Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.04.2014, Qupperneq 20

The Weight of Mountains (TWOM) film develop-
ment and festival programme is a new opportu-
nity in the world of filmmaking. Organised through
the Nes Artist Residency, Skagaströnd's claim to
artistic fame, 10 international artists spent three
months in North Iceland working on films that
examine the relationship between Skagaströnd’s
harsh environment and the people who live there.
As TWOM curators Melody Woodnut and Tim
Marshall explain in their adorable Australian ac-
cents, projects within the filmmaking sphere tend
to be large complex productions involving the
coordination of many artists due to the immense
amount of work that goes into making a polished
film. TWOM, however, provides filmmakers with
the chance to work on a completely solo film,
which allows the programme's artists to explore
the bounds of their own imagination without the
creative limitations of working with a group.
The first night of screenings in Café Bjarmanes
are ten short films by Emily McAllan, another Nes-
artist Australian who participated in TWOM. The
short films are video letters, two to four minute
pieces dedicated to sponsors who donated money
so that she could attend the programme. The let-
ters give a glimpse into the filmmakers' lives during
their stay in Skagaströnd, the many quirky trials,
fleeting disappointments and daily triumphs they
experienced. The short films depict everything
from arriving in town on the bus which, in keep-
ing with true Icelandic style, is actually just a sta-
tion wagon with an S sticker on the dashboard, to
playing with the local children around New Year's
bonfires.
Emily's letters are a heartfelt and sincere ac-
cess point into understanding the TWOM commu-
nity, and as far as artsy Icelandic communities get,
Skagaströnd is as vibrant as they come. After a few
rounds of beer, cheating with Skagaströnd's mayor
during the night's pub quiz (don’t worry, we lost
anyways), and having several of the town's many
inside jokes explained to me ("Who the fuck is
Laura?!?" Answer: Skagaströnd's very own John
Galt), I’m so wired up for the screenings to start
the next day that I don't even feel the walls of wind
trying to knock me over as I leave the café.
Film For All
I arrive to an empty Nes studio the following
morning, as the filmmakers are sleeping in after
several frenzied late night hours of adding the
final touches to their films. The studio is a large
building overlooking the wind-whipped ocean,
crammed with second hand furniture, design
books, and funky art contraptions like a coffin-
looking box lined with fuzz which I'm told should
properly be referred to as a "Nest-box."
As the afternoon begins to pick up, I make my
way over to the Fellsborg building, a community
space with a small performance hall and adjacent
reception area. TWOM festival is warming up
with a children's film screening, and it seems little
bundles of heavy coats and scarves are rushing in
from all over town to enjoy it. "The kids are kind
of the heart of this place," Melody tells me, "we
had to put something on for them." And with the
nearest cinema located two and a half hour's drive
away in Akureyri, the screening isn't an opportu-
nity anyone is going to miss.
After the children's screening, the rest of the
town begins arriving for the premiere of the Nes
films. Compared to the funky art installations and
interpretive dance pieces Nes is renowned for,
Melody tells me that TWOM has gotten a lot more
publicity within the Icelandic community, as she
thinks film is a bit more widely accessible. Guests
gather in the lobby pass for a few minutes and get
a chance to buy some popcorn and a soda before
Melody welcomes the crowd with a short speech
and the lights turn down for the first full film to
begin. Although the films are all works in progress,
something it seemed everyone at Nes couldn't
stress enough, I would never have known it just
from watching them.
The films range in variety, from the serious and
heartfelt to the comedic and outrageous. For in-
stance, one film depicts life within Skagaströnd's
tiny teenager community, which involves fishtail-
ing cars on long stretches of ice. Another express-
es the reality of everyday life among the wonders
of the awe-inducing Icelandic environment, which
is beautifully described as a life where you dream
more than you sleep.
The last film finishes with a rush of hooting
and applause. Melody takes to the podium again
thanking the town and calling the filmmakers up
to the stage where they're each given a true art-
ists' reward for their hard work, a bottle of wine
and a standing ovation. The night is far from over
though, as we pack into a side room to mingle and
prepare for the night of celebration and debauch-
ery that follows.
The Future Of Desert Typewriters
The following day, while waiting for the "bus" that
would take me back to Reykjavík, I sit nursing a vi-
cious hangover in the local gas station/restaurant,
which thankfully remains open on Sundays. I think
back to the weekend in Skagaströnd, climbing up
the snowy embankments on the seaside cliffs for
Morgan's QR code scavenger hunt, gorging myself
on cake and popcorn after the film screening, and
inspecting the wind buffeted Icelandic horses just
out the window while I sipped warm tea indoors.
Although my time with TWOM has finished, for
Tim and Melody there's a lot more to come. Mel-
ody tells me that TWOM programme will continue
in 2015 in an equally isolated village in the Moroc-
can desert. She explained to me that it's going to
be difficult to pull off the programme logistically
since the town doesn't have access to electricity.
Laughing, Melody goes on saying that she was
toying with the thought of hauling out a bunch of
typewriters into the desert and having the next
group of filmmakers focus on screenwriting. Af-
ter a weekend of witnessing first-hand how funky,
determined and inventive the people at Nes are, I
wouldn't put it past them for a second.
Nestled between the east coast of Húnaflói Bay and the ominous three-peaked Spákonufell mountain sits a
small fishing village called Skagaströnd. On the edge of town, the tiny Bjarmanes Café rests perched above the
sea. The café, which is open only one night each month during the winter, is warm with plush sofas and arm-
chairs. The room is abuzz with clinking wine glasses, clattering beer bottles and so much excitement that the
wind groaning against the windows is completely drowned out. All the noise dies down to a murmur, however,
as the lights dim and a projector flashes to life. The Weight of Mountains film festival has begun.
Words by
Ben Smick
Where You Dream More Than You Sleep
The Weight of Mountains film festival in Skagaströnd
February 21-23 Skagaströnd
The Weight of Mountains Film Festival
TWOM
20Film
THE NUMBER 1 MUSIC STORE
IN EUROPE ACCORDING TO
LONELY PLANET
SKÓLAVÖRÐUSTÍG 15, 101 REYKJAVÍK AND HARPA CONCERT HALL
"And with the nearest cinema
located two and a half hour's
drive away in Akureyri, the
screening isn't an opportunity
anyone is going to miss."
Trip to Skagaströndprovided by Strætó.
More info to book ride to Skagaströnd at www.bus.is or call +354-5402700.