– The Icelandic documentary festival has hosted its latest work-in-progress showcase, which highlighted six feature-length films at various stages of development and production
Beautiful Silence by Katla Gunnlaugsdóttir
Over two days, Skjaldborg – the Icelandic Documentary Film Festival has hosted its annual Work-in-Progress showcase at the event in Patreksfjörður, this year with all feature-length films on the line-up. Here, we take a closer look at each of them.
Beautiful Silence – Katla Gunnlaugsdóttir (Iceland)
Produced by Icelandic outfit Hvítur Skuggi, this documentary follows the director’s grandfather, glaciologist Leifur Jónsson, as he takes what might be his last measuring trip to the Nauthagajökull and Múlajökull glaciers. “I felt it was important to get his story before it’s too late because there are so many things he can tell us – we can learn from him and others like him, [as so much] will be lost from that generation,” the director told Cineuropa. She described her grandfather as an “unsung hero” of highland research, making her connection to the film very personal. After preparation on the movie started last summer, and after travelling with Jónsson last autumn, the team was able to capture approximately 20% of the footage needed for the doc.
Rimmugýgur: Life Among Modern Vikings by Heimir Freyr Hlöðversson
Rimmugýgur: Life Among Modern Vikings – Heimir Freyr Hlöðversson (Iceland)
This work explores Rimmugýgur, a self-described Viking reenactment group in Hafnafjörður, just outside of Reykjavík, functioning both as a community and as a lifestyle. The director tells us that he first encountered this group after moving next door to a family that takes part in Rimmugýgur, which started with five people and has now grown to over 200. “Many people have this strange image of Vikings, which is something I want to talk about: there are symbols that have been used by racist groups, but they are really not [that kind of people] – it’s really diverse, and everybody is welcome,” the director tells us about his approach. The team is currently working with financing from a second cycle of Icelandic development funding, with the film being produced by Rökkurfilms.
Skagarokk 1992 – Nanna Guðrún Sigurðardóttir (Iceland)
The work tackles the lore around the titular event, which saw world-famous rock bands including Black Sabbath and Jethro Tull perform in the western Icelandic city of Akranes in September 1992 for the 50th anniversary of the town’s incorporation. The mythos around these iconic two days will be unpacked, including how the bands were brought there and how the community was able to make it happen. The film will combine archival footage and interviews with key figures, including members of the bands.
Struggle in Silence – Anna Dalmay (Iceland)
Produced by Sagafilm, this project follows two couples dealing with infertility over a three-year period. The film tracks the highs and lows of their physical and emotional journey, highlighting their hopes and dreams for becoming parents. The project was previously presented at Stockfish’s New Nordic Work-in-Progress event back in March.
Stray Dog – Birkir Ingi Bjarnason (Iceland)
Described by the director as a dramedy documentary and a late-bloomer coming-of-age story, this project follows Dragan Mishevski, a struggling Macedonian actor who’s just trying to make meaning out of the meaninglessness in life. His days are filled with doing odd jobs, saving street dogs, looking for remains of ancient civilisations and escaping from unresolved conflict with his father, among other things. “The main theme is rootlessness, which draws me into this story because I’ve lived away from my own country for about 15 years,” Bjarnason tells Cineuropa. He says that approximately 70% of the footage has been captured, but the team needs more funding to finish the project, which includes finding a conclusion for the story. The work, which uses a lo-fi aesthetic to capture Mishevski’s life, is being produced by Nonsense Entertainment.
The Step – Teitur Magnusson (Iceland)
This work traces an Icelandic firefighter’s war to raise awareness of suicide prevention across the country, but he discovers things about himself along the way. As he makes the journey, intending it as an altruistic gesture, he is forced to reckon with his own complex set of emotions. Produced by Vigil, the project was also previously presented at Stockfish’s New Nordic Work-in-Progress. Magnusson made his feature-length debut with the fiction film Owls (2021).
