Godland: An exploration of opposites
Hlynur Pálmason‘s Godland , had its world premiere at the International Film Festival in Cannes this year. The film, which was screened in Un Certain Regard to critical acclaim, follows a young Danish priest on his travel to a remote part of Iceland during the late 19th century. His goal is to build a church and photograph the natives, but the deeper he goes into the unforgiving landscape, the more he strays from his purpose, his mission and morality.
Godland is Hlynur Pálmason‘s third feature film. In an interview with Wendy Mitchell, on the day of the premiere in Cannes, he described how he wanted to address the relationship between Iceland and Denmark.
„I wanted to work with the two places that I know so well. I am shaped by both Denmark and Iceland,“ says Pálmason, who studied filmmaking in Denmark. „I wanted to make a film that worked with the history we have together, which is rich. It‘s not that far ago that we were under the Danish crown. I think that means something and that there are a lot of things to explore, the language, the miscommunication of language and all of these opposites, of country and landscape. I found it very easy to create an experience around these opposites.“
The film is produced by Snowglobe (DK) in collaboration with Join Motion Pictures (IS) and in co-production with Maneki Films (FR), Film I Väst & Garagefilm International (SE).
International sales for Godland are being handled by New Europe Film Sales.