Reykjavík Grapevine - 06.06.2014, Blaðsíða 36

36
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 1 — 2011 36
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 06 — 2014FILM
All you need
in one place
www.handknit.is
ONLY
SWEATER
SELECTION,
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MATERIAL
This year, twenty-one films will be
screened. Some are feature length; oth-
ers are shorts. Some are premiering and
others are works in progress. The screen-
ings take place at the Skjaldborgarbíó
theatre, from which the festival takes its
name. The building, which is located at
Aðalstræti 27, dates back to 1934 and
originally served an important function as
the meeting place for Skjöldur (“Shield,”
the Independent’s Party’s local political
society). In 1980, the premises under-
went a dramatic makeover into a state
of the art film the-
atre. Today it proudly
boasts a 35mm film
projector along with
digital projection, and
comfortably seats 180
occupants.
By now in its
eighth incarnation,
the festival has es-
tablished itself as a
meeting place for
filmmakers and a rich
breeding ground for
Icelandic documen-
taries. We talked to
the festival’s director,
filmmaker Hafsteinn
Gunnar Sigurðsson (writer/director of ‘Á
Annan Veg’ (“Either Way”), to find out
more…
Does Iceland really need an en-
tire festival devoted to Icelandic
documentaries?
Yes, there is very much a need for a fes-
tival devoted entirely to the premieres of
Icelandic documentaries. The festival was
created out of that need, as there weren’t
any platforms that focused entirely on
Icelandic docs. When we started out we
thought we might only be able to run the
festival every other year because of a lack
of titles, but surprisingly we were proven
wrong. Today we receive way more films
than we can possibly screen.
Why Patreksfjörður? How did this
all begin?
I started the festival with my friends
Hálfdán Pedersen [production designer]
and Huldar Breiðfjörð
[writer]. None of us
are actually from Pa-
treksfjörður, but we
discovered the place
through Hálfdàn’s
parents, who own a
house there.
Beyond the theatre
itself, it's the nature
and the "stemmn-
ing" that draws us
to Patró [short for
Patreksfjörður]. It's a
comfortable, laid back
place, out of the city’s
hustle and bustle. Due
to the seclusion, I find
that attendees tend to form a special
bond over the weekend.
What type of films can attendees
expect to see at this year’s festi-
val?
The festival proudly embraces all kinds
of cinema—everything from high-budget
docs made by seasoned filmmakers to
smaller and less traditional works by
first timers. This year you will find films
about everything from Thai sea gypsies
to the Icelandic eccentric, Þórður frá
Dagverðará.
What are you most excited about
this year?
There are loads of films that I’m very ex-
cited about, and I can proudly say that
this is an exceptionally good year.
Who is your honorary guest, Vic-
tor Kossakovsky, and why did you
invite him?
Victor Kossakovsky is a Russian docu-
mentary filmmaker. We invited him be-
cause he is an important and forceful
presence in world cinema. He often as-
sumes the role of editor, cinematogra-
pher, writer and director on his films. He
started his own film production company
in St. Petersburg, Kossakovsky Film Pro-
duction, with the objective of creating a
cinema of poetry and reality. In a very in-
novative and original way, the renowned
filmmaker looks to achieve a sort of pro-
found poetic clarity and a philosophical
vision in mostly banal and everyday situ-
ations. He tries to surprise the specta-
tor with his subtle humour and sense of
drama. His various documentary films
are all anchored in brilliant ideas, which
he develops into intimate, completely un-
compromising cinema.
Does this year’s seafood banquet
have anything special in store? Is
there a fish-dish that the festival-
goer must try?
The seafood banquet is one of the main
events at the festival and the local fish
companies are kind enough to support
us. The menu is a bit different every year,
but it’s always outstanding. I actually
don’t know what we will have this year.
Salmon, maybe? No, definitely. There will
definitely be salmon.
Doc Soup
Human stories and seafood appreciation con-
verge at the Skjaldborg Documentary Festival
“I actually don’t know
what we will have this
year. Salmon, maybe?
No, definitely. There will
definitely be salmon.”
Words
Óskar Bragi @OskarBragi
Patreksfjörður, a small town in Iceland’s remote Westfjords,
is home to the Skjaldborg documentary festival. Every June
since 2007, filmmakers and audiences have gathered there
to watch documentaries of all shapes and sizes over the
weekend-long festival.
www.Skjaldborg.isNumber of films screened: 21
Skjaldborg
Patreksfjörður06
JUNE
09
JUNE
INTER
VIEW