Icelandic Film Resources
The Cinema of Iceland by ISBN: 9783631778647Date: 2019-05-09The last decade was an exceptional period for the Icelandic cinema. The films produced during this time have won many prestigious awards at international festivals. Cinematic images of Iceland eclectically interlace myths, stereotypes and postmodern means of expression. The research covers local versions of black comedies, road movies and crime stories as well as different figures connected with the motif of struggle between tradition and modernity.
The Cinema of Small Nations by ISBN: 9780253220103Date: 2008-01-21The Cinema of Small Nations is the first major analysis of small national cinemas, comprising 12 case studies of small national--and sub national--cinemas from around the world, including Ireland, Denmark, Iceland, Scotland, Bulgaria, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Cuba, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and New Zealand. Written by an array of distinguished and emerging scholars, the case studies provide detailed analyses of the particular cinema in question, with an emphasis on the last decade, considering both institutional and textual issues relevant to the national dimension of each cinema.
A History of Icelandic Film by ISBN: 9780986706257Date: 2020-03-03A history of Icelandic cinema from the silent period to 2019, featuring interviews with numerous major filmmakers. The book also charts the significant links between the film industry and Iceland's deep rooted literary tradition, as well as its independent music scene.
Nordic National Cinemas by ISBN: 9780415081955Date: 1998-02-20Nordic National Cinemas explores the film histories and cultures of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The authors examine each country's domestic film production, social and political context and domestic audiences from the beginning of this century to the twentieth century.
World Film Locations: Reykjavík by ISBN: 9781841506418Date: 2012-09-15Though the creative community of Reykjavík, Iceland, has earned a well-deserved reputation for its unique artistic output--most notably the popular music that has emerged from the city since the 1980s--Reykjavík's filmmakers have received less attention than they merit. World Film Locations: Reykjavík corrects this imbalance, shedding new light on the role of cinema in a country that, partly because of its small population, produces more films per capita than any other in the world. The contributors to this volume trace cinema in Iceland from the 1979 establishment of the Icelandic Film Fund--before which the country's film industry barely existed--through today. Together, these varied contributions show how films shot in Reykjavík have been shaped both by Iceland's remoteness from the rest of the world and by Icelandic filmmakers' sense that the city remains forever on the brink of desolate and harsh wilderness.
Dagur Kari's Noi the Albino by ISBN: 9780295990095Date: 2010-08-20Dagur Kari's Noi the Albino (Noi albinoi, 2003) succeeded on the international festival circuit as a film that was both distinctively Icelandic and appealingly universal. Noi the Albino taps into perennial themes of escapism and existential angst, while its setting in the Westfjords of Iceland provided an almost surreal backdrop whose particularities of place are uniquely Icelandic. Bjorn Nordfjord's examination of the film integrates the broad context and history of Icelandic cinema into a close reading of Noi the Albino's themes, visual style, and key scenes.
- Of Horses and Men (dir. Benedikt Elingsson, 2013)
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- Metalhead / Málmhaus (dir. Ragnar Bragason, 2015)
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- The Oath / Eiðurinn (dir. Baltasar Kormákur, 2016)
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- Heartstone (dir. Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson, 2017)
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- Winter Brothers (dir. Hlynur Pálmason, 2017)
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Additional Resources on Icelandic Films
- "Focus on Iceland" by Björn NorðfjörðIndex: Icelandic Cinema Past and Present -- Looking Into the Mirror -- At the Intersection of Film and Literature -- Filmography.
- Icelandic Film Database The Icelandic Film Centre runs a database containing information on Icelandic films and Icelandic filmmakers. There you can find basic information about Icelandic films, stills, trailers and posters.
- FIAF International Index to Film Periodicals This link opens in a new window Searches film and television articles in the International Index to Film Periodicals (1972-current) and Treasures from the Film Archives, which contains silent film-era listings from archives.
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- JSTOR This link opens in a new window Full text back issues of core scholarly journals, browsable and searchable across multiple disciplines. Coverage starts with first issue, with moving wall for most recent 3-5 years. UCLA has access to selected JSTOR e-books only. JSTOR also includes primary source collections, including images from Artstor.
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- MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window Indexes worldwide publications on literature, language, linguistics, folklore, film, television, and theater from 1923 to the present. See also the MLA Directory of Periodicals.
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- Oxford Bibliographies Online: Cinema and Media Studies This link opens in a new window Annotated bibliographies for topics in the field of Cinema and Media Studies. Combines encyclopedia-style introductions with expert recommendations of the most important reference works, books, journals, and primary sources on the topic.
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- Performing Arts Periodicals Database This link opens in a new window Articles and reviews from a broad spectrum of the arts and entertainment industry - including dance, drama, theater, stagecraft, circus, opera, pantomime, puppetry, magic, performance art, film, television, and more. Former database title: International Index to Performing Arts (IIPA) Full Text.
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- Project MUSE This link opens in a new window Full text of current issues (from about 1990) of scholarly journals published by university presses, chiefly in the arts, humanities and social sciences. Browsable by discipline and full-text searchable across all disciplines. UCLA has access to Muse e-books published from 2017-present, plus a selected number of other e-book titles.
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- Icelandic Film Centre The Icelandic Film Centre plays a key role in the vibrant Icelandic film industry, through its financial support scheme, international promotion of the Icelandic cinema and other initiatives intended to further develop film making and film culture in Iceland.
- BFI List - "10 Great Icelandic Films" "With deadpan sheep-farmer drama Rams, a prizewinner at Cannes 2015, now on BFI Player, here are 10 more recent greats from the land of fire and ice."
- Nordic Film & TV Fund Nordisk Film & TV Fond promotes Nordic audiovisual productions of high quality by providing funding in the form of top financing for production of feature films, TV films/drama series and creative documentaries in the five Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden). The Fund was established in 1990, and is based in Oslo. Liselott Forsman is the Fund's CEO.
- Nordic Film & TV News Weekly reports with the latest industry news from the Nordic region.
Selected Icelandic Films
Rams (dir. Grímur Hákonarson, 2015).
"When a lethal disease suddenly infects Kiddi’s sheep, the entire valley comes under threat."
Winner of the Un Certain Regard Award at the Cannes Film Festival. Winner of the Silver Frog at Cameraimage.
UCLA students, staff, and faculty access through Kanopy. Log into the campus VPN or proxy server to view video.
The Swan (dir. Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir, 2017).
"In contemporary rural Iceland, a wayward 9-year old girl, Sól, is sent to distant countryside relatives for a summer to work and to mature. Nature seems endless there, the animals soulful but the people harsh. All except the mysterious farmhand Jón, who – as Sól herself – likes words better than people."
Official Selection at the Toronto International Film Festival.
UCLA students, staff, and faculty access through Kanopy. Log into the campus VPN or proxy server to view video.
A White, White Day (dir. Hlynur Pálmason, 2019).
"In a remote Icelandic town, an off-duty police chief begins to suspect a local man of having had an affair with his late wife, who died in a tragic accident two years earlier. Gradually his obsession for finding out the truth takes over his life and inevitably begins to endanger himself and his loved ones."
UCLA students, staff, and faculty access through Kanopy. Log into the campus VPN or proxy server to view video.