Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.08.2010, Qupperneq 12

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12 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • 1 August 2010
ICELAND “Iceland is a topographical marvel: craggy, desolate, the way you imagine the surface of the moon.”—FRANK BRUNI, THE NEW YORK TIMES“No. 2 on my list is Iceland. They just had their own currency devaluation; it’s now two for one. It’s a great bargain!”
—PETER GREENBERG, NBC’S TODAY SHOW
“Whether for its ethereal rock bands or wind-swept terrain, Iceland has a reputation for cool.”
—TOM HAINES, THE BOSTON GLOBE
northern lights • lavascapes • spas • wild horses • volcanoes • rock clubs • fjords • whales • glaciers • geysers • hot restaurants • waterfalls • midnight sun • puffins
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The Gimli Film Festival celebrated its 10th anni-versary this year with a
selection of feature films, shorts
and documentaries that repre-
sent its unique niche within the
circuit of North American film
festivals, comprising Canadian
films, with a special emphasis
on Manitoba filmmakers; cin-
ema from Iceland, Scandinavia
and the circumpolar nations;
and documentaries dealing with
themes of environmental aware-
ness and social interest.
This year the golden nugget
at the core of its offerings was
undoubtedly the extraordinary
collection of fine documenta-
ries selected for this anniver-
sary year’s program, which
include some of the most im-
portant films in this genre
made in the last year: Dream-
land (Iceland), The Cove (US),
The Coca Cola Case (NFB,
Canada), The Living (Ukraine),
A Mother’s Courage: Talking
Back to Autism (Iceland), Ge-
nius Within: The Inner Life of
Glenn Gould (NFB, Canada)
and Reel Injun (Canada).
Dreamland, based on Andri
Snær Magnason’s best-selling
book of the same name, has
been described as “quite possi-
bly the most important Icelandic
film ever made” (The Iceland
Weather Report). The film takes
issue with the economic poli-
cies advanced in recent years
aimed at harnessing Iceland’s
enormous hydro-electric poten-
tial to make it the world’s larg-
est producer of aluminum. At
the centre of this controversy is
the massive Kárahnjúkar dam,
set to be the largest in Europe,
which will enable the establish-
ment of Alcoa plants in the East
Fjords in coming years.
Featuring sweeping pan-
oramic helicopter shots of Ice-
land’s majestic landscapes,
segments of old-time home
movies and contemporary news
footage, as well as a sound
track with the music of Björk
and Valgeir Sigurðsson, this
film is as stunningly beautiful
as it is intelligent and thought-
ful – essential viewing for any-
one wishing to understand this
small island nation that has only
recently awakened to the neces-
sity of environmental preserva-
tion in an age of multinational
predators.
Hardly less controversial is
the Academy Award winning
documentary The Cove, centered
on the Japanese practice of
drive hunting, whereby large
schools of porpoises are
cornered in a watery cul-de-
sac and then methodically
slaughtered en masse. The
Cove is a real rarity amongst
environmental films: a cloak-
and-dagger detective story with
underground microphones and
cameras disguised as rocks
in an undercover stake-out of
unethical fishing practices that
blends investigative journalism
with the pit of the stomach
tension of a mystery thriller to
create a genre all its own.
Even more disturbing than
the cruel harvesting practices
of the Japanese is the wider dis-
cussion given to mercury con-
tamination in the world’s fish
supplies, including that eco-
nomical staple of the supposed-
ly “healthy” diet – tuna. This is
a must-see film for anyone who
has ever wondered why govern-
ment agencies recommend con-
suming no more than one can of
this protein rich fish per week.
Much closer to home is The
Coca Cola Case, an enquiry
into the labour practices of the
mammoth multinational bev-
Gimli Film Festival:
A 10th
anniversary
success
A scene from Dreamland