17 May Film sector focuses its lens on community
Laufey Gudjónsdóttir, Director, Icelandic Film Centre, outlines the steps the country has taken to improve the local film industry and the country’s unique offerings in film and television
What has the Icelandic Film Centre brought to Iceland’s film and television community?
Before the film center was established, there was a simple support system in place consisting of a single application deadline per year. Applicants would receive a simple yes or a no. With the establishment of new regulations for the film center, more clarity and flexibility are now given to creators. It has greatly benefited the industry. For example, producers receive feedback if projects require financial strengthening or there are issues regarding production. We can now move quickly forward with applicants and projects with more flexible time frames because we no longer have just one deadline per year. We also established a television fund to support the sector, which is not only for producing new programs but making existing ones better. As a small country we have always relied on co-productions for major works. The Icelandic film community is not only about money; it is also about access to markets and expanding the creative pool. Clarity and flexibility have been vital parts of developing the sector.
How has the recent Icelandic film policy changed the role and focus of the film center?
Our core activity has always been to support the production of Icelandic films from script development to production of documentaries, short films, feature films and television. With the new film policy, we have more pillars to add to the film scene. Part of it is a focus on higher education in films that will begin in autumn 2022 within our academy of the arts. One of the major tenants of the Icelandic Film Centre is to build film literacy. We are talking with filmmakers and the education system at all levels. Film is currently taught by some individual teachers, but we want to formalize programs from preschools to tertiary academic institutions.
We are also making Icelandic films accessible. We are soon opening our streaming platform in close collaboration with rightholders. After the disappearance of DVDs, it is a problem to legally access content. It is something we will do geographically with the rights. We are also looking at strengthening the working conditions for crews and improving the production environment, including making it more family friendly. We also want to formalize all elements. For example, if there is a harassment problem, the film community will know where to call and what to do.
Furthermore, we are implementing green filming and taking into consideration environmental issues. We have just announced a guide on green filming. Iceland has eco-friendly electricity, and our houses are heated through geothermal means. The next step is training; we need everyone to keep in mind what we can do to be greener when producing a major project. Eventually there will be a kind of certification as people are more and more concerned.
We are also collecting more data than ever before; the statistics bureau of Iceland is working on it. There is a lot of data that needs to be collected, partly because the creative industries are relatively new here and not much has been implemented into the official statistics. This will make it easier for politicians or those interested to access information about the industry’s input and output and assess its cultural value. We aim to improve the promotion of Icelandic film works internationally in collaboration with rightholders. We have been doing this through classic channels, and we now want to follow new ways of distribution such as online distribution.
Given that Iceland was one of the few countries that continued production on some projects during the COVID-19 pandemic, how did the community overcome related challenges?
It was necessary to be flexible and meet the special needs of the industry. For example, the producer of the Katla television series found an extraordinary way to continue by working with health authorities to make a production roadmap. Many things were rescheduled, but production was quickly adapted to the new situation. People working on and off the crew were also very flexible. This helped a lot and made it a model for other productions in Iceland; Iceland’s film industry remained more or less open for the entire pandemic because of this newly created formula with health authorities. However, there were restrictions. For a period, one had to take all crew directly to a hotel and not allow them to meet with locals. These were solutions in restricted times.
The Icelandic Film Centre supported the community by covering extra costs of sanitizing and additional requirements. We tried not to let projects suffer. The government gave us extra funding for projects, which were aimed at projects that started immediately. These two supports made it possible to continue. Another major challenge was related to releases as cinemas were shut down in Iceland and partnering countries. The challenge is now launching in international markets and at festivals.
What recent productions are leading Iceland’s film sector?
There is a thriller called Operation Napoleon that is in post-production. It is based on a bestseller by one of our most popular writers, Arnaldur Indriðason. We also had a great entrance at the Berlin International Film Festival in February with four Icelandic projects. The film Beautiful Beings was released at the festival, which won Europa Cinemas Label’s prize for best European film in the panorama segment among others. Additionally, Hlynur Pálmason’s Godland premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this spring. A horror film began shooting this summer based on a book by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, another internationally renowned Icelandic writer. There is also a beautiful film that will soon be ready titled A Letter from Helga that is directed by Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir. We also have the children’s film called 12 Hours to Destruction coming out.
Previously, there was a supernatural genre film that was very popular called The Lamb. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and has been sold worldwide. It sold more than 2 million tickets in the first weeks. It did very well in the U.S. In terms of television, Iceland’s most popular series Blackport is a drama that touches on Iceland’s recent history. The story is based in a fishing village and deals with the fishing quota power struggle. It has had a lot of success and includes very good acting and drama. It was pre-sold to Arte France and distributed in other Nordic countries.
Why is Iceland an attractive place for foreign projects?
One of our competitive advantages is the talent and professionalism of our workers; Icelandic crews are very flexible and reliable. We have all the required equipment and crews are used to dealing with issues with our climate and wilderness. We also have advanced servicing companies to service productions. We have a very good international reputation. However, Iceland is a very expensive country. To counter this, the country offers a generous rebate for foreign filmmakers of 25%, and the government has agreed to push it up to 35% for big productions fulfilling a particular criteria. We attract international productions with not only our reimbursement but our solid and safe infrastructure. Foreign productions are working more and more with Icelandic crews and the storylines are becoming more Icelandic; it is no longer only about our landscapes but rather making Iceland part of the story. To receive financing from our film fund, one requires a key artistic position on a project.
How does the Icelandic film community stand out on the international stage?
Music has always been an important factor. In the last 10 years there has been a major increase in Icelandic film composers, such as Jóhann Jóhannsson who unfortunately passed away, Hildur Guðnadóttir who won an Oscar for the film Joker and is working on various Icelandic films and Ólafur Arnalds who has been very successful in Iceland and internationally. A survey was done two years ago that showed that Icelandic films contain a lot of Icelandic music; local filmmakers rely on Icelandic composers.