Thu, Nov 21 / 9 pm
Sat, Nov 23 / 7 pm
Sun, Dec 1 / 7 pm
Directed by Baltasar Kormákur
2006, Iceland/Germany/Denmark, 93 min
Icelandic with English subtitles
Nov. 21 & 23 introduced by Steve Gravestock
All screenings Nov. 21-23 introduced by curator Steve Gravestock, Senior Canadian and International programmer for Toronto International Film Festival.
Based on Arnaldur Indridason’ bestseller, Jar City announced the mini-boom of “Nordic noirs” that gained international exposure with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Called in to investigate “a typical Icelandic murder”, hard-bitten, chain- smoking, Erlendur discovers the victim is connected to nefarious goings-on 30 years ago, involving a dead child, a crooked cop, and “the most notorious maniac in Iceland.”
Wayward Heroes: Modern Icelandic Cinema
Icelandic cinema is exploding around the world. Immediately following the triumph of black comedies like Rams at Cannes, films by directors such as Dagur Kári, Rúnar Rúnarsson, Hlynur Pálmason and Ísold Uggadóttir picked up prizes at major festivals around the world. Legendary TIFF programmer and writer Steve Gravestock is coming to Winnipeg for three days to launch a new book – History of Icelandic Film which explores the great riches of Icelandic cinema from the silent era to the present day. The sporadic production from the ‘20s to the ‘70s gave way to the “Icelandic Spring” of the ’80s, with international inroads being made in the ’90s. Magic-realist fables, bloody Viking epics, sardonic deadpan comedies, and hard-boiled Nordic noirs, a remarkable evolution from the ’80s to contemporary Iceland.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of Steve Gravestock of TIFF, the Icelandic Embassy, Gimli Film Festival, and Frank Zappia, Zappia Group Realty.
