Calendar – Past Event

This retrospective presents a selection of the best feature-length and short films produced in Iceland over the past 30 years.

Icelandic cinema came into its own with the founding of the Icelandic Film Fund, now the Icelandic Film Centre, in 1979. The creation of the film fund had an immediate impact and led to new national productions. Scandinavia House is celebrating the Fund's 30th anniversary with a comprehensive 10-film retrospective paired with a selection of Icelandic short films. Spanning many styles and genres, these films reflect the excellence and diversity of Icelandic film.

Filmmaking reflects the role generally played by art - to mirror socio-cultural evolution and serve as a platform where questions are asked and experiments made. In Iceland, the opposition between myths and modernity, and between traditions and globalization is a frequent theme in film of all categories: documentaries, literature and Saga adaptations, feature films, experimental films and short films. Icelandic films have been presented at major film festivals around the world for years, regularly garnering high praise and winning top international prizes.

Rock in Reykjavík/Rokk í Reykjavík
Wednesday, October 7, 6:30 pm & Saturday, October 10, 3 pm

Directed by Friðrik Þór Friðriksson (1982). Considered one of the most important documentaries about Icelandic alternative music culture, this film showcases the music scene through several performances of Post-Punk and New Wave bands, including Tappi Tíkarrass, Purrkur Pillnikk and Þeyr. The documentary deftly portrays, through concert footage and musician interviews, the lifestyle of Icelandic youth rebelling against the establishment, while simultaneously trying to create their own identities. 83 min.

Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America
58 Park Avenue (between 37th and 38th Streets)
New York, NY 10016

Public Information:
Tel: (212) 879-9779 or www.scandinaviahouse.org