bits and pieces from the northern island.
The winners of the RIFF 2011, Reykjavík International Film Festival, have been just announced. Winner of The Golden Puffin, the main award of the festival, is Russian director Angelina Nikonova‘s first film Twilight Portrait (Portret V Sumerkakh). The jury statement: “For the extremely inspired use of cinematic language and storytelling while depicting an intriguing and … Read the full article →
In Turin on 3rd January, 1889, Friedrich Nietzsche steps out of the doorway of number six, Via Carlo Alberto. Not far from him, the driver of a hansom cab is having trouble with a stubborn horse. Despite all his urging, the horse refuses to move, whereupon the driver loses his patience and takes his whip … Read the full article →
A woman walks along the rail tracks, together with two grotesque masked figures; soon they are surrounded by a Carnival parade. The woman is Mrs. Blumenthal, who lives with her family in Vienna’s suburban dock area. She is a manic-depressive person, totally unpredictable and unable to relate with others; her mood swings and her paranoia … Read the full article →
RIFF organized a themed concert last Wednesday, with Icelandic music artists Skúli Sverrisson and Sóley. The concert took place in the suggestive setting of Reikjavík’s Fríkirkja, beaten by rain. Sóley opened with a selection of songs from her latest album We Sink, which was released earlier this month. I will never tire to repeat how … Read the full article →
After years of hard work, Tomek (Marcin Dorocinski) is about to be promoted to a prestigious position as a TV newsreader. To top his happiness, his partner is about to give him a child. Everything in Tomek’s life feels close to perfection, with the only exception of the relationship with his schizophrenic father. As we … Read the full article →
Anders is a 34-year old who, after having been a drug addict for a long time, is finally about to complete his rehabilitation program. Before he is fully discharged, he gets a leave permit for a job interview in Oslo. During his brief stay in Oslo, he decides to meet some of his old friends … Read the full article →
After the screening at RIFF of his The Turin Horse, which was presented at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival back in February, Hungarian film director Béla Tarr took the time to answer some questions about his latest effort. The Turin Horse will be Tarr’s final film, closing a career that started in the early … Read the full article →
In 1967, a group of young and inexperienced intellectuals decided to join forces to make a short movie. The film’s title was Paradox. The authors of the film, Níels Óskarsson and Þröstur Magnússon, never got around to completing their work and the original footage was thus forgotten for several years. Actor Sigurður Skúlason, at the … Read the full article →