Reykjavík Grapevine - 18.05.2007, Síða 16

RVK_GV_INFO_ISSUE 06_007_FILMS/DOCUMENTARIES_B15B14_RVK_GV_INFO_ISSUE 06_007_ULTIMATE SURVIVAL GUIDE
Services
Useful Numbers
Emergency number: 112
Police: 569 9000
Medical help: 1770
Dental emergency: 575 0505
AA: 551 2010
Information: 118
Telegrams: 146
Tax Free Refund
Iceland Refund,
Aðalstræti 2, Tel: 564 6400
www.icelandrefund.com
Laundry Service
HI Hostel, Sundlaugarvegur 34,
Tel: 553 8110, www.hostel.is
Úðafoss, Vitastígur 13,
Tel: 551 2301, www.udafoss.is
Post Office
Post offices are located around the
city as well as in the countryside.
The downtown post office is at
Pósthússtræti 3-5. For a full list and
info on opening hours visit www.
posturinn.is.
Stamps are also sold in bookstores,
gas stations, some grocery stores and
tourist shops.
Embassies and Consulates
in Iceland
United States, Laufásvegur 21,
Tel: 562 9100
United Kingdom, Laufásvegur 31,
Tel: 550 5100
Russia, Garðastræti 33,
Tel: 551 5156
China, Víðimelur 29,
Tel: 552 6751
For a full list visit Ministry for Foreign
Affairs: www.mfa.is/diplomatic-mis-
sions/icelandic-missions/
Internet Access
Most coffeehouses have wireless
Internet access.
Computers with Internet connections
are available at:
Ráðhúskaffi City Hall, Tjarnargata 11
BSÍ Bus Terminal,
Vatnsmýrarvegur 10
Ground Zero, Vallarstræti 10
The Reykjavík City Library,
Tryggvagata 15
The National and University Li-
brary, Arngrímsgata 3
Tourist Information Centre,
Aðalstræti 2
Icelandic Travel Market: Bankastræti 2
Opening hours
Bars and clubs: According to regula-
tions bars may be open until 01:00 on
weekdays and 05:30 on weekends.
Shops: Mon-Fri 10-18, Sat 10-16, Sun
closed. The shopping centres Kringlan
and Smáralind as well as most super-
markets and tourist shops have longer
opening hours.
Swimming pools: weekdays
06:30-22:30, weekends 08:00-20:30
although some may be open an hour
longer.
The State owned ÁTVR liquor
stores: Mon-Thu 11-18, Fri 11-19, Sat
11-18.
Banks in the centre are open Mon-Fri
09-16.
Getting Around
Public transport
The only public transport system in
Reykjavík is the bus. Most busses run
every 20 minutes and price per fare is
250 ISK for adults and 75 ISK for chil-
dren. Complete route map at: www.
bus.is. Tel: 540 2700
Busses run from 07:00-24:00 on
weekdays and 10:00-24:00 on week-
ends
Rent a bike
Borgarhjól, Hverfisgata 50,
Tel: 551 5653, www.borgarhjol.net
HI Hostel, Sundlaugarvegur 34,
Tel: 553 8110, www.hostel.is
Tourist Information Centre,
Aðalstræti 2, Tel: 590 1550,
www.visitreykjavik.is
Taxi
Hreyfill-Bæjarleiðir,
Tel: 553 3500 or 588 5522
BSR, Tel: 561 0000
For disabled travellers
Reykjavík Group Travel Service,
Brunastaðir 3, Tel: 587 8030, www.
randburg.com/is/reykjavik_group_trav-
el_service/
A useful brochure, Accessible Reykja-
vík, can be found at tourist offices.
Car rentals
Átak Car Rental, Smiðjuvegur 1,
Tel: 554 6040
ALP, Dugguvogur 10, Tel: 562 6060
Avis, Knarravogi 2, Tel: 591 4000
Eurocar, Hjallahraun 9, Tel: 565 3800
A.G Car Rental, Tangarhöfði 8-12.
Tel: 587 5544
Atlas Car Rental, Dalshraun 9,
Tel: 565 3800
Berg Car Rental, Tangarhöfða 8,
Tel: 577 6050
Hertz, Flugvallavegur, Tel: 505 0600
Airlines
Air Iceland, Reykjavíkurflugvöllur,
Tel: 570 3030, www.flugfelag.is
Air Vestmannaeyjar, Tel: 481 3255,
www.eyjaflug.is
Bus Terminal
BSÍ, Vatnsmýrarvegur 10,
Tel: 562 1011, www.bsi.is
Samferda.net
A reasonable choice for the budget
traveller. You log on to the website
www.samferda.net, choose your
destination and hopefully find a travel
buddy to share the cost.
The Intercultural Centre
The Intercultural Centre throws oc-
casional cultural events and confer-
ences but its main purpose is to be an
information and counselling centre
and serve as an advocate for the rights
of immigrants in Iceland.
Hverfisgata 18, Tel: 530 9300
www.ahus.is
Icelandic Travel Market
Bankastræti 2, Tel: 510 5700,
www.kleif.is
Information on day tours, accommo-
dations, car rental and everything else
you need to know when travelling in
Iceland.
Iceland Visitor
Lækjargata 2, Tel: 511 2442,
www.icelandvisitor.com
A travel agency offering travelling
package trips and custom-made tours
as well as car rental, day tours and
accommodations for visitors.
Tourist Information Centre
Aðalstræti 2, Tel: 590 1550,
www.visitreykjavik.is
Offers information for tourists as well
as providing internet access, booking
service, a phone centre, money ex-
change service, tax refund and selling
the Reykjavík Tourist Card. The Reykja-
vík Tourist Card gives admission to city
busses, various museums, Reykjavík
swimming pools, The Family Park and
Reykjavík Zoo, The Culture House and
the National and University Library.
The Icelandic Tourist Board
Lækjargata 3, Tel: 535 5500,
www.visiticeland.com
All information needed before travel-
ling in Iceland.
Goethe Institute
Túngata 14, Tel: 561 5921,
www.goethe.de/island
A cultural institute that offers movie
screenings, lectures and German
language courses.
Nordic House
Sturlugata 5, Tel: 551 7030,
www.nordice.is
The Nordic cultural centre organises
various cultural events, conferences
and exhibitions.
All major tourist spots in Reykjavík also
offer brochures, maps and information
for travellers.
Useful Information
Where to learn Icelandic as a
foreign language
Icelandic on the Internet,
www.vefskoli.is
Mímir Continuing Education,
Skeifán 8, Tel: 580 1800, www.mimir.is
Námsflokkar Reykjavíkur,
Fríkirkjuvegur 1, Tel: 551 2992
Fjölmenning, Laugavegur 59,
Tel: 511 1319, www.fjolmenning.is
The Icelandic College of Engineer-
ing and Technology, Höfðabakki 9,
Tel: 577 1400, www.thi.is
Iðnskólinn í Reykjavík,
Skólavörðuholti, Tel: 552 6240,
www.ir.is
The University of Iceland – Depart-
ment of Continuing Education,
Dunhagi 7, Tel: 525 4924,
www.endurmenntun.is
Religious movements
The national church in Iceland is the
Evangelical Lutheran Church. Masses
are generally held on Sundays at 11:00
in churches all around the capital.
Service in English is at Hallgrímskirkja
every last Saturday each month, start-
ing at 14:00. The Roman Catholic
Church also has masses in English and
Polish.
Other religious movements in Reykja-
vík are for example:
The Muslim Association of Iceland,
Ármúli 38
Ásatrú Association, Grandagarði 8
Bahá’í, Álfabakka 12
The Church of Evangelism,
Hlíðasmári 9
The Icelandic Buddhist Movement,
Víghólastígur 21
Reykjavík Free Lutheran Church,
Fríkirkjuvegur 5
Pentecostal Assembly, Hátún 2
Roman Catholic Church,
Hávallagata 14
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
Day Saints, Ásabraut 2
Jehovah’s Witnesses, Sogavegur 71
Seventh-Day Adventists,
Suðurhlíð 36

Zen Buddhism in Iceland,
Reykjavíkurvegur 31
Independent Church,
Háteigsvegur 101
The Russian Orthodox Church in
Iceland, Sólvallagata 10
The Cross, Hlíðasmári 5-7
Trade Unions
The Icelandic Federation of Labour,
Sætún 1, Tel: 535 5600, www.asi.is
The Federation of State and Mu-
nicipal employees, Grettisgata 89,
Tel: 525 8300, www.bsrb.is
The Association of Academics, Bor-
gartún 6, Tel: 581 2090, www.bhm.is
Efling, Sætún 1, Tel: 510 7500,
www.efling.is
The Commercial Workers’ Union,
Kringlan 7, Tel: 510 1700, www.vr.is
Union of Public Servants, Grettis-
gata 89, Tel: 525 8340, www.sfr.is
Useful Websites
www.visitreykjavik.is (The official
tourist website of Reykjavík)
www.gayice.is (Information about
the gay scene in Iceland)
www.fjolmenningarsetur.is
(The Multicultural Centre)
www.hostel.is
(Hostel International in Iceland)
www.vinnumalastofnun.is
(Public employment services)
www.gulalinan.is (The yellow pages)
www.leigulistinn.is (Rent a flat)
www.simaskra.is
(Icelandic telephone directory)
Where to get Work and residence permit: The
Directorate of Immigration, Skógarhlíð
6, Tel: 510 5400, www.utl.is.
Insurance and benefits: The State
Social Security Institute, Laugavegur
114-116, Tel: 560 4400, www.tr.is
Icelandic citizenship: Unless you
come from a Nordic country, foreign
citizens have to have had an unre-
stricted residence permit in Iceland for
at least seven years in order to get an
Icelandic citizenship although some
exceptions exist to that general rule.
Applications are at the Ministry of
Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs,
Skuggasund, Tel: 545 9000,
www.domsmalaraduneyti.is
Unemployment benefits: Director-
ate of Labour, Public Employment
Service, Tryggvagata 17, Tel: 515 4800,
www.vinnumalastofnun.is
Icelandic social security number
(kennitala): National Register, Bor-
gartún 30, Tel: 560 9800,
www.hagstofa.is
Driver’s license: Those who have a
foreign license don’t need an Icelandic
one for the first six months. After that
time you have one month to apply for
an Icelandic driver’s license. Applica-
tions are at police stations.
Tax card: Tax office, Laugavegur 166,
Tel: 563 1100, www.rsk.is
Rent subsidies: Social Service Office,
Tryggvagata 17, Tel: 411 9000 www.
felagsthjonustan.is
Facts on Iceland
Iceland is a constitutional repub-
lic with slightly more than 300,000
inhabitants. Reykjavík has been the
country’s capital since 1786 and today
almost two-thirds of the population
live in the greater capital area.
The 17th of June 1944 Iceland
became an independent republic.
That day is the national holiday and is
celebrated all around the country.
Alþingi, the national parliament,
is the oldest assembly in the world,
established at Þingvellir in 930 but
restored in Reykjavík in 1844. The par-
liament is comprised of 63 members,
who are elected by popular vote every
four years. Icelandic citizens over 18
years of age have the legal right to
vote.
Parliamentary elections were last
held in 2003 with 33.7 percent of
votes going to the Independence
Party. The Social Democratic Alliance
got 31 percent, the Progressive Party
17.7 percent, the Leftist-Greens 8.8
percent and the Liberal Party 7.4 per-
cent. The Independence Party and the
Progressive Party formed a coalition
and together lead the government.
Iceland has 12 ministers with the
prime minister and head of govern-
ment being Geir H. Haarde, who is
also chairman of the Independence
Party. The President of Iceland is Ólafur
Ragnar Grímsson, who has been in
office since 1996. He is the Chief of
State although his duties are mostly
ceremonial.
Time Zone: GMT 0
Currency: Íslensk króna (ISK).
International Dialling Code: +354
Weather: Average temperature dur-
ing summer is around 10ºC and winter
0ºC. For information on weather in
Iceland visit www.vedur.is or Tel: 902
0600.
Cultural Centres and
Tourist Offices
23. February 2007 – 26. May 2007
DAMIEN PEYRET
swim and steam
JO DUCHENE
colours of the housescape
MADE IN ICELAND
Reykjavík Documentary Workshop is a newly
founded independent documentary associa-
tion with the goal of spreading the culture
of documentary filmmaking to professionals
and others interested in documentaries in the
country. By bringing renowned directors from
around the world to the public and getting
them to hold master-classes connected to their
documentaries, the association has brought
the film selection in Iceland to a new advanced
level and created a lively discussion on this
growing film category. Artist and filmmaker
Emiliano Monaco, the association’s director,
tells the Grapevine that from beginning they
set out to offer monthly screenings of recent
documentaries, as well as host master-classes
with the directors and get them to present their
works to the audience, answer questions re-
garding their films, and share their knowledge
of filmmaking to those eager to listen.
In February this year, the newly founded
association screened its first film, Voices of
Bam, and organised a master-class with the
award-winning director Aliona van der Horst.
These events have grown in number and, de-
spite being a young organisation, the Reykjavík
Documentary Workshop can boast of an im-
pressive list of documentaries that have been
screened at Tjarnarbíó Movie Theatre and the
Nordic House.
Monaco says that the interest in documen-
taries is increasing in Iceland. “The films and
the master-classes have all been well received
by moviegoers. People are getting more and
more interested in the project and there has
been a boost in the number of people who
show up,” Monaco explains.
“What I find very interesting regarding the
documentary industry in general is that there
has been an immense increase among women
filmmakers,” Monaco says and points out that
they have invited a couple of women directors
to present their films in Reykjavík. These include
the aforementioned Dutch filmmaker Aliona
van der Horst as well as Sandhya Suri who
screened her documentary I for India; Sophie
Fiennes introduced her film The Pervert’s Guide
to Cinema and Tone Grøttjord’s Russian movie
Prirechnyy.
When asked about future projects, Monaco
says the Reykjavík Documentary Workshop
will take a short break during the summer to
work on other projects but that they will start
at full force next fall. Already planned is the
screening of 9 Stars Hotel directed by Ido Haar
from Israel, a film that centres on the occupied
territories in Israel and the Palestinians who
work there illegally as construction labourers.
The documentary A Story of People in War and
Peace by Armenian director Vardan Hovhan-
nisyan is also on schedule for next fall.
At the moment, the association is looking
for a place to house its operation. Monaco says
they are hoping for an accommodation that can
house offices, a library containing documentaries,
books and educational material, and a room
with a TV where people can drop by and watch
a movie whenever they feel like it.
“With all this, we want to introduce the
documentary culture to the public” Monaco
adds.
Reykjavík Shorts and Docs
The organisation’s final project before the sum-
mer vacation is to be part of the Reykjavík
Shorts and Docs festival, which will take place
in Tjarnarbíó Movie Theatre from May 25 to
May 28. This year, moviegoers will get the
chance to see 10 different documentaries and
12 short films from 14 countries in total. Reyk-
javík Documentary Workshop’s contribution,
in collaboration with Amnesty International,
Images of the North and the Swedish embassy,
is the opening film of the festival, The Price
of the Pole, directed by Staffan Julén. This is
an investigative documentary which tells the
tale of American explorer Robert E. Peary who
spent 23 years living in the Arctic among Inuits
late in the 18th century. His task was to be the
first man at the North Pole and while trying
to reach his goal he secretly married an Inuit.
In 1897, Peary travelled back to America with
six living Inuits, who he outrageously put on
exhibit at the American Museum of Natural His-
tory. Thousands of curious Americans flocked
to the Museum to catch a glimpse of these
‘strange’ people, who couldn’t handle the
change in living environment and died one af-
ter another. The only survivor was a six-year-old
boy named Minik. The film also follows Peary’s
great-grandson who travels from Greenland to
America to learn what happened to his ances-
tors and to try and understand the past. The
Price of the Pole won the Amnesty Award at
the Copenhagen International Documentary
film festival in 2006.
For the occasion, director Staffan Julén will
be attending the festival along with the “main
character”, Robert E. Peary II. On May 27,
Julén will hold a master-class at the Reykjavík
Academy.
In addition to this moving opening film,
the list of this year’s Shorts and Docs festival
includes: the Canadian dance short film 7
Universal Solvents; Danish documentary The
Anatomy of Evil; and award-winning documen-
tary China Blue directed by Micha X. Peled,
which deals with labour workers at the clothing
factories in China and their inhumane work-
ing conditions. While shooting the film, the
director was interrupted several times by the
Chinese authorities and the film crew were
even arrested and interrogated.
Iceland’s contribution to the festival this
year includes: a 10 minute short film, Thanks
for Help, directed by Benedikt Erlingsson; the
documentary Shanghaiing Days which deals
with a few Icelandic trawler men in the period
of 1947-1970; New Life Beginning directed
by Þorsteinn Jónsson; the short film Family
Reunion by Ísold Uggadóttir; and Fencing, a
short film that follows a day in the life of a
troubled elderly gentleman, directed by Sig-
tryggur Baldursson. For the full schedule see
www.shortdocs.info
Expanding the Documentary Culture
Text by Steinunn Jakobsdóttir Photo by Skari
“What I find very in-
teresting regarding the
documentary industry
in general is that there
has been an immense
increase among women
filmmakers.”
Two unique exihbitions:
The Settlement of Iceland
and
Egils saga
Open daily from 10 am to 7 pm
R E S T A U R A N T
Open from 10 am to 9:30 pm
Tel: +354 437 1600
www.landnamssetur.is
A must do
for the visitor...
SetTlement
centre
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I N B O R G A R N E S