UNDER THE TREE selected for Venice's Orizzonti
Under the Tree, the third feature from director Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurdsson, has been selected for the Venice Film Festival's Orizzonti section. This will be the film's world premiere. The Venice Film Festival is the oldest film festival in the world and one of the most prestigious. The festival was established in 1932 and will be held for the 74th time from August 30 through September 9.
In recent years, Icelandic films have begun to make their mark in Venice. In 2010 the French/Icelandic short film The Life and Death of Henry Darger, from director Bertrand Mandico, was selected for Orizzonti. In 2015 Baltasar Kormákur's Everest was chosen as the festival's opening film, and last year Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson's debut feature, Heartstone, was selected for the sidebar Venice Days.
Under the Tree is about a conflict that develops between neighbors over a large, beautiful tree that straddles their backyards. As the conflict intensifies, so too do the stakes for each of the neighbors.
Under the Tree is Haftsteinn Gunnar Sigurdsson's third feature, after Either Way (2011) and Paris of the North (2014). The film was written by Sigurdsson and Huldar Breidfjörd and produced by Grímar Jónsson, Sindri Páll Kjartansson and Thor Sigurjonsson on behalf of Netop Films. It is a coproduction with the countries of Denmark, Poland and Germany.
International sales for the film are being handled by NewEurope Film Sales (jan@neweuropefilmsales.com).