HEARTSTONE selected for Toronto International Film Festival
Heartstone, writer/director Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson's debut feature, has been selected for the Discovery section at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it will compete for the FIPRESCI Prize. The Discovery section is dedicated to new and emerging directors. The festival takes place from September 8 through 18.
Shortly before the Toronto International Film Festival, Heartstone will have its world premiere at Venice Days, a competitive and autonomous section at the prestigious Venice Film Festival.
As previously announced, The Oath, Baltasar Kormákur's new feature, will have its world premiere in the Special Presentations section at the Toronto International Film Festival.
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.