir for NyArk Media. Salvation will screen in the festival’s Nordic Shorts section, and this will be the film's world premiere.
Synopsis: Katrín wakes up in the hospital after a serious car accident to find that she has received a life-saving blood transfusion. However, the religious cult she belongs to forbids such things. As Katrín struggles to reconcile this conflict with her church and family, she begins to become obsessed with the stranger whose blood is now flowing through her veins.
Reflection – by Eythór Jóvinsson and Magnús Ingvar Bjarnason
Reflection was written and directed by Eythór Jóvinsson and Magnús Ingvar Bjarnason. It was produced by Jóvinsson and coproduced by Bjarnason. The film will screen in the Nordic Shorts section, which will be its world premiere.
Synopsis: Two brothers-in-law visit an old and remote country house belonging to their recently dead grandfather. They soon discover that the basement hides a business that few knew about.
Fantasy on Sarabanda – by Gudbjörg Hlín Gudmundsdóttir
Fantasy on Sarabanda was written and directed by Gudbjörg Hlín Gudmundsdóttir and produced by Eiríkur Orri Ólafsson for Váland. It has previously screened at Animaze Daze in Cannes where it was the Animation Day in Cannes Winner, the Toronto Arthouse Film Festival and at the Fine Arts Film Festival in Venice, California to name a few. The film will screen in the festival's New Nordic section.
Synopsis: Fantasy on Sarabanda is s visual fantasy in claymation of the Sarabanda movement from J.S. Bach’s Partita in D-minor for solo violin. An animated sculpture interprets the expressions in the music as in a ballet, pantomime or silent film.
Búi – by Inga Lísa Middleton
Búi was written and directed by Inga Lísa Middleton and produced by Skúli Malmquist for Zik Zak Filmworks. It will screen in the festival's Young Nordic section.
Synopsis: Nine-year-old Anna has just moved to a new neighborhood and is having difficulty making new friends. Everything changes when a boy named Búi encourages her to show the others what she‘s made of.
No Ghosts – by Ragnar Snorrason
No Ghosts was written and directed by Ragnar Snorrason. It was produced by Heidar Mar Björnsson and Egill Arnar Sigurthórsson for Muninn. It will screen in the festival’s Young Nordic section, and this will be the film’s world premiere.
Synopsis: When Ruth, an eight-year-old whose brother has recently died, is asked to play hide and seek at a friend’s birthday party, she does exactly that. In an effort to understand her loss, she hides away from the party and seeks out her brother’s ghost.
Nordisk Panorama Market
Icelandic documentary Author Unknown by Dögg Mósesdóttir will be promoted at the the Nordisk Panorama Market.
Nordisk Forum
The Farmer and the Factory by Bardi Gudmundsson and Kristinn Hrafnsson, produced by Krumma Films, will be pitched at the Nordisk Forum. Swimming Pools by Jón Karl Helgason, produced by JKH Film Productions, is this year‘s Wildcard Iceland pick at the Nordisk Forum, where it will be pitched. Also, The Rook by Máni Hrafnsson, produced by Sagafilm, will be a part of the Nordisk Forum as Observer+.
For further information, visit Nordisk Panorama‘s website.