UNDER THE TREE wins Special Jury Award at Denver Film Festival
Under the Tree, the new feature from writer/director Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurdsson, won the Special Jury Award at the Denver Film Festival. Sigurdsson and producer Grímar Jónsson were in attendance and accepted the award. This is the film‘s fourth international award.
Under the Tree was recently selected as Iceland‘s entry for the 2018 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.
The film has done well in cinemas in Iceland, currently in second place of the box office for the year 2017 with just under 42.000 admissions.
About the film
Under the Tree centers around a conflict between next-door neighbors over a tree in the backyard and the shadow it casts. The conflict begins as a typical suburban spat but soon begins to spiral unexpectedly and violently out of control.
The film is written by Huldar Breidfjörd (Paris of the North) and Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurdsson. It stars Steindi Jr., Sigurdur Sigurjónsson (Rams), Edda Björgvinsdóttir, Thorsteinn Bachmann and Selma Björnsdóttir and was lensed by the Polish DOP Monika Lenczewska (Sundance-selected Difret and Imperial Dreams).
Produced by Grímar Jónsson, Sindri Páll Kjartansson and Thor Sigurjonsson for Iceland's Netop Films (Rams) in co-production with Poland's Madants (High Life), Denmark's Profile Pictures (In the Blood) and Germany's One Two Films (The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki). It has been supported by the Icelandic Film Centre, Danish Film Institute, Polish Film Institute, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, Eurimages and ZDF/Arte.
International sales for the film are being handled by New Europe Film Sales(jan@neweuropefilmsales.com).