Reykjavík Grapevine - júl. 2020, Blaðsíða 40

L IF E , T R AV EL & EN T ER TA INMEN T IN ICEL A ND
Issue 05 ! 2020
July 17th—August 13th
www.grapevine.is
LAST WORDS
Iceland In The
Spotlight
Words: Anna Andersen
Photo: Natsha Nandabhiwat
Icelanders are basking in the joy of Will Fer-
rell’s new comedy ‘Eurovision Song Contest:
The Story of Fire Saga’, which beautifully
captures the spirit of this campy contest and
Iceland’s curious passion for it. The Netflix
film, which has been trending in Iceland for
weeks, comes just in time to cheer up a nation
that has been mourning their missed oppor-
tunity to shine in the real contest.
When Icelanders learned that the Euro-
vision Song Contest would not take place
this year due to the coronavirus, they were
crushed. Many thought, when the announce-
ment was made back in March, that the pan-
demic had crossed the line. A handball player
whose sport had been put on hold said the
Eurovision cancellation was the worst thing
to happen in years. A journalist proposed that
Icelanders take a moment to collectively cry
their eyes out in the shower. Of all the cancel-
lations, this one hurt the most.
If that seems strange, consider the fact
that Iceland has only recently seen inter-
national success in sports like soccer and
handball. The Eurovision Song Contest has
historically been one of few venues for the
country to compete with the outside world.
It’s an opportunity to be seen by roughly 200
million people. Since Iceland started partici-
pating in the contest in 1986, it has entered
and failed to win 32 times. Yet every year
Icelanders have the same high hopes of win-
ning—and this year, they were convinced
that they would win.
Alas, Icelanders didn’t get to strut their
stuff in Rotterdam and their “certain” victory
was derailed, but all was not lost for a country
that craves attention from abroad. Although,
as one BBC reviewer put it, they are portrayed
in Ferrell’s film as “an unsophisticated bunch
of beer-drinking, whale-watching, knitted
jumper-wearing innocents,” Icelanders
couldn’t care less. They’re just excited to be
portrayed in a film that people all over the
world are watching. In a year without Eurovi-
sion, Iceland found the spotlight.
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