HEARTSTONE becomes first Icelandic film to compete in Venice
Heartstone, Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson's debut feature, has been selected for this year's Venice Days, a competitive and autonomous section at the Venice Film Festival, where it will have its world premiere. This is the first time that an Icelandic film has been selected in a competitive section at the Venice Film Festival. The complete selection of eleven films was announced today at a press conference in Rome.
Heartstone will be up for three Venice Days awards. It will also be eligible for the Luigi de Laurentiis Award – Lion of the Future, which is given to a film by a first-time director from any section of the festival.
The Venice Film Festival, in its 73rd year, is one of the oldest and most prestigious film festivals in the world. It will occur this year from August 31 through September 10. Last year, Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur's blockbuster Everest was the festival's opening film.
Heartstone takes place in a remote fishing village in Iceland. Teenage boys Thor and Christian experience a turbulent summer as one tries to win the heart of a girl while the other discovers new feelings toward his best friend. When summer ends and the harsh nature of Iceland reclaims its rights, it's time to leave the playground and face the acrimony of adulthood.
Heartstone was written and directed by Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson. In the last few years, Gudmundsson has garnered considerable notice for his award-winning short films, most notably Whale Valley. Among its 45 international awards are a special mention in the main competition at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.
Heartstone was produced by Anton Máni Svansson and Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson for Join Motion Pictures, and Lise Orheim Stender and Jesper Morthorst for the Danish production company SF Studios Production. The film was shot by the Norwegian cinematographer Sturla Brandth Grøvlen, edited by the Danes Anne Østerud and Janus Billeskov Jansen, and the score was composed by the Dane Kristian Eidnes Andersen. International sales will be handled by the Berlin-based Films Boutique.
The film stars the promising young actors Baldur Einarsson, Blaer Hinriksson, Diljá Valsdóttir, Katla Njálsdóttir, Jónína Thórdís Karlsdóttir, Rán Ragnarsdóttir, Daníel Hans Erlendsson, Theodór Pálsson and Sveinn Sigurbjörnsson. The young cast is ably supported by veterans Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir, Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson, Nanna Kristín Magnúsdóttir, Søren Malling and Gunnar Jónsson.
For more information about Heartstone, visit its Facebook page.